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7 Nov 1997 : Column: 353

Written Answers to Questions

Friday 7 November 1997

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Opera

Mr. Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when Sir Richard Eyre's working group on the future of the Royal Opera House and English National Opera will begin its work. [15307]

Mr. Chris Smith: Sir Richard has already begun work and hopes to finalise the membership of the working group shortly. He plans that the working group should meet later this month. On 6 November, Sir Richard issued an open consultation letter inviting views from all those with an interest, and who wish to contribute to this debate. The text of the letter, and of my letter to Sir Richard setting out in full the terms of reference for the review I have asked him to conduct, have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Late Payments

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the suppliers to his Department who are owed outstanding amounts, indicating the amounts and the due date on which the account should have been settled. [13541]

Mr. Tom Clarke [holding answer 30 October 1997]: All departments are required to pay all their bills within agreed contract terms, or 30 days from receipt of the goods or service or a valid invoice, whichever is later, where no such terms exist. Such detailed information on payment performance for the current financial year could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Treasury will shortly be publishing a league table of departmental payment performance for 1996-97.

Tobacco Sponsorship

Mrs. Golding: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the amount of money spent by tobacco companies on the sponsorship of (a) sport and (b) the arts in each of the last five years. [13745]

Mr. Banks: The amounts spent by tobacco companies on sports sponsorship in the last five years for which figures are available are:

£
1995-967,412,000
1994-958,062,000
1993-947,576,000
1992-9310,403,000
1991-928,981,000

These figures are provided under the Voluntary Agreement on Sponsorship of Sport by Tobacco Companies in the UK. Tobacco companies do not operate under similar arrangements with regard to arts sponsorship. However, the Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts (ABSA) has recently estimated the total spread of tobacco companies' support for the arts in the UK to be around £1-1½ million per annum.

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TREASURY

Cheques

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what legal penalties exist in other European Union countries for the issuing of cheques without covering funds. [13794]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 5 November 1997]: The information is not available.

Press Officers

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total number of Treasury press officers at present; how many Treasury press officers have left their posts since 2 May; and if he will make a statement. [13367]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 5 November 1997]: There are currently six Treasury press officers. Since 2 May, two staff have moved from the Press Office and two staff have joined.

Tax Reclamation

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the total tax reclaimed by Government Departments, agencies and other public bodies in the latest year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [13534]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 30 October 1997]: From the tax returns submitted by Government departments and agencies during 1996-97, the total amount of value added tax due was £521 million, the total amount reclaimed was £1,500 million resulting in a balance repaid of £979 million. Figures for other public bodies are not available.

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the amount of value added tax (a) reclaimed and (b) repaid to NHS trusts and other NHS bodies in the latest year for which statistics are available; and if he will make a statement. [13533]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 30 October 1997]: From the tax returns submitted by NHS trusts and bodies during 1996-97, the total amount of value added tax due was £72 million, the total amount reclaimed was £492 million resulting in a balance repaid of £420 million.

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Tax Avoidance

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what directions he has given to Government Departments in relation to their expenditures on tax avoidance advice; and if he will make a statement. [13532]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 30 October 1997]: Guidance on tax avoidance was issued to departments in December 1996. This guidance warns departments against the use of tax advisers for tax avoidance purposes.

Savings

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on the savings rate in the United Kingdom of increasing taxes on the income from savings; and if he will make a statement. [13030]

Mr. Geoffrey Robinson: The effect would depend on the nature of the increase and how it was distributed.

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the effect on the savings rate in the United Kingdom of the elimination of the investment income surcharge. [13711]

Mr. Geoffrey Robinson: The saving ratio is dependent on many factors which would make it very difficult to isolate the effect of abolishing the investment income surcharge.

Charities' Investment Income

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the Government have made of the impact on charities' investment income of the changes in advance corporation tax announced in the last Budget. [14296]

Mr. Geoffrey Robinson: The abolition of payment of tax credits on the dividends of UK companies will not affect charities until April 1999. Beyond that, charities will benefit from a five year scheme of special payments to ease the transition to the new treatment of dividends.

Delegated Legislation

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all (a) secondary, (b) other delegated legislation and (c) all deregulation orders his Department made during the summer adjournment. [14390]

Mrs. Liddell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 November, Official Report, column 216, by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

SCOTLAND

Curriculum Council

Mr. Ernie Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the forthcoming policy and financial review of the Scottish Consultative Council on the curriculum. [15305]

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Mr. Dewar: My Department will conduct a review of the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum during 1997-98 under the programme of 5-yearly non-departmental public body reviews. This review will examine the justification for the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum on policy grounds and the system of financial management control within the Council.

The first stage of the review will take the form of a "prior options" study. This will assess the extent to which the functions that the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum perform are necessary for the achievement of the Government's policies, and will examine thoroughly the scope for abolition, transferring part or all of the functions to another body, rationalisation, privatisation and continuation as an NDPB. The results of this prior options study will inform a detailed review of the Council's financial management and control systems.

The review will also examine the scope for co-ordination of the activities of the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum with other bodies to ensure maximum value for money from the central government resources available for education in Scotland.

The prior options study will commence in December 1997. In order to help ensure that all options are considered fully, comments are invited from interested parties.

Comments should be sent by 5 December 1997 to:









Educational Technology Council

Mr. Ernie Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the forthcoming policy and financial management review of the Scottish Council for Educational Technology. [15306]

Mr. Dewar: My Department will conduct a review of the Scottish Council for Educational Technology during 1997-98 under the programme of 5 yearly non-departmental public body reviews. The review will examine the status and functions of SCET in accordance with cabinet office guidance.

The first stage of the review will take the form of a "prior options" study. This will assess the extent to which the functions that SCET performs are necessary from the achievement of the Government's policies, and whether there is scope for privatising, contracting out or

7 Nov 1997 : Column: 357

transferring all, or part of their functions to another body or bodies. The results of the prior options study will inform a detailed review of its policy and financial management systems.

The review will also examine the scope for co-ordination of the activities of the Scottish Council for Educational Technology with other bodies to ensure maximum value for money from the central Government resources available for education in Scotland.

The prior options study will commence in early December 1997. In order to help ensure all options are considered fully, comments are invited from interested parties. Comments should be sent by 5 December 1997 to:









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