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Computers (Century Data Change)

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 23 July, Official Report, column 590, on the year 2000 problem, what estimate he has made of the cost in respect of computer systems in non-governmental public bodies and other government bodies for which Government Departments have responsibility; and if he will make a statement. [11369]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 29 July]: The fully costed plans that Government Departments are producing by October 1997 will include any areas of the wider public service, including non-departmental public bodies and other Government bodies for which Ministers have sponsorship responsibilities.

Building Societies

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what policy action he is considering to avoid demutualisation of building societies adding to consumer demand in 1997-98 and 1998-99; and if he will make a statement. [11337]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 29 July 1997]: We have received a number of representations suggesting steps that the Government might take to deter further demutualisations of building societies. The Government are committed to the benefits of the mutual building society and the opportunities for choice for the consumer. However, a number of UK representatives raise difficult issues of principle because they could frustrate the will of the members, or significantly reduce the board's accountability to them. Nevertheless, we are keeping the situation under review.

Contingency Reserve

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when (a) initial and (b) final decisions will be taken on the allocation of the contingency reserve for (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 1998-99; and if he will make a statement. [11342]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 29 July 1997]: Decisions on the allocation of the reserve for any particular year are taken in the course of that year as the circumstances requiring use of such funds arise.

Mr. Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the value of the contingency reserve set in each Budget since 1980 for the succeeding financial year

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(a) in nominal terms and (b) as a percentage of total general Government expenditure; and if he will make a statement. [11371]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 29 July 1997]: The figures are given in nominal terms in the table. The coverage of the reserve has varied with the definition of the control aggregate. For example, in 1990-91, the planning total was redefined to exclude self-financed expenditure by local authorities. In 1993-94, this was in turn replaced by the control total, which included all local authority expenditure but excluded cyclical social security spending and privatisation proceeds.

Year	Reserve (£ billion)	As percentage of GGE
1981-82	1.6	1.3
1982-83	1.7	1.3
1983-84	1.5	1.1
1984-85	3.0	2.0
1985-86	3.0	1.9
1986-87	4.5	2.7
1987-88	3.5	2.0
1988-89	3.5	2.0
1989-90	3.5	1.7
1990-91	3.0	1.4
1991-92	3.5	1.5
1992-93	4.0	1.5
1993-94	4.0	1.5
1994-95	3.5	1.2
1995-96	3.0	1.0
1996-97	2.5	0.8
1997-98	2.5	0.8
1998-99	2.8	0.9

Mr. Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present size of the contingency reserve for (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99 and (c) 1999-00, what allocations out of these reserves have so far been approved, and if he will make a statement. [11341]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 29 July 1997]: The reserve announced in November 1996 for 1997-98 was £2.5 billion. The main estimates included allocations of £200 million from the reserve to Departments and the summer supplementary estimates included allocations of a further £52 million. The reserve for 1998-99 will be £2.8 billion, reflecting the Chancellor's decision to allocate an extra £1 billion to schools and £1.2 billion for the NHS from the £5 billion reserve set in the November 1996 Budget. The reserve for 1999-00 was set at £7.5 billion in the November 1996 Budget, but the size of the control total and the reserve will be decided as part of the comprehensive spending revenue now underway.

Computer-related Expenditure

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of departmental expenditure on computer-related current and capital work for (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97, (c) 1997-98, (d) 1998-99 and (e) 1999-00; and if he will make a statement. [11368]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 29 July 1997]: The estimated expenditure, for the years required, on

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computer-related current and capital work, including the salaries of specialist staff, is as follows:

£000

	Current	Capital	Total
1995-96	3,130	4,995	8,125
1996-97	2,812	3,833	6,645
1997-98	4,538	2,200	6,738
1998-99	2,528	1,901	4,429
1999-00	2,484	2,088	4,572

Inflation

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the merits of targeting inflation on the RPIY basis instead of on the RPIX basis; and if he will make a statement. [11373]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 29 July 1997]: RPIX inflation is now a well-understood and accepted measure, RPIY has the property of excluding indirect taxes, which is useful for some purposes, but it does not measure prices actually paid in the shops and it does not measure what inflation would be in the absence of indirect tax changes. It is also less widely used and less well understood. On balance therefore, the Government decided that RPIX was the better target, but the Bank of England will continue to monitor RPIY in its "Inflation Report".

Road Haulage Industry

Mr. Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the tax concession and subsidies from public funds available to the road haulage industry; [11115]

(2) if he will estimate the net subsidy from public funds to the road haulage industry in the last year for which figures are available. [11116]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 29 July 1997]: None. Neither subsidies not tax concessions are available to the road haulage industry.

Air Passenger Duty

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the advantage of waiving air passenger duty on domestic flights to Northern Ireland and offshore islands. [10803]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 29 July 1997]: It would be illegal, under EU law, to waive air passenger duty on domestic flights to Northern Ireland and offshore islands.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the total amount collected in the last financial year from air passenger duty; and how much was collected from (a) domestic scheduled services, (b) international scheduled services and (c) charter services. [10802]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 29 July 1997]: The total revenue collected for air passenger duty in the last financial year--1996-97--was £356 million. We do not have information on revenue from scheduled, international and charter services separately.

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Earnings

Mr. Fraser: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the take-home pay at current prices of a married couple with two children with the husband on national average male earnings in (a) 1978-79, (b) 1996-97 and (c) estimated for 1997-98. [10893]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 28 July 1997]: Estimates are given in the table.

Take-home pay for a one earner married couple with two children under 11(15)

	£ per week
1978-79	73.45
1996-97	312.30
1997-98	328.80

(15) Assuming full-time male average earnings, on adult rates for all occupations. Take-home pay is net of child benefit.

Shareholders

Mr. Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of individuals owning shares in each year since 1979. [10885]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 28 July 1997]: I refer the hon. Member to the then Central Statistical Office, now the Office for National Statistics, report on share ownership at 31 December 1994 published by HMSO and available from the Library of the House.

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