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Pensions Mis-selling
Mr. David Nicholson:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will instruct the Securities and Investments Board to oblige insurance companies to discontinue legal action against the alleged victims of pensions mis-selling, pending (a) decisions on what
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compensation is owed to those victims and (b) the conclusion of the legal remedies being pursued by those victims. [16448]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
I am not aware of any legal actions by insurance companies against alleged victims of pension mis-selling. The only actions I am aware of are by investors against insurance companies.
Mr. David Nicholson:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors his Department considered in respect of the appointment in 1993 of the present chairman of the Personal Investment Authority; and if he will make a statement. [16445]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
Neither the Treasury nor the Securities and Investments Board has any role in the appointment of the chairman of the Personal Investment Authority. As it is a company limited by guarantee, this appointment is a matter for its board.
Sir Ralph Howell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list, in descending order, the percentage of women in work in relation to the total work force in each of the EU countries. [16527]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
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 Sir Ralph Howell, dated 24 February 1997:
Mr. Thurnham:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the most recent available figures for perinatal mortality in (a) Bolton, (b) England and (c) the United Kingdom; and what trends there have been in each of those areas during the past five years. [16559]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
This 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. Peter Thurnham, dated 24 February 1997:
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The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on the percentage of women in work as a proportion of the total workforce in each of the EU countries.
Information for the European Union countries showing the numbers of women in the labour force (equivalent to the workforce) and in employment is published in Table 14 and 18 of the Eurostat publication Labour Force Survey Results 1995. A copy of the publication is available in the House of Commons Library.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply to your recent question asking for the Perinatal Mortality Rate for the United Kingdom, England and Bolton for the last five years.
The figures requested are shown in the table. On 1 October 1992 the legal definition of a stillbirth was altered from a baby born dead after 28 or more completed weeks gestation to one born dead after 24 or more completed weeks gestation. This had the effect of raising the perinatal mortality from 1993 onwards.
| Year | United Kingdom | England | Bolton |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 11.7 |
| 1992 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 14.9 |
| 1993 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.4 |
| 1994 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 12.9 |
| 1995 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 11.5 |
(7) Stillbirths and deaths within the first week of life per 1,000 live and stillbirths.
I hope this reply is helpful.
Claimant Count
Mr. Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who took the decision to change the geographical basis of the monthly claimant count conducted by the Office for National Statistics; for what reasons the change took place with effect from April 1996; and if he will carry out back runs based on the 1981 census for each parliamentary constituency. [16777]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 20 February 1997]: 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. Stephen Byers, dated 24 February 1997:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to your recent question on the decision to change the geographical basis of the monthly claimant count.
The decision to move to a 1991 boundary basis for the production of small area claimant count unemployment data was made by the ONS in line with its policy of providing the most up-to-date and relevant information available.
A full description of the reasons for the change and the effect of the move can be found in Labour Market Trends for July 1996, pages 311-328.
The ONS is currently assessing the feasibility of providing data from the claimant count for current Parliamentary Constituencies based on boundaries existing at the 1981 Census of Population.
Low Pay
Mr. Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount of income tax and national insurance contribution would be paid by a person (a) working full time and earning £8,320 per annum and (b) working 10 hours a week and earning £2,080 per annum. [16766]
Mr. Jack [holding answer 20 February 1997]: A single person, aged under 65, earning £8,320 per annum, would pay income tax of £860.25 and class 1 national insurance contributions at the contracted in rate of £574.08 in 1997-98. A single person working 10 hours a week and earning £2,080 per annum would pay nothing.
Economic Activity
Mr. Byers:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what projections his Department has made for the economic activity rates for men of working age for each year from 1995 to 2006. [16778]
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Mrs. Angela Knight
[holding answer 20 February 1997]: 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. Stephen Byers, dated 24 February 1997:
Mr. Austin Mitchell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes in the regulatory structure his Department proposes to make as a result of the Sumitomo metal speculation case. [16916]
Mrs. Angela Knight
[holding answer 20 February 1997]: The Securities and Investments Board is responsible for the oversight of the London metal exchange as a recognised investment exchange under the Financial Services Act 1986. The SIB published the report of its review of the London metal exchange on 19 December 1996 and I am placing a copy of that report in the Library of the House of Commons.
Sir Anthony Grant:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the change in the purchasing power of the pound between (a) 1967 and 1996, (b) 1970 and 1975, (c) 1975 and 1980, (d) 1980 and 1990 and (e) 1990 and 1996; and if he will make a statement. [15373]
Mrs. Angela Knight
[holding answer 11 February 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 Sir Anthony Grant, dated 24 February 1997:
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The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question about projected activity rates for men of working age.
Estimated activity rates for 1995 and 1996 and projected rates for each year from 1997 to 2006, relating to all men of working age in Great Britain and using ILO definitions, are published in the February 1997 issue of Labour Market Trends, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on the change in the purchasing power of the pound.
The figures requested are shown in the table, and have been calculated from the Retail Prices Index (PRI). Each figure represents the value that a fixed sum of money has in the last year of the given period, expressed as a percentage of its value in the first year of the period. For example, the amount of goods and services which could be purchased (in the UK) with £1 in 1996 is ten per cent of the amount that £1 could have purchased 29 years earlier in 1967. Similarly, the amount of goods and services which could have been purchased with £1 in 1975 is 54% of the amount that could have been purchased five years earlier in 1970.
It should be borne in mind when making comparisons that the periods covered span different numbers of years.
| Period | |
|---|---|
| 1967-96 | 10 |
| 1970-75 | 54 |
| 1975-80 | 51 |
| 1980-90 | 53 |
| 1990-96 | 83 |
For more information on the method of calculation, you may wish to consult the RPI Business Monitor (MM23), a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.
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