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Tax Credits

Ms Lawrence: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish a draft regulatory impact assessment of the costs arising from provisions in the Tax Credits Bill and the accompanying regulations in relation to the new working families tax credit and disabled person's tax credit. [69146]

Dawn Primarolo: I have today placed in the Vote Office and in the Library of the House copies of a draft Regulatory Impact Assessment of the costs and benefits arising from the introduction of these two tax credits.

Ms Lawrence: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish a draft of the regulations relating to employer payment of the working families tax credit and disabled person's tax credit. [69147]

Dawn Primarolo: I have today placed in the Vote Office and the Library of the House copies of a draft of the Tax Credits Schemes (Payment by Employers) Regulations which contain the main provisions relating to payment by employers of the new tax credits.

Budget Summary Leaflets

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of preparing, printing and distributing budget summary leaflets to United Kingdom households; and how many he plans to issue. [69276]

Dawn Primarolo: No definite plans have yet been made to issue a Budget leaflet.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mr. Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total cost of the United Kingdom's contribution in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1996; and if he will list the costs borne by each department. [68251]

4 Feb 1999 : Column: 725

Mr. Milburn [holding answer 3 February 1999]: The figures for 1996-97 and 1997-98 are listed as follows:

Total cost of the United Kingdom's contribution in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1996 by department

		£ million
	1996-97	1997-98
FCO	6.479	10.171
MOD	224.000	181.000
DFID(13) bilateral aid	42.00	22.00
Total	272.479	213.171

(13) DFID figure excludes EC attributed aid

Figures for 1998-1999 are not yet available.

Financial Services Authority

Mr. Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to include promoting sustainable development among the objectives of the Financial Services Authority. [68597]

Mrs. Roche: The proposed objectives of the FSA are market confidence, public awareness, the protection of consumers and the reduction of financial crime.

ISAs

Dr. Marek: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the Inland Revenue order line cannot respond to requests for copies of leaflet IR165 on individual savings accounts. [68231]

Mrs. Roche: Copies of leaflet IR165 are now available from the Inland Revenue Orderline and I am sorry if my hon. Friend or a constituent should have been told otherwise.

Pensions Mis-selling

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appeals have been made against compensation for pensions mis-selling; and with what results. [68805]

Mrs. Roche: At 31 December 1998, 1,461 appeals against offers of compensation had been referred to the PIA ombudsman, 736 of these have been resolved. In approximately 50 per cent. of cases the ombudsman found the firms' offers to be inadequate.

Euro

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will prepare and publish an index of the relativities between the pound and the basket of currencies which constitute the euro so that the valuation of the pound in regard to the euro after 4 January can be compared with historical values. [68582]

Mrs. Roche: A proxy measure for the euro's exchange rate prior to 1999 can be derived by using the European currency unit's (ECU) exchange rate or using the Deutschmark and its euro conversion rate. Data on these are available in table 7.1A of the ONS publication "Financial Statistics".

4 Feb 1999 : Column: 726

Sterling-Deutschmark Exchange Rate

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the exchange rate of the pound against the Deutschmark in each quarter since January 1997. [68428]

Mrs. Roche: The exchange rate of the pound against the Deutschmark since January 1997 is available in table 7.1A of the ONS publication "Financial Statistics".

Asset Sales

Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will account for the difference between the forecast of total receipts from asset sales in paragraph 2.31 of the 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review and Table 4.4 of the Economic and Fiscal Strategy report. [68392]

Mr. Milburn: There is an error in paragraph 2.31 of the July 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review White Paper. The table in the EFSR is accurate. The error was corrected by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his evidence of 15 July 1998 to the Treasury Select Committee and his correction was published in its report "The New Fiscal Framework and the Comprehensive Spending Review" released on 27 July.

Asylum Seekers

Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are his latest estimates of the support costs for asylum seekers charged to each of (a) the Home Office, (b) the Department for Social Security and (c) the Department of Health for each of (i) 1997-98, (ii) 1998-99, (iii) 1999-2000, (iv) 2000-01 and (v) 2001-02. [68388]

Mr. Milburn: Asylum support costs are currently divided between the Department of Social Security and the Department of Health. In 1997-98, asylum support cost £374.6 million, of which £305 million was borne by the Department of Social Security. Figures for 1998-99 are not yet available on a comparable basis.

From April 1999, the costs of support for adults and families will be funded from the new asylum seeker support budget managed by the Home Office. The sums of £350 million, £300 million and £250 million were allocated to this in the Comprehensive Spending Review on the basis of estimated costs for the period 1999-2002. Actual spend will depend on a number of factors, such as the number of asylum claims and the speed with which these can be handled. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary may revise these cost estimates in due course.

Environmental Working Group

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times the interdepartmental working group on the environmental aspects of whole life costing has met; what progress has been made by the working group; when the working group will next meet; and what are the working group's future plans. [68107]

Mr. Milburn: The working group has met once, at which broad agreement was reached on the approach to be taken on the environmental aspects of whole life costing.

My officials are arranging for the working group to meet again shortly, as which its future plans will be discussed.

4 Feb 1999 : Column: 727

DEFENCE

Defence Secondary Care Agency Hospitals

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the main Defence Secondary Care Agency hospital sites with the number of clinical, professional and other whole time equivalent staff at each site, indicating in each case what decisions over the future of the site (a) have been taken and (b) are still under review; and if he will make a statement. [66468]

Mr. Doug Henderson: The details requested are as follows:

	Royal Hospital Haslar
Service
Clinical	424
Professional medical	68
Others	43
Civilian
Clinical	89
Professional medical	75
Others	367

As part of his recent announcement of a strategy for the future of the Defence Medical Services, the Secretary of State for Defence has declared that this hospital will ultimately close. This is unlikely to be before 2002 and will not be until acceptable alternative health care arrangements are in place. These figures update those provided to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 12 January 1999, Official Report, column 146.

	Duchess of Kent's Hospital, Catterick
Service
Clinical	110
Professional medical	13
Others	39
Civilian
Clinical	55
Professional medical	13
Others	87

These Details include personnel in the Defence Psychiatric Service units.

A review by the DSCA of facilities provided by this hospital resulted in a decision to close acute in-patient services. Following a tendering exercise, a contract has been awarded to the Northallerton NHS Trust for the establishment of a Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit (MDHU) at the Trust's Friarage Hospital. It is planned to commence the major transfer of work by 1 July 1999.

The Strategic Defence Review included provision for the enhancement of the Community Psychiatric Services. As a result, the DSCA are now in the early stages of a comprehensive review. An announcement will be made in due course.

4 Feb 1999 : Column: 728

	Defence Services Medical Rehabilitation Centre
Service
Clinical	22
Professional medical	8
Others	82
Civilian
Clinical	11
Professional medical	3
Others	44

Within the new DMS strategy, the DSMRC has a strong future and the DSCA will continue examining new areas in which to maximise use of the excellent facilities at the unit.

	Royal Naval Hospital, Gibraltar
Service
Clinical	20
Professional medical	5
Others	10
Civilian
Clinical	2
Professional medical	6
Others	28

We have withdrawn from full collaborative arrangements with the Government of Gibraltar for the provision of secondary health care. Regrettably, it was not possible to agree mutually satisfactory arrangements. As a result, the RNH in Gibraltar has reopened. Plans are progressing to develop a combined facility that will provide primary care, dental care and essential secondary care to replace the RNH early in the millennium.

	Princess Mary's Hospital, Akrotiri
Service
Clinical	44
Professional medical	9
Others	27
Civilian
Clinical	6
Professional medical	22
Others	16

There are, at present, no plans to re-examine the role of this hospital. Its continuing presence forms an integral part of the new DMS strategy.

	MDHU Frimely Park	MDHU Peterborough	MDHU Derriford
Service
Clinical	129	79	99
Professional medical	8	7	3
Others	22	9	11
Civilian
Clinical	3	0	1
Professional medical	0	0	1
Others	5	9	7

The MDHUs are working well, providing an excellent clinical environment and representing good value for money. To emphasise our commitment to this concept, the DSCA are setting new contracts in place with the NHS Trusts.

4 Feb 1999 : Column: 729

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