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Cigarettes
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the average retail price of a packet of 20 cigarettes in each member state of the European Union. [81587]
Ms Hewitt: The information is as follows:
| Pence | |
|---|---|
| Member state | Retail selling price per pack of 20 cigarettes |
| Austria | 163 |
| Belgium | 184 |
| Denmark | 283 |
| Finland | 260 |
| France | 210 |
| Germany | 189 |
| Greece | 128 |
| Ireland | 280 |
| Italy | 134 |
| Luxembourg | 128 |
| Netherlands | 171 |
| Portugal | 122 |
| Spain | 80 |
| Sweden | 267 |
| UK | 364 |
Source:
European Commission (Directorate General XXI) Excise Duty Tables (December 1998).
20 Apr 1999 : Column: 492
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the proportion of the average retail price of a packet of 20 cigarettes which is taken in tax on each member state of the European Union. [81589]
Ms Hewitt: The information is as follows:
| Percentage | |
|---|---|
| Member State | Total Tax as proportion of retail selling price per pack of 20 Cigarettes |
| Austria | 74.0 |
| Belgium | 74.6 |
| Denmark | 81.7 |
| Finland | 76.2 |
| France | 75.4 |
| Germany | 70.8 |
| Greece | 72.7 |
| Ireland | 77.3 |
| Italy | 74.7 |
| Luxembourg | 68.6 |
| Netherlands | 71.9 |
| Portugal | 79.7 |
| Spain | 73.1 |
| Sweden | 70.3 |
| UK | 79.3 |
Source:
European Commission (Directorate General XXI) Excise Duty Tables (December 1998).
ISA Advertisements
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which authorised person under the Financial Services Act 1986 approved the Inland Revenue ISA advertisements. [81105]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 16 April 1999]: No such approval was needed.
KPMG
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) consultancy and (b) other contracts his Department has had with KPMG since 1 May 1997; and if KPMG is a prospective candidate for contracts his Department is intending to let. [81421]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 19 April 1999]: The Treasury has let two contracts with KPMG since May 1997, one for consultancy on "Credit Risk Policy" for the Debt Management Office, and the other to carry out a telephone survey on "Small to Medium Enterprises".
KPMG is a prospective candidate for future contracts. The contracts cannot be disclosed as they are commercially confidential until an award has been announced.
Vehicle Excise Duty
Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what investigations he carried out into the levels of emissions from cars of under 1100 cc before reducing the vehicle excise duty on those vehicles; and if he will make a statement. [81258]
20 Apr 1999 : Column: 493
Ms Hewitt
[holding answer 19 April 1999]: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor proposed reducing VED on the smallest cars in the 1998 Budget. He issued a consultation document setting out the options for reforming vehicle excise duty with the Pre-Budget Report in November last year and took into account a range of factors before deciding to reduce VED on cars under 1100cc by £55.
Mr. Brady:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the public appointments for which his
20 Apr 1999 : Column: 494
Department is responsible and which carry a fee or salary, indicating for each type of appointment the fee or salary band which applies. [80745]
Ms Hewitt
[holding answer 15 April 1999]: Much of this information is already available in Public Bodies 1998, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
The majority of public appointments are unpaid as most of those who accept a public appointment do so on a voluntary basis. The details of those appointments to public (and other) bodies that attract a fee or salary, which Treasury Ministers are responsible for, are as follows:
20 Apr 1999 : Column: 493
| Body | Status | Appointment | Salary/fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of England Court | Public Corporation | 1 Chairman | £227,000 p.a. |
| 1 Deputy | £191,500 p.a. | ||
| 1 Member | £153,000 p.a. | ||
| 1 Member | £142,167 p.a. | ||
| 1 Member | £142,167 p.a. | ||
| 2 Members | £125,500 p.a. | ||
| 12 Members | £500 p.a. | ||
| Policyholders Protection Board | Executive NDPB | 5 Members | £200 per day |
| Financial Services Tribunal | Tribunal NDPB | 1 Chairman | £380 per day |
| 2 Members | £275 per day | ||
| Section 706 Tribunal | Tribunal NDPB | 1 Chairman | £900 p.a. |
| 8 Members | £500 p.a. |
20 Apr 1999 : Column: 493
Non-Public Bodies
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) Board consists of an Executive Chairman, two other Executives, one non-Executive Deputy Chairman and 10 other non-Executives. Salaries and fees are set by the FSA. The details of these are published in the Annual Report, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
Euro
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what means he plans to enable businesses which wish to use the euro in Britain to do so; what estimate he has made of the cost of such measures; what plans he has to make it possible for businesses which wish to use other currencies to do so; and if he will make a statement. [80667]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 15 April 1999]: The introduction of the euro in 11 member states at the start of this year signalled a fundamental change in the business environment for UK firms. In recognition of this, the Government have taken a number of steps to facilitate UK business use of the euro. These steps are outlined in the regular Treasury report "Getting ready for the euro", copies of which are in the House Library.
Where there is demand, and where it is sensible, Government Departments and agencies already deal with UK firms in major foreign currencies.
New Bank Notes
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how long it takes the Bank of England on average to set up and print a new bank note after the initial design is completed. [76194]
20 Apr 1999 : Column: 494
Ms Hewitt
[holding answer 12 March 1999]: The set-up time from approval of note design to the issue of the note is dependent on the specification, the complexity and the required launch volumes. The duration of the origination and plate-making process, and the set-up and proof printing for the Bank of England and other Central Banks in general, is between four and five months. However, if the banknote contains features that require additional equipment, then the lead time of that equipment must be included. Specialist equipment lead times can be up to one year.
The actual printing can take up to eight months dependent on the number of notes required.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the approximate number of each denomination of sample euro notes printed by the Bank of England. [76196]
Ms Hewitt
[holding answer 12 March 1999]: The sample involved the Bank printing some 2 million each of the 20 and 50 euro notes and 5 million of the 5 euro note for pre-production trial purposes.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions since 1 May 1997 his Department has made available to the European Scrutiny Committee (1) Council working documents; [80542]
20 Apr 1999 : Column: 495
Ms Hewitt
[holding answer 13 April 1999]: HM Treasury receives a large volume of both official, unofficial and working texts during the course of negotiations on EU legislation. In order to facilitate the work of the European Scrutiny Committee, Explanatory Memorandums are often submitted on the basis of unofficial texts if an official text, formally circulated to Member States from the Council Secretariat, has not yet been received. HM Treasury keep the Committee informed of substantive progress in negotiations by supplementary Memoranda or Ministerial letter, sometimes accompanied by a draft text if appropriate. It would involve disproportionate cost to provide a definitive list of the unofficial draft documents made available to the Committee since 1 May 1997.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the criteria for selection of members of the euro task forces. [81046]
Ms Hewitt:
The Government have consulted widely in taking forward euro preparations. For instance, in October 1997, the Chancellor set up a Business Advisory Group (BAG), headed by Lord Simon, to advise on the practical issues associated with UK membership. Representative organisations were invited to send their own nominated members.
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