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Coronary Care

Sir John Gorst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the (a) medical receiving room and (b) minor accident treatment service units capable of dealing with coronary care. [3515]

Mr. Horam: This information is not available centrally.

Deregulation

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what regulations his Department proposes to repeal by the end of 1996; if he proposes to conduct a compliance cost assessment on each regulation repealed; and what is the estimated cost of undertaking a compliance cost assessment to determine the advantages and disadvantages of such a repeal. [3780]

12 Nov 1996 : Column: 160

Mr. Horam: The Department currently proposes to repeal or amend the following regulations by the end of 1996:

The Imported Food Regulations 1984;
The Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995;
The Nursing Homes and Mental Nursing Homes Regulations 1984.

Since the effect in each case will be to reduce, rather than increase, compliance costs, a compliance cost assessment is not required. Departments do, however, seek to estimate approximate savings wherever possible and, where there is a potential impact on industry, a CCA is completed in all cases. The cost of undertaking a CCA varies from case to case but it is generally modest. Because part of the cost falls on the businesses consulted, a full CCA would be inappropriate for measures designed to reduce business burdens.

Silicon Bridge Research

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 1 November, Official Report, column 293, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Silicon Bridge Research report. [3669]

Mr. Horam: The Silicon Bridge Research report will be published shortly. Copies will be placed in the Library.

CAMS Ltd.

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 1 November, Official Report, column 293, which parts of the CAMS contract with his Department have recently been terminated; and if he will make a statement. [3670]

Mr. Horam: No parts of the CAMS contracts with the Department of Health for the licensing and support of Read codes in the national health service, and for their licensing and support internationally, have been terminated recently.

Neonatal and Perinatal Mortality

Mr. Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the (a) neonatal and (b) perinatal mortality rates for the last four years by (i) trust, (ii) health authority and (iii) region. [2668]

Mrs. Angela Knight: I have been asked to reply.

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 Tim Holt to Mr. Alan Keen, dated 12 November 1996:

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question requesting neonatal and perinatal rates for the last four years by (a) trust, (b) health authority and (c) region.
The information by health authority and region for the last four years is available in OPCS/ONS Monitors DH3 93/1 (1992), DH3 94/2 (1993) DH3 95/2 (1994) AND DH3 96/1 (1995), copies of which are available in the House of the Commons Library.
Neonatal and perinatal mortality statistics by hospital trust is not routinely available and can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

12 Nov 1996 : Column: 161

TREASURY

Taxpayers

Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers paid tax at the lower and basic rates between 1992-93 and 1996-97. [3972]

Mr. Jack: The figures are set out in the table. Over a quarter of taxpayers now have a marginal rate of only 20 per cent.

									Millions
	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95	(22)1995-96	(22)1996-97
Lower rate(23)	4.24	5.39	5.18	5.6	7.1
Basic rate	19.40	17.87	18.17	18.0	16.5

Notes:

(22)Provisional.

(23)From 1993-94 onwards a number of taxpayers with taxable income in excess of the lower rate limit pay tax only at the lower rate. This is because their dividend and (from 1996-97) their savings income takes their taxable income above the lower rate limit and such income is chargeable to tax at the lower and not the basic rate. The numbers in this category for the four years between 1993-94 and 1996-97 are 0.22/0.24/0.3/0.8 millions respectively.

EU Budget Council

Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the EU Budget Council meeting of 25 July. [3973]

Mr. Oppenheim: Sir Stephen Wall, the United Kingdom permanent representative to the European Union, represented the United Kingdom at the Budget Council on 25 July. The Council considered the Commission's preliminary draft budget for 1997. The

12 Nov 1996 : Column: 162

draft budget established by the Council totalled 88.5 billion ecu--£69.2 billion--in commitment appropriations and 81.6 billion ecu--£63.9 billion--in payment appropriations. The draft budget would require own resources totalling 1.15 per cent. of Community gross national product, compared with the own resources ceiling of 1.24 per cent. of Community GNP. The draft budget is within the financial perspective ceilings.

For the first time ever, the Council set its draft budget at the same level overall as in the preceding year--that is, zero growth.

In establishing its draft budget the Council took account of the economic and financial context for 1997 to define real priorities within the resources available and to ensure that this was reflected in a realistic budget.

The Council established its 1997 draft budget by a qualified majority with Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria voting against. No other formal votes were taken.

The summary table below compares the outcome of the Budget Council to the proposals in the Commission's amended preliminary draft budget by reference to the financial perspective ceilings.

(Further information is contained in the explanatory memorandum (9372/96) on the draft budget, which was deposited in the UK Parliament on 11 October.)

The European Parliament considered the draft budget for 1997 at its plenary in October. The Parliament's amendments and modifications will be considered at the second Budget Council on 19 November. The European Parliament's Second Reading is likely to be in mid-December.

		Financial perspective ceilings(24)		Preliminary draft budget		Budget council draft budget
	mecu	£ million	mecu	£ million	mecu	£ million
Commitment appropriations
1. EAGGF guarantee	41,805	32,698	41,805	32,698	40,805	31,916
2. Structural operations	31,477	24,620	31,477	24,620	31,477	24,620
3. Internal policies	5,603	4,382	5,523	4,320	5,255	4,110
4. External action	5,622	4,397	5,528	4,324	5,310	4,153
5. Administration	4,352	3,404	4,369	3,418	4,245	3,320
6. Reserves	1,158	906	1,158	906	1,158	906
7. Compensation	212	166	212	166	212	166
Total: Commitment appropriations	90,229	70,574	90,072	70,452	88,461	69,191
Total: Payment appropriations	85,807	67,115	84,521	66,110	81,646	63,861

(24)Throughout this reply the rate of £1=1.2785 ecu has been used (the rate notified in the Official Journal as prevailing on the last working day of the last month (31 October)).

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Inheritance Tax Exemption

Mr. Tipping: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the value of inheritance tax for which conditional exemption has been granted to allow public access to land for each year since 1975. [1647]

Mr. Jack [holding answer 5 November 1996]: The annual average cost, in the years 1983-84 to 1995-96, of conditional exemption from inheritance tax--or its

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predecessor, capital transfer tax--for land and buildings is estimated at between £5 million and £10 million. Figures for earlier years are not available.

Mr. Tipping: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many sites in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales have been granted conditional exemption from inheritance tax on the basis of reasonable public access being granted; and what is the area of each site. [1648]

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Mr. Jack [holding answer 5 November 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 29 March, Official Report, column 777.

Mr. Tipping: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of any statements made since 1979 setting out Government policies and practices which outline the granting and publicising of conditional exemption from inheritance tax in return for reasonable public access. [1649]

Mr. Jack [holding answer 5 November 1996]: The Government's various statements to the House on the topics in question are already a matter of public record. I am arranging for copies of the Inland Revenue's publications about conditional exemption, booklets IR 67, "Capital taxation and the national heritage", and IR 88, "Capital tax relief for national heritage property--how to make a claim", to be placed in the Library.

Mr. Tipping: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many locations granted conditional exemption from inheritance tax on condition of allowing reasonable public access have been included in the annual register of countryside stewardship scheme access sites in each of the past five years; [1625]

(2) how many sites in the register of countryside stewardship scheme access sites received funding through the granting of conditional exemption of inheritance tax on the basis of reasonable public access for each of the last five years. [1628]

Mr. Jack [holding answer 5 November 1996]: In return for conditional exemption from inheritance tax, the owners have to give undertakings which cover not only provision of reasonable public access but the maintenance and preservation of the land. There have been 11 areas of conditionally exempt scenic land included with the countryside stewardship scheme access sites since 1993, when such land first appeared in the records of the scheme.

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