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Profit-related Pay Tax Relief
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is his estimate of the cost to the Exchequer of the tax relief on profit-related pay in (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97, (c) 1997-98 and (d) 1998-99; and if he will make a statement; [807]
- (2) how many individuals are participating in profit-related pay schemes qualifying for tax relief; and what is his estimate of the number of such individuals who pay income tax at the top marginal income tax rate of 40 per cent. [808]
Mr. Jack: Available estimates of the cost of income tax relief for profit-related pay schemes in 1995-96 and 1996-97, and the number of participants up to the end of March 1996, are published in table 1.6 and table 6.3 respectively of "Inland Revenue Statistics 1996", a copy of which is in the Library.
Reliable information on the number of participants at each marginal rate is not available.
Ecus (Minting)
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to further regulate the minting of ecus by local authorities. [320]
Mrs. Angela Knight: No changes are needed. The Coinage Act 1971 sets out clearly that only the Royal Mint may issue coins in the United Kingdom.
Government Procurement
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in improving value for money in Government procurement. [1986]
Mrs. Angela Knight: A report by the Treasury's procurement group on progress made in Government procurement is published today.
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The main developments in the procurement field in 1995-96 were the publications of the Government's procurement strategy: "Setting New Standards" (Cm 2840) and the efficiency scrutiny: "Construction Procurement in Government". These set a framework for Departments to develop forward-looking and challenging objectives.
The report provides an overview of the progress made by departments in implementing both the strategy and scrutiny--in particular:
The main message of the report is that, although significant progress has been made, much remains to be done.
Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Matthew Banks:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for that part of the Paymaster agency which is to remain in the public sector.[2110]
Mr. Oppenheim:
The then Paymaster General announced on 15 July 1996, Official Report, columns 372-73, that the Government were accepting the recommendations of a prior options review concerning the privatisation of the Paymaster agency. He acknowledged that a small part of the agency's banking business must stay in the public sector.
This element, which will maintain the formal title of the Office of HM Paymaster General--OPG--will be separated from the agency on 1 November, when the present head of the National Investment and Loans Office--NILO--will be appointed assistant paymaster general and become responsible for the management of the Paymaster General's accounts at the Bank of England. The OPG will remain a separate statutory body within NILO, will manage the future contract for the provision of banking services once the agency is privatised next spring, and will ensure the protection of market-sensitive data.
30 Oct 1996 : Column: 256
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his most recent calculation of the numbers of people who have died in each of the past five years as a result of using (a) cocaine, (b) ketamine, (c) khat, (d) amphetamines, (e) magic mushrooms, (f) solvents and (g) glue. [989]
Mrs. Angela Knight
[holding answer 30 October 1996]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from John Fox to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 31 October 1996:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked the Director of the ONS to reply to your recent question asking for the numbers of people who have died in each of the past five years as a result of using (a) cocaine, (b) ketamine, (c) khat, (d) amphetamines, (e) magic mushrooms, (f) solvents and (g) glue.
Mr. Pickthall:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Custom and Excise implementation of a three-year limit for VAT refunds for local authorities. [789]
Mr. Oppenheim
[holding answer 29 October 1996]: The three-year cap on VAT refunds will apply to local authorities in the same way as to other VAT-registered bodies. Refunds of tax made to local authorities that are not VAT registered, on their non-business activities, will be unaffected.
Mr. John D. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the population served by each of the hospital trusts within the Eastern area health and social services board; and what is the capital expenditure proposed for this year and each of the next three years in each hospital trust. [64]
Mr. Moss:
Under the Government's reforms it is the responsibility of purchasers, boards and GP fundholders, to secure services for the population. Trust can provide only services in line with contracts agreed with purchasers. The catchments of hospital trusts are dictated by the combination of contracts agreed with purchasers.
The report also records that, in 1994-95, Departments achieved value-for-money improvements of some £112 million on a total spend of £3.2 billion--3.4 per cent.
progress in developing (and implementing) procurement change programmes--designed to integrate procurement into all non-pay, non-transfer expenditure;
the development of best practice guidance for handling all aspects of large service and private finance initiative contracts;
the establishment of interdepartmental networks where Departments collaborate to share ideas on achieving value for money;
in the construction area: the establishment of eight interdepartmental working groups to implement the scrutiny's recommendations;
the introduction of a benchmarking programme; and
the establishment of an external advisory panel to the central unit on procurement to provide continuity of advice, being ideas to public procurement and ensure rapid assimilation of best private sector practice.
The Director has asked me to respond in his absence.
The numbers of deaths in 1991 and 1992 as a result of using cocaine, ketamine, khat, amphetamines, magic mushrooms*, solvents and glue are published in Table 10 of "Mortality statistics: injury and poisoning, England and Wales", Series DH4, nos 17 and 18, copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library.
The information for 1993, 1994 and 1995 could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
| General capital £ | Major projects £ | |
|---|---|---|
| Belfast city hospital trust | 1,376,000 | -- |
| Down lisburn trust | 1,005,000 | -- |
| Green park trust | 171,000 | -- |
| Mater hospital trust | 95,000 | -- |
| Royal group of hospitals trust | 2,064,000 | 8,236,000 |
| Ulster north down and ards hospital trust | 912,000 | -- |
My Department aims to maintain a broadly similar level of general capital expenditure in each trust over the next three years. Funding for other major projects will be dependent on the overall level of funding and the outcome of the tests for private finance now required by Government.
Parades
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has the total cost of policing the parades which took place in Northern Ireland from 1 April to 30 September 1996. [137]
Sir John Wheeler: The policing of marches and demonstrations is part of normal police duties and as such separate costings for these activities are not held centrally. Where the public order situation demands, it may be necessary to incur additional costs, and it is a matter of public record that the additional costs arising from the marches and demonstrations in July and August amounted to some £13 million.
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many walks to services and special occasions held by lodges under the auspices of the Loyal Orange Institution of Ireland were held on dates other than 12 July during the last three years for which figures are available. [105]
Sir John Wheeler: The RUC does not record statistics on walks to services or parades held by specific organisations. It does, however, keep statistics under the broad generic headings of loyalist, nationalist and other groups. The figures for loyalist parades which include marches held under the auspices of the Loyal Orange Institution of Ireland are as follows:
1994-2057: (excluding 12 July)
1995-2034: (excluding 12 July)
1996-1895: (up to 30 September, excluding 12 July).
Sir John Wheeler: The total number of parades which took place between those dates is 2,603.
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many walks or processions, under the auspices of lodges in the Loyal Orange Institution of Ireland, were held in Northern Ireland on 12 July for the last three years for which figures are available. [104]
Sir John Wheeler: The RUC does not record statistics on walks or processions held by specific organisation. It
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does, however, keep statistics under the broad generic headings of loyalist, nationalist and other groups. The figures for loyalist parades on 12 July, the overwhelming majority of which are likely to have been held under the auspices of the Loyal Orange Institution of Ireland, are as follows:
12.07.94: 463
12.07.95: 547
12.07.96: 304.
Sir John Wheeler: It is not practical to identify the individual or group which organised each of the 2,603 parades which took place during this period. The location of each parade is recorded by RUC sub-division. The table sets out a breakdown of the number of parades in each sub-division identified by the general term loyalist, nationalist and others.
| Sub-division | Loyalist | Nationalist | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Musgrave Street | 44 | 2 | 15 | 61 |
| Mountpottinger | 24 | 2 | 1 | 27 |
| Donegall Pass | 34 | 1 | 3 | 38 |
| Dunmurry | 11 | 0 | 4 | 15 |
| Grosvenor Road | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Lisburn | 61 | 0 | 11 | 72 |
| Woodbourne | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| North Queen Street | 27 | 6 | 2 | 35 |
| Antrim Road | 3 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| Antrim | 68 | 6 | 7 | 81 |
| Newtownabbey | 35 | 0 | 3 | 38 |
| Carrickfergus | 40 | 0 | 7 | 47 |
| Tennent Street | 31 | 0 | 4 | 35 |
| Bangor | 30 | 0 | 9 | 39 |
| Strandtown | 21 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
| Castlereagh | 9 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| Newtownards | 69 | 0 | 8 | 77 |
| Downpatrick | 56 | 3 | 15 | 74 |
| Newcastle | 49 | 7 | 8 | 64 |
| Armagh | 166 | 8 | 19 | 193 |
| Newry | 60 | 17 | 7 | 84 |
| Portadown | 42 | 5 | 7 | 54 |
| Lurgan | 74 | 6 | 7 | 87 |
| Banbridge | 115 | 1 | 12 | 128 |
| Cookstown | 64 | 15 | 5 | 84 |
| Dungannon | 133 | 2 | 11 | 146 |
| Enniskillen | 88 | 1 | 11 | 100 |
| Lisnaskea | 102 | 1 | 6 | 109 |
| Omagh | 117 | 7 | 6 | 130 |
| Strand Road | 12 | 5 | 6 | 23 |
| Strabane | 56 | 3 | 7 | 66 |
| Waterside | 17 | 0 | 5 | 22 |
| Coleraine | 109 | 1 | 20 | 130 |
| Limavady | 59 | 6 | 5 | 70 |
| Magherafelt | 99 | 17 | 7 | 123 |
| Ballymena | 77 | 3 | 19 | 99 |
| Ballymoney | 152 | 2 | 8 | 162 |
| Larne | 34 | 2 | 1 | 37 |
| Total | 2,192 | 137 | 247 | 2,603 |
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