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BATES

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the original estimated cost of the battlefield artillery target engagement system when the project was originally undertaken; and what was the total outturn cost of the BATES 1 facility; [18224]

Mr. Arbuthnot: The release of cost figures for BATES phase 1 would prejudice continuing negotiations with the contractor and I am therefore withholding them under exemption 7 of the "practice on access to Government information". BATES phase 2 is expected to cost about

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£80 million, slightly less than the original estimated cost. Less than £1 million remains to be spent.

TREASURY

EU Member States (National Accounts)

Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the accounting treatments being adopted by each EU member state in their 1996 and 1997 national accounts which differ from United Kingdom practice; and what assessment he has made of the expected effect of each difference. [15333]

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 Mr. David Shaw, dated 3 March 1997:







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Executive Agencies

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department estimates it cost to establish each executive agency set up by his Department since the start of April 1992. [16976]

Mrs. Angela Knight: The costs involved in the setting up of the executive agencies of the Chancellor's Departments have been included in the published running costs for the years in which the agencies were established.

Economic and Monetary Union

Mr. Michael Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is his policy that the United Kingdom may enter European currency union without an accompanying fiscal union among participating member states. [17044]

Mr. Kenneth Clarke: Yes. If the United Kingdom were to join EMU we could face sanctions if we were consistently to run up budget deficits of more than three per cent. of GDP and do nothing to correct them. Within that constraint, our budgetary choices would rightly remain a matter for national Governments and Parliaments.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the progress being made by each of the countries of the European Union in meeting the convergence criteria for EMU in 1996. [18123]

Mr. Clarke [holding answer 28 February 1997]: Most countries made progress towards meeting the convergence criteria for EMU in 1996. On the information available at present, my judgment is that it is very unlikely, though not impossible, that performance against the criteria will be sufficiently clear and sustainable for EMU to proceed on 1 January 1999.

Excess Winter Mortality Rates

Mr. Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what have been the excess winter mortality rates for each of the last 10 years expressed in terms of excess (a) numbers and (b) percentages for (i) people over the age of 65 years, (ii) single parent families, (iii) people in receipt of income support, (iv) people with disabilities and (v) others; [17431]

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 Mr. Alan Simpson, dated 3 March 1997:

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply to your recent question asking what have been the excess winter mortality rates in England for the last 10 years expressed in (a) in excess numbers and (b) as percentages.

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Excess winter deaths, England, all persons, all ages

PeriodExcess winter deathsExcess winter deaths index
1986-8724,65414.8
1987-8831,49318.7
1988-8920,32612.1
1989-9044,37026.5
1990-9135,71821.6
1991-9233,01520.1
1992-9324,19414.6
1993-9425,02914.7
1994-9525,75715.6
1995-96(3)37,99023.1

(3) Provisional.






Mr. Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the weekly number of excess deaths for December 1996 and January 1997; and what were the figures for the same periods in each of the last five years.[17382]

Mrs. 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 Mr. Alan Simpson, dated 3 March 1997:



Week beginningDeaths
December 1991 to January 1992
25 November 199110,475
2 December 199110,289
9 December 199111,477
16 December 199112,126
23 December 199112,287
30 December 199113,106
6 January 199212,696
13 January 199211,970
20 January 199211,567
27 January 199212,002
December 1992 to January 1993
30 November 199210,397
7 December 199210,395
14 December 199210,664
21 December 199211,313
28 December 199212,082
4 January 199312,673
11 January 199311,716
18 January 199310,978
25 January 199310,781
December 1993 to January 1994
29 November 199313,197
6 December 199312,603
13 December 199312,302
20 December 199312,085
27 December 199312,554
3 Janaury 199412,447
10 January 199411,816
17 January 199411,493
24 January 199411,045
31 January 199410,988
December to Janaury 1995
28 November 19949,785
5 December 199410,528
12 December 199410,690
19 December 199411,523
26 December 199412,292
2 January 199512,193
9 January 199511,682
16 January 199511,543
23 January 199511,609
30 January 199511,055
December 1995-January 1996(4)
27 November 199511,452
4 December 199511,676
11 December 199512,535
18 December 199513,569
25 December 199514,191
1 January 199614,528
8 January 199613,079
15 January 199611,525
22 January 199611,467
29 January 199611,294
December 1996-January 1997(4)
25 November 199610,013
2 December 199610,276
9 December 199610,769
16 December 199612,116
23 December 199613,544
30 December 199616,002
6 January 199716,044
13 January 199714,242
20 January 199712,482
27 January 199711,341

(4) Provisional data.


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Annual weekly average

Number
199110,269
199210,051
199310,406
19949,954
199510,242
1996(5)10,164

(5) Provisional.

I hope this reply has been helpful.



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