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Test Ban Treaty
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to lay draft legislation before Parliament to ratify the comprehensive test ban treaty; what form that draft legislation will take; and if he will make a statement. [2961]
Mr. David Davis: We are considering what steps will be necessary, including legislation, to enable the United kingdom to ratify the treaty.
Japan (Fast Reactor Accident)
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek from his Japanese counterpart information on the official assessment of the environmental implications of the sodium release from the accident at the Monju fast reactor in Japan. [2959]
Dr. Liam Fox: The embassy in Tokyo has been asked to obtain from the Japanese authorities the information mentioned in the hon. Member's question. It will be passed to him as soon as possible.
Pakistan
Mr. Keith Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he
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has made of the findings of the UN special rapporteur in respect of the activities of the security forces in Pakistan. [3043]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor: The special rapporteur on torture has reported instances of serious human rights abuses in Pakistan. We expect such allegations to be fully investigated. We have raised human rights issues with Pakistan and will continue to do so.
Croatia
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Croatia's current allocation from the know-how fund. [3162]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor: The know-how fund has allocated £0.5 million to Croatia for the current financial year.
Mrs. Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are his Department's priorities for allocations from the know-how fund in Croatia. [3161]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor: A project identification mission to Croatia in February 1996, arranged by the know-how fund, identified financial and economic services, small and medium enterprise development, health care administration and environment as priority areas for know-how fund support in 1996-97.
Information Technology Projects
Ms Church: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many information technology project have been undertaken since 1992 and are planned for the coming year, in cost bands of £1,000,000. [1899]
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 7 November 1996]: The diplomatic wing and the Overseas Development Administration have undertaken 178 information technology projects since 1 April 1992. We plan to pursue 41 projects, including seven new ones, in the financial year 1997-98. However, plans depend on available resources, including private sector capital under the private finance initiative.
| Capital cost (£ million) | IT projects since financial year 1992-93 | Projects planned for financial year 1997-98 |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | 166 | 34 |
| 1-2 | 5 | 7 |
| 2-3 | 2 | 0 |
| 4-5 | 1 | 0 |
| 5-6 | 1 | 0 |
| 10-11 | 2 | 0 |
| 16-17 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 178 | 41 |
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TREASURY
Unemployed Claimant Count
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people would have been included in the unemployed claimant count if the changes in the method of calculation since 1979 had not taken place; [1142]
- (2) if he will list the changes made in the unemployed claimant count since 1979, outlining how many people were added or removed from the claimant count figures as a result of each change; [1141]
(3) how many people are excluded from the unemployed claimant count because they are in dispute with the Employment Service. [1145]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The information 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 Tim Holt to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 11 November 1996:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to the three questions you have tabled on the coverage of the claimant count measure of unemployment.
Current numbers on old definitions
It is not ONS policy to make estimates of the numbers of people who would be included in the monthly claimant count if the benefit rules which were in place in 1979 still applied. Such estimates would be unreliable as they would relate to hypothetical situations and would therefore involve unwarranted speculation about the behaviour of individuals. We do however assess the impact of each relevant benefit change and if necessary recast the seasonally adjusted series to give an estimate of the claimant count, based on its current coverage, which is consistent over time. The latest consistent historic time series, available from January 1971 for the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and from April 1974 for the standard regions, can be accessed from the NOMIS database in the House of Commons Library.
Changes in the count since 1979
An article entitled Changes to the coverage of the monthly count of claimant unemployment was published in the November 1995 edition of Labour Market Trends. This provides a complete listing of changes in the coverage of the monthly claimant unemployment count, including nine which were significant enough in the view of government statisticians to warrant a recasting of the consistent seasonally adjusted series. Past editions of Labour Market Trends are available in the House of Commons Library.
Claimants who are in dispute with the Employment Service
People whose claims are going through the adjudication process at the time the monthly figures are compiled will be included in the monthly count. Statistics on the outcomes of adjudication are published quarterly by the Employment Service in Analysis of Adjudication Officer's Decisions. No statistics are available on the numbers included in the claimant count who subsequently cease claiming after an adjudication decision has been made against them. The Employment Service publication is also available in the Library.
Public Expenditure
Mr. William Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of United Kingdom public expenditure is discharged by (a) the Scottish Office, (b) the Welsh Office and (c) the Northern Ireland Office.[2132]
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Mr. Waldegrave: The proportion of general Government expenditure discharged by these Departments in 1994-95 was:
Scottish Office: 5.0 per cent.
Welsh Office: 2.2 per cent.
Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland departments: 2.8 per cent.
Mr. Waldegrave: The proportion of general Government expenditure identified as being for the benefit of each country in 1994-95 was:
England: 61.1 per cent.
Scotland:8.0 per cent.
Wales: 4.3 per cent.
Northern Ireland: 2.8 per cent.
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount of public spending per capita for each of the last five years for which figures are available in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales. [2633]
Mr. Waldegrave: The figures requested are published in tables 7.2b, 7.3b, 7.4b, 7.5b and 7.6b of "Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 1996-97", Cmn 3201, which is available in the Library.
Lost Tax Revenue
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what investigation he has instituted into the amount of tax revenue lost to the Exchequer, owing to (a) persons reducing their overtime working and (b) persons leaving employment as a result of the requirements of child support legislation. [2449]
Mr. Jack: No specific investigations have been instituted. However, such factors as changes in working patterns are taken into account when tax forecasts are produced.
Incontinence Products (VAT)
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue will be raised in a full year as a result of the extension of VAT to the supply of incontinence products to NHS trusts and non-charitable residential and nursing homes; what the cost to the NHS will be; and if he will make a statement. [2629]
Mr. Oppenheim: Under the Value Added Tax Act 1994, incontinence products are zero rated only when supplied directly to a disabled person or to a charity that makes them available to a disabled person. Supplies of incontinence products to the NHS and non-charitable residential and nursing homes have always been standard rated.
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