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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Museums and Galleries

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the current breakdown by (a) age, (b) sex and (c) socio-economic background of visitors to the (i) Victoria and Albert Museum, (ii) British Museum, (iii) National Museum of Science and Industry, (iv) Imperial War Museum, (v) National Gallery, (vi) National Maritime Museum, (vii) Natural History Museum and (viii) Tate Gallery. [19509]

Mr. Chris Smith: The best available survey information is in the following tables. Figures relate to periods from 1995 to date.

(a) Age of visitors

Age band	Percentage
(i) Victoria and Albert Museum
Up to 24	21
25-34	20
35-44	20
45-54	21
55 and over	17
(ii) British Museum
0-16	15
17-24	11
25-34	24
35-44	25
45-54	12
55-64	7
65 and over	7
(iii) National Museum of Science and Industry
15-34	36
35 and over	64
(iv) Imperial War Museum
0-15	12
16-24	16
25-44	30
45-59	20
60 and over	22
(v) National Gallery
15-34	44
35-54	35
55 and over	21
(vi) National Maritime Museum
18-24	10
25-34	18
35-44	25
45-54	22
55-64	13
65 and over	12
(vii) Natural History Museum
0-4	8
5-10	20
11-14	10
15-18	4
19-24	9
25-34	17
35-54	26
55 and over	6
(viii) Tate Gallery
15-24	26
25-34	24
35-44	15
45-54	17
55 and over	19

14 Jan 1998 : Column: 215

(b) Male/female percentages

	Male Percentage	Female Percentage
Victoria and Albert Museum	43	57
British Museum	46.5	53.5
National Museum of Science and Industry	56	44
Imperial War Museum	65	35
National Gallery	49	51
National Maritime Museum	61	39
Natural History Museum	60	50
Tate Gallery	45	55

(c) Socio-economic background of visitors

	A or B percentage	C1 percentage	C2, D or E percentage
Victoria and Albert Museum(1)	89	--	11
British Museum	41.2	50	8.8
National Museum of Science and Industry	52	34	14
Imperial War Museum	47	33	17
National Gallery(2)	49	31	9
National Maritime Museum	34	45	21
Natural History Museum	41	38	21
Tate Gallery(1)	91	--	8

Figures from free institutions are more prone to error than from those which charge. Some institutions have no data available on the composition of educational groups and information on schoolchildren is frequently omitted. Figures for the National Museum of Science and Industry and the Imperial War Museum are for the principal site only. Some totals do not sum to 100 per cent. due to rounding.

(1) Figures for AB include C1.

(2) Not specified: 10 per cent.

14 Jan 1998 : Column: 216

Cycle Spaces

Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many secure cycle spaces there are in his Department. [22679]

Mr. Tom Clarke: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has secure storage for 12 bicycles, with scope for a further eight should the need arise.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Admiralty House

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his answer of 22 December 1997, Official Report, columns 394-95, if any of the Admiralty House apartments available for Ministers have previously been allocated on the basis of security requirements. [22689]

Dr. David Clark: Yes.

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the Ministers for whom accommodation in Admiralty House has been made available since 1968. [22690]

Dr. David Clark: Accommodation in Admiralty House has been made available to various holders of the following Ministerial offices since 1968:

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions

Attorney-General

Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs

Secretary of State for Defence

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Secretary of State for the Environment

Secretary of State for the Home Department

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)

Paymaster General

Minister without Portfolio

Lord President of the Council

President of the Board of Trade

Lord Privy Seal

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

14 Jan 1998 : Column: 217

In addition, Admiralty House was also occupied on a temporary basis by the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer during the refurbishments of Numbers 10 and 11 Downing Street in 1992 and 1994 respectively.

TREASURY

Cash Planning

Mr. Robert Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the control total for cash planning for the year ahead in each year since 1987; and by what amount the outturn figure has differed from the figure previously announced. [22539]

Mr. Darling: The table gives the information requested. It shows the control aggregate for cash planning which was set before the beginning of the year and the difference between that planned figure and the final outturn. Planned figures have been amended for classification changes between the beginning of the year and the publication of outturn, but are otherwise as were published immediately preceding that financial year. Differences from outturn are calculated using data published in the following year.

Year ahead control aggregates and amount by which outturn differed (£ billion)

	Aggregate	Planned expenditure(3)	Amount by which outturn differed(4)
1987-88	Planning Total	148.7	-3.0
1988-89	Planning Total	156.9	-7.3
1989-90	Planning Total	167.1	2.1
1990-91	New Planning Total	179.0	1.0
1991-92	New Planning Total	204.2	-0.8
1992-93	New Planning Total	226.7	0.6
1993-94	Control Total	244.4	-2.5
1994-95	Control Total	250.9	-2.4
1995-96	Control Total	256.2	-1.0
1996-97	Control Total	259.5	0.4

(3) Adjusted for classification changes.

(4) For 1987-88 to 1991-92 outturns are as published in the following year's Autumn Statement or related Statistical Supplement, and for more recent years in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses. The outturn figure used for 1996-97 is as published in the Pre-Budget Report.

Self Assessment

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what representations he has received about the filing deadline for submission of self assessment tax returns; [22499]

(2) what plans he has to extend the filing deadline for submission of self assessment tax returns; [22498]

(3) if he will make a statement on the filing deadline for self assessment tax returns; [22540]

(4) how many self assessment tax returns have been rejected by Inland Revenue staff since self assessment was introduced; [22518]

(5) what estimates he has made of the number of self assessment tax returns (a) likely to be received before the deadline date and (b) expected not to meet the deadline. [22550]

14 Jan 1998 : Column: 218

Dawn Primarolo: Self assessment tax returns are due from individuals, partnerships and trusts for the tax year 1996-97. The statutory filing date for these returns is 31 Janaury 1998. There are no plans to extend this deadline. Although representations have been received from a number of tax practitioners seeking an extension to the filing date, others have argued against an extension. The timetable for filing returns is a realistic one, details of which have been known for the last four years.

During the pilot exercises carried out to test the new system, between 85 per cent. and 90 per cent. of returns were received by the deadline despite there being no national advertising campaign or any penalties charged for late filing. The Inland Revenue expect the vast majority of taxpayers to meet this year's deadline and will continue to give as much assistance and advice as they reasonably can to help taxpayers and their agents do this.

Of the returns filed by 30 September 1997, about 6 per cent. had to be sent back to taxpayers, mainly because of basic errors--such as missing signatures or pages--which the Inland Revenue were unable to correct. However, this error rate has fallen in respect of returns received more recently. The majority of returns that were sent back to taxpayers have now been corrected and re-submitted to the Inland Revenue.

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