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Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures his Department took to write off the debts of Railtrack; and if he will indicate the amounts involved. [18679]
Mr. Watts [holding answer 4 March 1997]: The outstanding capital debt of Railtrack owed to the national loans fund, amounting to £1,229 million, was extinguished by the Railways Act 1993 (Extinguishment of Loans) (Railtrack plc) Order 1996 on 29 March 1996. On that day, £585 million of new debt owed to HM Treasury was created. Part of the £585 million was repaid immediately; the remainder was sold on as bonds in July 1996, after Railtrack was privatised. The company's capital structure was determined with the objective of maximising the overall value of the flotation.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many illegal discharges from ships were reported in each year since 1990, indicating in each case the location; how many resulted in a successful prosecution; and what was the fine imposed. [18559]
Mr. Bowis: I have asked the chief executive of the Coastguard agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Chris Harris to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 5 March 1997:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Question about illegal discharges from ships which have been reported since 1990.
Details of illegal discharges are published by the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS) in their annual survey of oil pollution around the coasts of the United Kingdom. The information includes an overall summary of prosecutions together with the level of fines imposed.
Copies of ACOPS reports are available in the House of Commons library up to and including 1995. The report for 1996 is still being compiled.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 10 February, Official
5 Mar 1997 : Column: 612
Report
Mr. Watts: The hon. Member's question to which my answer appeared in the Official Report on 10 February was originally due for answer on 31 January and the information in the answer included the responses received by that date. The response from the Association of District Councils was not received until 3 February. I regret that the answer was not fully up to date when published.
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his current estimate of the annual subsidy which will be paid to each of the regional railway franchisees for 1997-98. [16617]
Mr. Watts: The Office of Passenger Rail Franchise's latest estimates of the grant support to be paid in 1997-98 to the franchisees that make up the previous regional railways sector British Rail are given in the table, together with the comparative British Rail grant claim for 1996-97. Both sets of figures comprise the annual support for passenger rail services grant paid by the franchising director and the financial support provided to train operators by passenger transport executives.
1996-97 grant claim | 1997-98 estimated payments | |
---|---|---|
£ million | £ million | |
South Wales and West | 84.8 | 70.9 |
Merseyrail | 84.1 | 80.7 |
North West Regional Railways | 191.9 | 184.9 |
Regional Railways North East | 223.2 | 224.5 |
Central | 198.1 | 187.5 |
ScotRail | 292.3 | 280.1 |
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the main price indices used in each EU member state; and what assessment he has made of their (a) basis, (b) data collection procedures and (c) methods of calculation relative to those used in the United Kingdom. [17356]
Mr. Oppenheim:
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.
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5 Mar 1997 : Column: 614
Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage to total Government revenue is accounted for by income tax. [18145]
Mr. Jack: Income tax accounted for 25¼ per cent. of all general Government receipts in 1995-96. The Budget forecast this percentage falling to 24 per cent. in 1997-98, reflecting the 1995 and 1996 Budget reductions in income tax.
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many statutory employee share ownership trusts have been notified to the Inland Revenue in each year since 1990; [17979]
Mr. Jack: Statutory employee share ownership trusts--ESOTs--do not require formal advanced approval from, or registration by, the Inland Revenue. The Revenue is, however, prepared to say whether a particular draft or executed trust deed meets the statutory ESOT conditions. Not all companies will see a need to clear a trust deed in advance; and companies clearing deeds are not required to state the number of employees prospectively covered by them. The number of statutory ESOTs cleared by the Revenue since 1990 is in the table. Information about the number of firms and participating employees in all forms of employee share ownership plan is not available.
Number of statutory ESOTs | |
---|---|
1990-91 | 6 |
1991-92 | 5 |
1992-93 | 3 |
1993-94 | 2 |
1994-95 | 6 |
1995-96 | 2 |
1996-97(5) | 27 |
(5) To end February 1997.
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