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Payment Performance

Mr. Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes to publish the league table of Departments' payment performance as announced in the Government response to the "Your Business Matters" conferences. [9949]

Mrs. Angela Knight: Departments' performance in paying invoices within the agreed credit terms, or 30 days where no such terms exist, for the period 1 June to 31 August 1996 are contained in the following table:

	Per cent.
National Investment and Loans Office	100.0
Office of Electricity Regulation	100.0
Privy Council Office	100.0
Defence Bills Agency	99.7
Department of National Savings	99.6
HM Land Registry	99.6
Office of Passenger Rail Franchising	99.5
Office of the Rail Regulator	99.0
Office for National Statistics	98.6
Exports Credit Guarantee Department	98.3
Office of the National Lottery	98.2
Office of Fair Trading	98.0
Department of Trade and Industry	97.7
Crown Prosecution Service	96.8
Registry of Friendly Societies	96.8
Office of Water Supply	96.4
Public Records Office	96.2
Health and Safety Executive	95.8
Office of Telecommunications	95.5
Department for Education and Employment	95.3
Registers of Scotland	95.3
Paymaster General	95.2
HM Treasury	95.1
Government Actuary's Department	95.0
Ordnance Survey	95.0
Scottish Office	95.0
Welsh Office	94.7
Northern Ireland Departments	94.0
Department of Social Security	94.0
Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers	93.9
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	93.8
Home Office	93.3
Royal Mint	93.0
Inland Revenue	92.5
Treasury Solicitors	92.2
Department of the Environment	92.0
Lord Chancellor's Department	91.8
Overseas Development Admin.	91.6
Crown Office Scotland	91.5
Forestry Commission	91.1
Department of Health	89.3
Charity Commissioners	89.0
Serious Fraud Office	89.0
Department of Transport	87.8
Intervention Board	87.0
Cabinet Office	86.9
National Heritage	84.9
HM Customs and Excise	84.0
Office of Gas Supply	83.8
Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food	80.4

17 Dec 1996 : Column: 507

Paracetamol

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of deaths in the past seven years in which (a) paracetamol was the only drug involved and (b) paracetamol was one of the drugs involved. [7508]

Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 9 December 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 Tim Holt to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 17 December 1996:

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on how many deaths over the past seven years resulted from (a) paracetamol as the only drug and (b) paracetamol as one of the drugs involved

The number of deaths associated with paracetamol reported to ONS over the past three years are shown in the attached table. The data for 1989 to 1992 are published, for each year separately, in Table 10 of Mortality statistics: injury and poisoning, England and Wales, series DH4, Nos. 16-18, copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library.

The figures in brackets indicate the number of deaths with a mention of alcohol. These bracketed figures are already included in the unbracketed data and should not, therefore, be added to them.

Deaths from paracetamol in England and Wales 1993-95

	1993	1994	1995
Death by poisoning--accident
Paracetamol only	44 (9)	40 (10)	41 (6)
Paracetamol with other drugs(2)	42 (18)	54 (16)	70 (21)
Total	86 (27)	94 (26)	111 (27)
Deaths by poisoning--suicide
Paracetamol only	67 (7)	68 (5)	77 (2)
Paracetamol with other drugs(2)	169 (35)	144 (20)	162 (17)
Total	236 (42)	212 (25)	239 (19)
Deaths by poisoning--undetermined
Paracetamol only	62 (6)	52 (5)	72 (1)
Paracetamol with other drugs(2)	68 (19)	95 (22)	146 (29)
Total	130 (25)	147 (27)	218 (30)

(2) These include deaths from paracetamol-containing compounds.

17 Dec 1996 : Column: 508

Aspirin

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths have occurred, in the most recent five-year period for which statistics are available, as a result of the use of aspirin or aspirin-based products. [7500]

Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 9 December 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 Tim Holt to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 17 December 1996:

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National statistics to your recent question on how many deaths occurred as a result of using aspirin or aspirin-based products.

The table below sets out the numbers of deaths which were certified as due to salicylates (aspirin and related compounds) in the years 1991 to 1995. It includes deaths due to poisoning ¹ , and to adverse effects ² of salicylates in normal use as underlying or secondary cause of death.

Deaths from Salicylates in England and Wales, 1991-95

Year	Poisoning	Adverse effects
1991	51	4
1992	46	1
1993	46	4
1994	36	2
1995	31	6

(3) International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision code 965.1

(4) International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision code E935.1

Hypothermia

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensioners have died in each year since 1992 as a result of hypothermia (a) nationally and (b) in the west midlands; and what was the percentage change from the previous year in each case. [7694]

Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 9 December 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 Tim Holt to Mr. Jim Cunningham, dated 17 December 1996:

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on how many pensioners died as a result of hypothermia (a) nationally (b) in the West Midlands; and the percentage change from the previous year.

The figures are shown in the table below.

Numbers of deaths with a mention of hypothermia in males aged 65 years and over and females aged 60 years and over

Year	England and Wales	Percentage change	West Midlands(5)	Percentage change
1992	282	-34	28	-49
1993	352	25	38	36
1994	291	-17	31	-18
1995	287	-1	36	16

1. International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, code 991.6.

(5) Health Region of residence.

17 Dec 1996 : Column: 509

Fixed Capital Formation

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors underlie his forecast in table 3.3 of the Red Book about growth in 1997 of gross domestic fixed capital formation in private dwellings and land. [8278]

Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 9 December 1996]: Housing investment is expected to respond to the recovery in the housing market. This recovery is now well established. In the third quarter of this year the number of mortgage loans approved by banks and building societies was up by 28 per cent. on a year earlier, and in the three months to October turnover--as measured by particulars delivered at the Land Registry--was up by 19 per cent. on a year earlier. House prices in November were more than 7 per cent. higher than a year earlier. Housing starts have picked up in recent months, and this should be reflected in rising housing investment in 1997.

Self-assessment

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list (a) how much has been spent on advertising and (b) how many inquiries have been received regarding the introduction of self-assessment; and in each case what were his initial estimates. [8274]

Mr. Jack [holding answer 9 December 1996]: So far, £13,365,724 has been spent on advertising and publicity support material for the self-assessment public information campaign. In total 368,563 people have sought further information by telephoning the information line, or by sending a in a coupon for press advertising. Initial estimates for the campaign budget were £25 million over three years and we remain within that budget. The number of responses to the information line have been three times greater than was originally estimated.

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