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TREASURY

Census (Welsh Language)

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that the census in the year 2001 includes questions relating to the number of people in Wales who understand the Welsh language. [31307]

Mrs. Angela Knight: The census offices expect to include questions in the 2001 census in Wales on whether respondents understand, speak, read and write Welsh. This would provide additional information to the questions asked in the 1991 census which covered speaking, reading, and writing Welsh, but not understanding Welsh.

12 Jun 1996 : Column: 153

Self-assessment

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reports he has received of difficulties experienced by the Inland Revenue in respect of self-assessment income tax returns in the pilot areas operating this scheme. [31423]

Mr. Jack: A prototype of the self-assessment tax return has been used in a trial in Leicester involving 5,000 taxpayers. Results of that trial are currently being evaluated and a report will be published later in the year. I understand that this will suggest that the results are in line with Inland Revenue expectations of taxpayer behaviour. Feedback from the trial did inform the continuing consultation on the self-assessment tax return and a number of changes were made to the return as a result of live trial experiences.

Exchange Rates

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the movement each month in 1996 of the pound against (a) the US dollar and (b) the German mark. [31931]

Mrs. Angela Knight: Figures for monthly averages in 1996 of sterling's exchange rate against the dollar and the deutschmark are as follows:

	£/$	£/DM
January 1996	1.53	2.24
February 1996	1.54	2.25
March 1996	1.53	2.26
April 1996	1.52	2.28
May 1996	1.51	2.32

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received regarding re-entry into the European exchange rate mechanism at existing parities with particular reference to the effect on exports; and if he will make a statement. [31933]

Mrs. Knight: None. The UK will not rejoin the European exchange rate mechanism during this Parliament, and there is no question of us ever rejoining a rigid, old-style exchange rate mechanism.

Nationalised Industries

Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total amount of public funds invested in the nationalised industries since 1966 in 1996 prices. [31926]

Mr. Waldegrave: The total amount of capital expenditure by public corporations, which include the nationalised industries, from 1966-67 to 1994-95 was £358 billion at 1994-95 prices. Of that, £135 billion was financed by capital grants or net lending from the general government sector. No separate information on the nationalised industries is held for the earlier part of this period.

12 Jun 1996 : Column: 154

Civil Servants (Duties Abroad)

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor the Exchequer how much his Department spent during the financial years 1994-95 and 1995-96 on sending civil servants accompanying Ministers from his Department on official duties abroad. [32412]

Mrs. Angela Knight: Expenditure on travel and subsistence overseas in the two years is included in the published running costs.

Information Technology

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the readiness of his Department's information technology projects for the start of income tax self-assessment in April 1997. [31782]

Mr. Jack [holding answer 7 June 1996]: The information technology system for self-assessment is being developed in the form of a number of related tranches. Their readiness to perform the task of delivering self-assessment will be assessed on a continuing basis as software testing is undertaken during the remainder of this year and the early part of 1987.

Mr. Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely cost overrun on the information technology projects associated with the move to income tax self-assessment; and if he will make a statement. [31791]

Mr. Jack [holding answer 7 June 1996]: The Inland Revenue is keeping costs to completion of the information technology projects under continuous review. These costs remain within budget.

Insider Dealing

Mr. Darling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to amend legislation in relation to the offence of insider dealing; and if he will make a statement. [32058]

Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 10 June 1996]: I have no proposals to amend part V of the Criminal Justice Act 1993. An order will be made shortly under section 64(2) of that Act to update the lists of regulated markets in the Insider Dealing (Securities and Regulated Markets) Order 1994.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Grant-maintained Schools

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which grant-maintained schools have hosted "Going GM" open days at the request of the Department; how many invitations have been issued to each; how many people have attended each; what has been the cost of each; and how many further such open days it is planned to hold. [28608]

Mrs. Gillan: GM schools "open days" have given head teachers and governors from local authority schools opportunities to see how GM schools are run and to discuss the implications of GM status with staff and governors. Since March 1994 the Department has supported 26 such open days, with a further six scheduled to take place this

12 Jun 1996 : Column: 155

term. We do not hold information on the number of invitations sent. An average of 14 delegates attend each of the days held so far. Costs vary, because schools make their own arrangements. The average cost so far, where a claim has been submitted, is some £430 for staff costs, including preparation for the day, and some £540 for other costs such as administered and catering. The average cost per head is some £70. We are reviewing the range of activities undertaken to provide information about the GM programme, taking account of the forthcoming White Paper on extending self-government for schools.

Training and Enterprise Councils

Mr. William O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what are the criteria for the nomination and selection of members of training and enterprise councils; and if she will make a statement.[32477]

Mr. Paice: Training and enterprise councils are private companies. The appointment of directors to TEC boards is determined by the members of the company acting in accordance with the company's articles of association and the eligibility conditions set by the TEC's contract with Government. It is for each TEC to decide on its own membership in accordance with the TEC National Council's "Framework for the Local Accountability of TECs" which has as its first principle clarity and openness in the selection of well-qualified and trained board members.

12 Jun 1996 : Column: 156

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

Overseas Development Assistance

Miss Lestor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the overseas development assistance budget is spent on projects and programmes which are primarily designed to meet the objective of the promotion of democracy and good governance. [32470]

Mr. Hanley: ODA bilateral assistance in 1994-95 totalled £1,120 million. Our policy information marker system covered £624.5 million, of which £164.3 million or 26 per cent. was spent on projects and programmes where good government was either a principal or significant objective. We are not able to disaggregate our multilateral contributions to identify expenditure on good government.

Mrs. Kudirat Abiola

Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received about the likely motive for the murder of Chief Abiola's wife, Mrs. Kudirat Abiola, on 4 June. [32513]

Mr. Hanley: We have received no reports about the likely motive. We welcome the Nigerian Government's undertaking to investigate the circumstances of Mrs. Abiola's death promptly and to bring those responsible to justice.

12 Jun 1996 : Column: 157

ENVIRONMENT

Recruitment

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much his Department spent in recruiting staff to his Department and its executive agencies during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 financial years; and how many staff were recruited in each of these years. [31393]

Sir Paul Beresford: In 1994-95 and 1995-96 the number of permanent staff recruited to the central Department and executive agencies, and the cost of that recruitment was as follows:

Year	Numbers recruited	Cost £000
Central Department
1994-95	37	216
1995-96	17	51
Executive agencies(3)
1994-95	82	168
1995-96	129	173
HSE
1994-95	83	266
1995-96	154	145

(3) Excluding the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

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