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M40

Dr. Howells: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the deterioration of the M40; and if he will make a statement. [20477]

Mr. Watts [holding answer 18 March]: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Dr. Kim Howells, dated 19 March 1997:

The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent question about his assessment of the deterioration of the M40 motorway.




19 Mar 1997 : Column: 617




Vehicle Excise Discs

Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assumptions the Treasury uses when calculating the cash flow loss to the Exchequer of being paid in two instalments for six-month vehicle excise discs as against the single instalment for a 12-month disc. [20908]

Mr. Bowis: The cash flow loss depends on the interest and inflation rates pertaining at any time. At the current Treasury discount rate of 6 per cent., and inflation of around 2.8 per cent., the loss on the private and light goods licence would be some £3.20 if the annual duty were paid in two six-monthly instalments.

Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (i) six-month and (ii) 12-month vehicle excise discs were issued for the last year in which figures are available. [20910]

Mr. Bowis: The number of licences issued against VED payments in the UK in 1995-96 was:


Mr. Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total administrative cost of issuing vehicle excise discs for the last year in which figures are available. [20909]

Mr. Bowis: The issue of vehicle excise discs is an integral part of the vehicle registration and licensing system. The total administrative cost in the UK in 1995-96 was some £128 million, excluding enforcement.

TREASURY

Departmental Contracts

Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to (a) EDS, (b) Andersens, (c) EMI, (d) Capita and (e) Sema since 1992 and the broad function to be carried out by the contractor, and the value of the contract in each case. [17609]

Mrs. Angela Knight: The Treasury has awarded only two contracts to the contractors mentioned since 1992:

(a) EDS in December 1993, valued at £1,475.80 for the supply and installation of a memory board and

19 Mar 1997 : Column: 618

(d) Capita in March 1994, valued at £22,031.25 for a consultancy to review the personnel statistic division.

Coal Mining

Mr. Barron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many persons employed in the coal mining industry had as their place of abode a location within (a) each travel-to-work area and (b) each local authority area in South Yorkshire in each of the last seven years;[17536]

Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 25 March 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. Kevin Barron, dated 19 March 1997:



Employees in coal mining(4) in south yorkshire

Local authority district1989199119931995
Barnsley(5)--2,900(5)--(5)--
Doncaster6,2005,200----
Rotherham5,200------
Sheffield--------
Total16,50013,1004,0001,100
Travel-to-work area(6)
Barnsley--------
Doncaster6,0005,200----
Rotherham/Mexborough4,600------
Sheffield--------
Total16,50013,2004,0001,100

Source:

ONS 1989-1993; Census of Employment.

1995; Annual Employment Survey.

(4) 1989: Standard Industrial Classification 1980; coal extraction and manufacture of solid fuels.

1991-95: Standard Industrial Classification 1992; mining and agglomeration of hard coal.

(5) Confidential.

(6) Includes areas outside South Yorkshire.


19 Mar 1997 : Column: 619

Duplicate NHS Numbers

Mr. Barron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent, and what other contributions have been made, by the General Register Office and the Registrars of Births and Deaths towards the costs of correcting the problem of duplicate NHS numbers. [19102]

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. Kevin Barron, dated 19 March 1997:



Labour Statistics

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate what the unemployment level would have been for the United Kingdom if inactive jobseekers were included in the totals in each year from 1992 to the present; [20097]

Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 17 March 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. Jim Cunningham, dated 19 March 1997:

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent questions on time series of the numbers of people unemployed, inactive job seekers and people who were not active in their search for employment but wished to be employed.



19 Mar 1997 : Column: 620



People who are ILO unemployed or are economically inactive and would like a job

ILO unemployedInactive wanting a job of which:
Seeking work(8)Not seeking work(9)
1992(7)2,7693261,707
19932,9363241,972
19942,7362762,155
19952,4542832,153
19962,3342272,261

(7) In spring 1992 only the inactive people of working age (men 16-64, women 16-59) were asked if they wanted a job. People over working age were not asked. All inactive people aged 16 and over were asked the question in other years.

(8) But not available to start within next two weeks.

(9) Within last four weeks. Also note that more detailed analysis of this category is available in the LFS Quarterly Bulletin.

Source:

ONS, Labour Force Survey.


Mr. Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees work in a workplace which employs fewer than 10 people in the Hemsworth constituency. [20725]

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. Jon Trickett, dated 19 March 1997:




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