Small Claims Procedure
Mr. David Marshall:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will increase the maximum sum in respect of which claims can be taken to the sheriff court under the small claims procedure to bring it into line with English practice; and if he will make a statement. [40235]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
Fixing the small claims limit in Scotland is a matter for the Lord Advocate. Although the Lord Advocate has no plans at present to increase the small claims limit, he does keep the matter under review constantly.
TREASURY
Ecological Sustainability
Mr. Dafis:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will request from his officials a paper setting out the implications for the Treasury of a long-term shift in Government policy towards greater prominence to ecological sustainability. [40060]
Mr. Oppenheim:
The Government are already fully committed to achieving sustainable development. This means ensuring that policy decisions take appropriate account of the environment alongside economic and other considerations. Our 1994 sustainable development strategy assessed the many challenges facing the UK over the next 20 years if we are to achieve that goal. Progress to date is reported in the annual Environment White Papers, which are available in the House of Commons Library.
Climate Change
Mr. Dafis:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanisms and procedures he has set up within the Treasury to assess the implications of the Department of the Environment's review of the potential effects of climate change in the United Kingdom. [40069]
Mr. Oppenheim:
The degree of future climate change that is now inevitable will have implications for a broad range of policies across government. My officials are fully involved in inter-departmental discussions on climate change.
Abortions
Mr. Merchant:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give a breakdown by gestation according to technique of the number of abortions performed in the NHS South Thames region in the latest year for which figures are available. [40093]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
Abortion data by technique are not available.
Multiple Births
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many sets of (a) twins, (b) triplets, (c) quadruplets, (d) quintuplets and (e) sextuplets were born in England and
14 Oct 1996 : Column: 698
Wales in each year since 1990; how many maternities there were in each year; and how many multiple births in each category were conceived as a result of (i) in vitro fertilisation, (ii) gamete intra-fallopian transfer and (iii) other forms of assisted conception. [39969]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
The information on multiple maternities and all maternities is given in the table.
Number of maternities in England and Wales
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995
|
|---|
| Twins | 7,934 | 8,160 | 8,314 | 8,302 | 8,451 | 8,749
|
| Triplets | 201 | 208 | 202 | 234 | 260 | 282
|
| Quadruplets | 10 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 7
|
| Quintuplets | -- | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | --
|
| Sextuplets | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | --
|
|
|
| Total number of maternities with multiple births | 8,145 | 8,380 | 8,525 | 8,549 | 8,719 | 9,038
|
| | | | | |
|
| All maternities | 701,030 | 693,857 | 683,854 | 668,511 | 659,545 | 642,404
|
The Office for National Statistics does not collect information about assisted conceptions when births are registered. Some information about multiple births following these treatments is contained in annual reports made by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to the Secretary of State for Health, copies of which are in the Library.
Paymaster Agency
Mr. Andrew Smith:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the privatisation of the Paymaster agency on the Treasury's access to information needed to monitor and control public expenditure; and if he will make a statement. [39909]
Mr. Oppenheim:
The Paymaster General announced on 15 July, Official Report, column 372, that he had accepted the recommendations of the recently concluded prior options review of Paymaster, and the agency would be privatised. A copy of the report is in the Library. It concluded that, to retain control over public expenditure and information on Exchequer balances, such work should continue to be carried out within the public sector.
Statistics
Mr. Trimble:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the monthly figures for (a) M4, (b) M3, (c) inflation, (d) growth and (e) interest rates for the period 1979 to 1995. [39907]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
The data requested are published in the relevant tables in "Financial Statistics and Economic Trends" for the latest data, and in the "Economic Trends Annual Supplement" for historical data. M3 data are not available after July 1989, and monthly M4 data are not available before 1982. All these publications are available from the House Library.
Mr. Austin Mitchell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish for each month in the last three years (a) the rate of inflation and (b) the increase in the money supply for the month two years previously. [40218]
14 Oct 1996 : Column: 699
Mrs. Knight:
The data requested are published in table 3.1 of "Economic Trends" and table 3.1D of "Financial Statistics", both of which are available in the House Library.
Unemployment Benefit
Mr. Bayley:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 11 July, Official Report, columns 299-300, how many claims for unemployment benefit there have been in total; and how many people have made one or more new claims for unemployment benefit at each employment service jobcentre in the country since April 1992. [40271]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Earnings
Mr. Austin Mitchell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on inflation curbs of the trends in earnings of (a) blue collar and (b) white collar workers. [40212]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
Statistical data do not generally refer to employment as either blue or white collar work. Instead, this distinction is usually made with reference to manual or non-manual work. Data from the 1996 "New Earnings Survey" is given below for manual and non-manual workers. This survey covers a random 1 per cent. of all employees and, because of its sample size, is the most reliable official source of detailed information on earnings.
| 1995-96 | Earnings growth | Percentage of all employees
|
|---|
| Manual | 4.2 | 35.1
|
| Non-Manual | 4.2 | 64.9
|
If we make the stylised assumption that employment costs comprise two thirds of final output costs, this suggests that growth in manual workers' earnings contributed approximately one percentage point to retail costs, while earnings growth of non-manual workers contributed about 1.8 percentage points.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of changes in the real earnings of blue collar workers since 1979 on the competitive position of UK manufacturers in home and overseas markets. [40214]
Mrs. Knight:
Since 1979, strong productivity performance and affordable real wage growth have helped enhance the competitive position of UK manufacturers. Relative unit labour costs in the UK manufacturing sector improved by around 10 per cent. between 1979 and 1995.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the real terms change in the earnings of (a) postal workers and (b) white collar workers since 1979. [40213]
Mrs. Knight:
Average gross earnings for postal workers and non-manual workers are shown in tables 1 and X3 of the "New Earnings Survey Report" each April from 1979 to date. Prior to 1984, male and female earnings were shown separately in tables 8 and 9. This
14 Oct 1996 : Column: 700
report is available in the House of Commons Library. Real terms changes can be calculated using the retail prices index for April of each year.
Public Bodies
Mr. Miller:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what restrictions exist in relation to non-departmental public bodies in terms of their approach to (a) the allocation of budgets within each organisation as a result of the implementation of local pay delegation and (b) the effect of any additional external finance derived by each organisation both in terms of supplementing existing internal budgets and in terms of any future overall budget allocation. [40134]
Mr. Waldegrave:
The delegation of pay and grading to Departments on 1 April 1996 applied to home civil servants outside the senior civil service. It did not directly affect non-departmental public bodies, which do not generally employ civil servants, nor did it change the administrative arrangements affecting NDPBs. Where additional external receipts are generated by an NDPB, the use of such receipts will usually be governed by an appropriate provision in the body's financial memorandum. If no such provision exists, a proposal to finance extra expenditure by the body without any offset to the grant in aid would be subject to the approval of the sponsor Department and the Treasury. Special arrangements exist for dealing with the proceeds from the disposal of Exchequer financed assets by NDPBs. The details are set out in paragraph 39 of dear accounting officer letter 3/89, a copy of which is being placed in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Miller:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if salary commitments entered into by non-departmental public bodies operating within their budget allocations require Treasury approval. [40135]
Mr. Waldegrave:
Many, but not all, non-departmental public bodies have a statutory framework which requires the Treasury to consent to or approve the pay and conditions of staff or board members.
