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Therapy Services
Dr. Howells:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what (a) treatment units, (b) professional staff and
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(c) financial resources are being made available to provide physiotherapy treatment, occupational therapy and physical rehabilitation for patients in south-east Wales from March 1997 to 1 January 2000. [20548]
Mr. Gwilym Jones:
Detailed informed on services is not held centrally. It is primarily the responsibility of Bro Taf and Gwent health authorities to purchase services and for the relevant trusts to provide appropriate numbers of staff and the facilities to deliver them.
Dr. Howells:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total number of patients awaiting (a) physiotherapy treatment, (b) occupational therapy and (c) physical rehabilitation in the borough counties of Rhondda Cynon Taff, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Ogwr, Aberavon Neath, Merthr Tydfil, Powys, Swansea, Caerphilly, Newport, Torfaen and Monmouth; and what was the total number of patients awaiting such treatment in 1995 and 1996. [20549]
Mr. Jones:
The information requested is not available centrally.
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Dr. Howells:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the planned (a) capacity and (b) resources for providing physiotherapy treatment, occupational therapy and physical rehabilitation for patients at the new district general hospital at Llantrisant. [20551]
Mr. Jones:
Detailed planning of facilities is a matter for the East Glamorgan NHS trust.
Dr. Howells:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which organisation owns the Talygarn treatment centre at Pontyclun in south Wales. [20550]
Mr. Gwilym Jones:
The Talygarn rehabilitation centre is owned by the Secretary of State for Wales.
Dr. Howells:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients were referred to, and treated at, the Talygarn treatment centre in 1995 and 1996; how many are currently being treated; and how many are proposed to be treated in 1997, 1998 and 1999. [20552]
Mr. Jones:
In the financial year 1995-96, 417 new patients were reported as attending the Taylgarn treatment centre. Information on the number of referrals is not centrally available. Proposed levels of activity are a matter for the East Glamorgan NHS trust in contract negotiations with Bro Taf health authority and GP fundholders.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 27 January, Official Report, column 35, if he will list the main differences between the main Peat Marwick consultancy cost-benefit analysis study on the Cardiff bay barrage presented to his Department in November 1987 and the second version presented in mid 1988. [16994]
Mr. Waldegrave:
The economic evaluation report on a Cardiff bay barrage received in June 1988 was a revision of the one presented in November 1987. A valid detailed comparison cannot be made except at disproportionate cost. However, the revised study took account of the completion, by the board of the Cardiff Bay development corporation, of a regeneration strategy for the bay and the choice of a single barrage option. These led to significant changes in the assumptions made in the first study, including increases in infrastructure costs and land disposal values. The net present value of the barrage option remained positive. The estimated betterment figure of £227 million remained as in the original 1987 study.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, as part of the programme for a common system of VAT, he will agree to changing the status of the EC VAT Committee from an advisory committee to a regulatory committee with powers of implementation. [20075]
Mr. Oppenheim:
The Government support limited reform of the VAT Committee with a view to improving its operation, but would oppose a change in its status to
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that of a regulatory Committee. The Government believe that unanimity in the Council should remain the basis for EC decisions on VAT matters.
Mr. Dykes:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the steps taken in ECOFIN (a) to change the status of the EU VAT and Tax Committee following the Verona summit decision and (b) to create the provisional timetable for the European Commission's proposal for a common VAT system for member states. [20157]
Mr. Oppenheim:
ECOFIN has taken no steps to change the status of the VAT Committee which was established by the sixth VAT directive in 1977. The informal Verona ECOFIN of April 1996 did, however, establish a new high-level working group on tax.
The European Commission's suggested programme for a "common system" for VAT to apply throughout the Community was presented to ECOFIN in October 1996, on a "take note" basis with no debate or discussion. There has been no other discussion or debate at ECOFIN about the suggested programme or its timetable.
Mr. Dykes:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the VAT and Tax Committee established by ECOFIN has completed the draft code of conduct on VAT harmonisation. [20158]
Mr. Oppenheim:
The Verona informal ECOFIN of April 1996 established the high-level group on tax--the Monti group--to examine member states' tax systems and to consider issues of fiscal erosion. Monti recommended in a personal report to the Dublin European Council that the high-level group be continued in the form of a taxation policy group. This report was submitted to Parliament with an explanatory memorandum. The Dublin Council agreed to the continuation of the group and the taxation policy group met for the first time on 11 March 1997. The question of a code of conduct on unfair tax competition was raised but there are no proposals on the table. There is no code of conduct on VAT harmonisation.
Mr. William Ross:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost of issuing a standard letter by the Inland Revenue requesting payment of a tax underpayment. [20314]
Mr. Jack:
The individual cost of issuing a standard letter is not calculated, but it will vary according to the type of letter and method of issue.
Mr. David Atkinson:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce measures to ease the financial burden of millennium compliance of computer systems for companies. [20162]
Mr. Jack:
As far as taxation is concerned, the position is that companies will normally be able to deduct the cost of making amendments to their existing software in computing their taxable profits. Capital expenditure on purchases of new software to deal with the millennium will normally qualify for capital allowances. Thus, I see no need for any special tax measures.
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Mr. Battle:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current average wage for (a) men and (b) women. [20213]
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.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| All males | 391.30 |
| All females | 283.00 |
Tax Underpayment
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the minimum sum of tax underpayment for which the revenue will issue a letter requesting payment. [20315]
Mr. Jack: The Inland Revenue will generally issue a letter for payment where the circumstances of the case make it cost-effective to do so.
Abortions
Mr. William Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many abortions have been performed on girls under the age of 16 years (i) at Kettering general hospital and (ii) nationally in each year since 1987; and in each case what that figure was as a percentage of abortions performed (a) at the hospital and (b) nationally. [20207]
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 John Fox to Mr. William Powell, dated 18 March 1997:
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The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked the Director of the Office for National Statistics to reply to your recent question on how many abortions have been performed on girls under the age of 16 years (i) at Kettering General Hospital and (ii) nationally in each year since 1987; and in each case what was that figure as a percentage of abortions performed (a) at the hospital and (b) nationally. In his absence, the Director has asked me to reply.
For confidentiality reasons, abortion data are not released for individual hospitals. Figures for legal abortions performed on resident and non-resident girls aged under 16 in England and Wales for the years 1987-1995 are presented below:
| Year | Number of abortions on girls under 16 | As a percentage of total abortions on women of all ages |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 4,075 | 2.3 |
| 1988 | 3,804 | 2.1 |
| 1989 | 3,576 | 1.9 |
| 1990 | 3,622 | 1.9 |
| 1991 | 3,317 | 1.8 |
| 1992 | 3,167 | 1.8 |
| 1993 | 3,269 | 1.9 |
| 1994 | 3,399 | 2.0 |
| 1995 | 3,401 | 2.1 |
Source:
Abortion statistics 1987-1995, England and Wales, series AB numbers 14-21, 96/5.
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