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Budget (Environmental Impact)
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to publish a green book on the environmental implications of the next Budget. [11861]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr. Yeo), on 10 July, Official Report, column 1062.
Tobacco Duty
Mr. Swinney:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce banding for the tobacco products duty on cigarettes related to their nicotine content; and if he will make a statement. [11313]
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 446
Dawn Primarolo
[holding answer 30 July 1997]: EC law requires that all cigarettes sold within a EU member state shall be subject to the same rate of excise duty. It would not therefore be possible to band tobacco products duty in this way.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce legislation on the distance selling of financial services. [11784]
Mr. Darling:
None. The Government will of course consider any draft directive covering distance selling of financial services which may be proposed by the European Commission. However, no such draft has been issued.
Mr. David Marshall:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will amend the travel-to-work area boundaries to coincide with the new local government boundaries; and if he will make a statement. [11218]
Dawn Primarolo:
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. David Marshall, dated 30 July 1997:
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations he has received concerning the investors compensation scheme from investors who made their investments prior to the formation of the scheme; and if he will make a statement. [11907]
Mrs. Liddell:
I receive such representations from time to time.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the qualifying conditions for a claim under the investors compensation scheme; and if he will make a statement. [11906]
Mrs. Liddell:
The eligibility of any claim on the investors compensation scheme will depend on the individual circumstances. However, the following general conditions must be met:
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 447
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funding is presently committed from his departmental budget for (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99 and (c) 1999-2000 to resolve the year 2000 computer problem; and if he will make a statement. [11967]
Mr. Darling:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson) on 10 July 1997, Official Report, column 609.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in discussions with the Bank of England regarding the role of the registrar's department after the change in responsibility for debt management from the Bank of England to the Treasury. [11725]
Mr. Darling:
The Treasury and the Bank have agreed that the status of the registrar's department will not be affected by other changes on debt management, and this has been announced to staff. The registrar's department will remain under Bank of England management and continue with the current programming of restructuring. The options over its future will then be reviewed in five years.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the new supervisory body for the financial sector will have responsibility for supervising (a) friendly societies, (b) credit unions and (c) cheque traders. [11731]
Mr. Darling:
As my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary announced in a written answer on 23 July, Official Report, column 595, the new regulatory organisation will have responsibility for supervising friendly societies and credit unions. We have no plans at present to extend financial regulation to cheque traders.
Mr. Timms:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has received from Sir Andrew Large an implementation plan for the new financial regulatory body announced on 20 May. [12271]
Mr. Gordon Brown:
I received the plan on 29 July. Copies have been placed in the Vote Office, together with copies of a letter from Sir Andrew and my reply.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the amount of the Treasury supplement in each of the last 10 years; and what are the estimated figures for the next two years. [11715]
Mr. Darling:
The Treasury supplement to the national insurance fund was abolished in 1989. From 1993, a new Treasury grant was introduced, and the level of that annual grant has been as follows:
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 448
As part of his report to the Secretary of State for Social Security on the 1997 uprating and rerating orders, the Government Actuary has estimated the size of the Treasury grant needed for 1996-97 and 1997-98 to be £1,925 million and £980 million respectively.
Mr. Lilley:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what new advice he plans to provide to people with approved personal pension plans in respect of the amount they contribute to those plans following the abolition of advance corporation tax credits. [11653]
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the future role of the National Audit Office in relation to auditing the Budget. [11602]
Mr. Darling:
As part of the opening up of economic decision making, the Chancellor intends that there should be a continuing role for the National Audit Office in subsequent Budgets. Future arrangements are not yet settled.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to announce new public expenditure plans for 1999-2000 and beyond; and if he will make a statement. [11606]
Mr. Gordon Brown:
Spending plans for 1999-2000 and beyond will be announced next year after the Government have concluded the comprehensive spending review announced by the Chief Secretary on 11 June.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if further changes to departmental spending ceilings for (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99 will be made; and if he will make a statement. [11607]
Mr. Darling:
Departments are expected to live within the ceilings currently set for the next two years.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the effect on the public sector borrowing requirement in (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97, (c) 1997-98 to date and (d) 1997-98 of the discrepancy between the timing of receipts and disbursements relating to the national lottery to and from the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement. [11994]
Mr. Darling:
I regret that it has not been possible to provide a substantive answer before the summer recess. I shall write to the hon. Member shortly and place a copy of the letter in the Library.
Mr. Pond:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many and what proportion of (a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees and (c) all employees
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 449
on adult rates of pay in the south-east and Greater London as a whole and broken down by county, unitary authority and London borough, have earnings excluding overtime payments of less than (i) £3.50 an hour and (ii) £4.42 an hour; and if he will list these figures separately for men and for women; [12191]
(3) how many and what proportion of (a) full-time, (b) part-time and (c) all employees on adult rates of pay working in social work activities in Great Britain have earnings excluding overtime payments of less than (i) £4.26 an hour and (ii) £4.42 an hour. [12088]
Dawn Primarolo:
I regret that it has not been possible to provide a substantive answer before the summer recess. I shall write to my hon. Friend shortly and place a copy of the letter in the Library.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to your recent question on travel-to-work area boundaries.
A recent consultation exercise by the ONS has shown a demand for statistics for travel-to-work areas (TTWAs) as well as for local authority areas. ONS has accordingly decided to continue to produce statistics for TTWAs and is now consulting on revised boundaries.
the claimant is a private investor;
the investment firm must have been fully authorised before it failed;
the claim arises out of business regulated under the Financial Services Act;
the firm owes the investor money--through fraud or negligent dealing--or was holding shares or other investments on the investor's behalf;
the firm cannot pay out investors' claims;
the firm has been declared in default by the ICS.
1993-94: £7,589 million
1994-95: £6,280 million
1995-96: £3,575 million
(2) how many and what proportion of all employees on adult rates of pay in the south-east and Greater London have earnings excluding overtime payments of less than (i) £3.50 an hour (ii) £4.42 an hour broken down by standard occupational classification and by standard industrial classification; [12192]
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