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GDP (Health Spending)
Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the proportion of GDP spent on the NHS in each year since 1970. [96185]
Mr. Andrew Smith: I will write to my hon. Friend.
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 27 July 1999, Official Report, columns 403-04, on special advisers, if he will give the cost incurred by Treasury special advisers, including travel and accommodation, for each individual occasion of official travel listed in the paper, Official Travel Overseas by Treasury Special Advisers 1997-99. [96968]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer the former Economic Secretary gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hove (Mr. Caplin) on 27 July. Details of official travel overseas by Treasury special advisers were placed in the Library of the House on that day. The cost of overseas travel by special advisers accompanying Treasury Ministers was included in the figures in the Prime Minister's answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Mr. Pendry) on 17 June 1999, Official Report, columns 196-97.
11 Nov 1999 : Column: 777
Mr. Gill:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rate of VAT applies to (a) building repairs and (b) energy-saving materials in France. [98138]
Dawn Primarolo:
France applies a standard VAT rate of 20.6 per cent. to general building repairs and the purchase of energy saving materials. There is also a reduced VAT rate of 5.5 per cent. for the repair and renovation of housing, which would include the installation of energy saving materials where they are supplied as part of such a service.
Mr. Gill:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of loss of revenue consequent upon bookmakers moving their business offshore. [98011]
Mr. Timms
[holding answer 10 November 1999]: No such estimate is available.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total number of vehicles used by his Department and its agencies fuelled by (a) petrol, (b) diesel and (c) liquid petroleum gas; and what plans he has to increase the rate of conversion of those vehicles to liquid petroleum gas. [98201]
Dawn Primarolo:
The Treasury's cars are supplied by the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA). Three of the six cars run on LPG. All new cars supplied under the GCDA contract will run on alternative fuels or will be fitted with the new technology "clean" engine which uses unleaded petrol. The contract to run the minibus, which connects our two London offices, will be renewed on 1 December and the minibus will run exclusively on low-sulphur diesel.
Office for National Statistics
The ONS uses a total of 11 cars within its Registration Inspectorate division. Of these, two are petrol and nine are diesel. There is no definite plan to convert the vehicles to liquid petroleum gas, but they are replaced every three years.
The ONS facilities management division has three diesel vans, of which one is now redundant. There are no plans for conversion as the FM services are in the process of being outsourced--this is scheduled for completion by July 2000.
HM Customs and Excise
The HMC&E have a Departmental fleet which comprises 1,894 vehicles. Obviously the number of vehicles on the fleet is subject to (minimal) daily change in that each Collection regularly dispose of, and subsequently replace, vehicles on a rolling basis. Please note that the Department has no solely liquid petroleum gas vehicles on its fleet.
The current breakdown of the fleet is given in the table.
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Future Plans
A further three vehicles already on fleet are being converted for bi-fuel usage within the next two months. We have no definitive plans to convert existing petrol/diesel vehicles to bi-fuel function on a major scale. The Department is "trialling" the above number of vehicles to determine their viability in meeting both the business need and compliance in meeting "green" obligations. Furthermore, such factors as the infrastructure to ensure that such vehicles represent a realistic, user friendly alternative to petrol/diesel powered vehicles and also the question of residual values are being monitored before a large scale commitment can be given to utilising bi-fuel vehicles on a large scale
We will also be setting a target to reduce the Departmental vehicle fuel consumption by 10 per cent. in the coming year as part of the green initiative and to reduce costs.
We have recently completed a trial with an electric vehicle at Heathrow airport and will analyse the findings before deciding if this type of fuel propulsion is a viable option.
Inland Revenue
The Inland Revenue have submitted a response which includes the Valuation Office Agency, Contributions Agency, National Criminal Intelligence Agency (NCIS) and the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA). Their statement on future plans for PLG conversions also covers the above agencies.
Future Plans
"Both the IR pool and Private User Scheme (PUS) fleet have purchased and are currently running one LPG vehicle, plus we have been trialling them as a long term demos at various locations. We are also assessing the viability of electric vehicles. We have no definite plans for the wholesale conversion of the fleet at present. We are also monitoring the residual values of alternative fuelled vehicles as an on-going exercise before any final decisions are concluded.
(25) This figure is included in the petrol figures (do not count twice)
(26) None
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Departmental Waste
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to set targets for the recycling of waste (a) paper, (b) cardboard, (c) glass, (d) metal, (e) plastic and (f) other products created by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement. [98231]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Our Department's approach to waste management is to 'Reduce', 'Reuse' and 'Recover' (which includes recycling, composting and energy recovery) as the preferred options for reducing waste sent to landfill. This will help us to achieve the Green Ministers' target for Government Departments of recovering a minimum of 40 per cent. of total office waste and to reduce the proportion of controlled waste going to landfill to 60 per cent. by 2005.
IR35
Mr. Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings he has had with representatives of the Professional Contractors Group to discuss IR35. [98128]
Dawn Primarolo: I have spoken with a number of people during the course of the consultation period and have received many written representations.
Give as You Earn
Dr. Godman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost to the Treasury of the Give as You Earn scheme since its inception; and if he will make a statement. [98000]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The cost of the tax relief under the Payroll Giving scheme since it was introduced in 1986 is £44 million, of which £7 million is the provisional cost in 1998-99. Annual costs are published in Inland Revenue Statistics.
Take-up of Payroll Giving has improved in recent years, with the annual level of donations increasing threefold in the 1990s (1990-91 to 1998-99). Donations in 1998-99 were up 11 per cent. on the previous year. Research undertaken by the Inland Revenue for the Government's review of charity taxation suggests that there is considerable potential to increase take-up further.
As a result of "Getting Britain Giving" measures announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Pre Budget Report, the Government is abolishing the £1,200 maximum limit for donations under Payroll Giving. In future, employees will be able to give as much as they like through their pay packet. In addition, charities and
11 Nov 1999 : Column: 780
employers will be joining with the Inland Revenue in a campaign next summer to promote the scheme. The campaign will be backed by a time-limited supplement on Payroll Giving donations payable to charities for three years from April 2000, out of public expenditure.
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