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Travel Insurance

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the percentage of travel insurance which was bought from (a) travel agents and tour operators and (b) other sources in (i) 1992, (ii) 1995 and (iii) 1998. [69376]

Ms Hewitt: A report of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on Foreign Package Holidays published in December 1997 (Cmnd 3813) gives the following information:

Distribution of sales of travel insurance by outlet, 1992 to 1996

			Percentage
	1992	1994	1996
Travel agent	63	61	58
Tour operators	25	23	19
Sub-total	88	84	19
Direct	5	5	7
Bank/Building Society	3	4	6
Others	4	7	10

Source:

Mintel

Aviation Tax

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government will support proposals for an aviation tax in future European Union negotiations. [69472]

Ms Hewitt: There no proposals for an aviation tax as such. As was made clear in the White paper on the future of transport, the Government support international action through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to remove the international tax exemption for aviation fuels.

In June 1997 we welcomed the initiative by the Dutch Presidency of the EU which led to the study on the competitive and environmental effects on the EU of a unilateral aviation fuel tax and look forward to its publication later this year. We will consider our position in the light of the conclusions of this study.

Public Bodies

Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base; and which are subject to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner. [69912]

Ms Hewitt: One executive non-departmental body sponsored by the Chancellor's departments has a statutory base. It is the Policyholders Protection Board, created by the Policyholders Protection Act 1975.

The ambit of the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration does not extend to the conduct of the Board's business.

9 Feb 1999 : Column: 199

Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) admit members of the public to all board or committee meetings, (b) hold public meetings, (c) have lay or consumer representatives on their boards and (d) operate some form of appeal or complaints procedure; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [69982]

Ms Hewitt: There is one executive non-departmental body sponsored by the Chancellor's departments. It is the Policyholders Protection Board. The Board:

(a) does not admit members of the public to board meetings or committee meetings;

(b) does not hold public meetings;

(c) includes a representative of policyholders interests in accordance with the Policyholders Protection Act, 1975;

(d) does not operate a formal appeal or complaints procedure.

Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) the minutes of meetings, (b) the agendas of meetings and documents for those meetings and (c) a register of members' interests; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [69942]

Ms Hewitt: There is one executive non-departmental body sponsored by the Chancellor's departments. It is the Policyholders Protection Board.

The Board does not publish the minutes of meetings, agendas of meetings, documents for those meetings, or a register of members' interests. It does, however, publish an annual report, and there are statutory provisions on disclosure of members' interests in matters falling to be considered by the Board.

Industrial Action

Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many cases of industrial action involving random one-day strikes called over a period have taken place; and in how many cases the period of random action has exceeded eight weeks, in each year from 1993 to 1998; [69563]

(2) in how many cases industrial actions in the form of strikes have extended beyond eight weeks in each year from 1993 to 1998. [69564]

Ms Hewitt [holding answer 8 February 1999]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 9 February 1999:

As Director of the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary questions on industrial action in each year from 1993 to 1998.

I am unable to provide information in the form requested. The duration of a dispute is classed as the total number of days of strike action, not the length of time the parties were in dispute. I have provided information on this basis in the attached tables.

Table 1

The following table shows the number of stoppages beginning in each year from 1993 to 1997, which involved forty days or more of strike action ¹ , whether or not these covered consecutive working days.

9 Feb 1999 : Column: 200

Year	Stoppages beginning in year
1993	7
1994	2
1995	8
1996	4
1997	3
1998(4)	n/a

(3) It is assumed that an eight week period includes forty working days. The duration of a dispute is classed as the total number of days of strike action, not the length of time the parties were in dispute.

(4) Provisional data for 1998 will be available mid-March 1999, final data for 1998 will be available mid-April 1999.

Table 2


The following table shows the number of stoppages in progress, in each year from 1993 to 1997, which did not exceed one day in duration.

Year	Stoppages in progress
1993	119
1994	118
1995	139
1996	118
1997	106
1998(5)	n/a

(5) Provisional data for 1998 will be available mid-March 1999, final data for 1998 will be available mid-April 1999.

Ministerial Travel

Mr. Maples: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to which public expenditure vote the cost of the use of RAF and charter flights by Treasury Ministers is charged. [70076]

Dawn Primarolo: Treasury Ministers' travel costs are charged to Class XVI Vote 1.

Green-field Development

Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will abolish capital gains tax roll-over relief on the sale proceeds of green-field development land. [68799]

Dawn Primarolo: Capital gains roll-over relief is available when the proceeds from the disposal of assets used only for the purpose of a trade are invested in new assets which, on acquisition, are taken into use, and used only, for the purposes of a trade. There are no plans to change that.

Building Societies

Mr. Pike: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what representations he has received regarding building societies during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement; [68436]

(2) what recent discussions his Department has had with building societies; and if he will make a statement; [68438]

(3) what proposals he has for legislation to protect the principle of mutuality; and if he will make a statement. [68437]

9 Feb 1999 : Column: 201

Ms Hewitt: The Treasury has regular discussions with building societies and their representatives, who have put forward a number of proposals for legislation in recent years. Many of them, however, involve reducing Boards' accountability, or otherwise limit the rights of members--especially the less well off. This seems to the Government to be incompatible with the fundamental principles of mutuality. The Government have, however, increased the turnout threshold on conversion votes from 20 to 50 per cent., to ensure that conversions can occur only with the clear endorsement of members.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Animal Exports

Mr. Etherington: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he plans to introduce (a) reforms to the way in which veterinary surgeons are nominated to carry out pre-export inspections of farm animals and (b) new guidelines as to how such inspections should be conducted; and if he will make a statement. [67937]

Mr. Morley: We are actively working to finalise the new procedural guidelines and administrative arrangements, together with proposals on the charges livestock exporters would need to pay. Introduction of the proposed new charging arrangements would require the adoption of a statutory instrument, and the timing of this would be influenced by the devolution arrangements for Scotland and Wales.

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