---

Computer Disasters

Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the time it would take to get new computers running in the wake of a major computer disaster in his Department. [130967]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 19 July 2000]: In the event of a major computer disaster the Treasury's aim would be to restore basic IT facilities (desktop or laptop stand-alone equipment) to key staff as soon as possible but at the latest within two days.

The timescale for the restoration of full IT services to the whole department would depend on the scale of the disaster.

Random Assignment Elements

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which pilot projects undertaken by his Department since 1997 have involved random assignment elements; and what assessment he has made of their effectiveness in promoting more effective policy making. [131584]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 20 July 2000]: While no consolidated record of such schemes is kept, I am not aware of any pilot projects undertaken by the Treasury since 1997 with random assignment elements.

Sickness Absence

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the monthly outturns on

28 Jul 2000 : Column: 1024W

sickness absence as listed in reports from directors in his Department for each month for the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [130724]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 20 July 2000]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 11 May 2000, Official Report, column 434W. The latest published statistics on sickness absence were given in the report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service 1998" prepared by BMI Health Service Ltd. These show that HM Treasury has the lowest absence rate of Departments and Agencies of a similar size.

Worn-out Bank Notes

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the face value of paper notes was, broken down by denomination, which were destroyed in the last 12 months because they were worn out. [132315]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The face value of Bank of England notes destroyed in the 12-month period ending 30 June 2000 was:

	£ million
£5	1,369
£10	3,177
£20	5,022
£50	440
Total	10,008

Note:

All figures rounded

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer where worn-out bank-notes are incinerated. [132316]

Miss Melanie Johnson: No notes are incinerated.

Spending Review

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his statement of 18 July 2000, Official Report, column 219-44, on the Spending Review, if he will publish Table A4 of "Prudent for a Purpose", Cm 4807, in a form which is comparable to Table C19 of the document entitled Budget 2000, HC 346. [132247]

Mr. Andrew Smith: A table in a comparable format to Table C19 of Budget 2000, showing the new plans for Departmental Expenditure Limits broken down into resource and capital budgets, can be found in "Prudent for A Purpose: Building Opportunity and Security for All", Cm 4807, at A3. This table is set out in real terms. An explanation of how departmental plans have changed for the new planning period on the move to resource budgeting is contained in Table A8.

28 Jul 2000 : Column: 1023W

Departmental Expenditure Limits--Resource and Capital Budgets in real terms£ billion, 1999-2000 prices

	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04
Resource Budget:
Education and Employment	14.2	16.3	17.9	19.0	19.8
Health	40.0	42.6	44.7	47.7	50.6
of which: NHS	39.4	41.9	43.6	45.7	48.6
Environment, Transport and Regions	3.9	4.2	4.9	5.2	5.1
Local Government	33.9	34.5	35.0	36.3	37.7
Home Office	7.0	7.4	8.3	8.7	8.9
Legal Departments	2.7	2.8	2.9	2.9	2.9
Defence	16.9	17.4	17.2	17.2	17.0
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
International Development	2.2	2.4	2.6	2.7	2.9
Trade and Industry	2.8	3.2	3.7	3.3	2.9
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	1.0	0.9	1.0	1.0	1.0
Culture, Media and Sport	0.9	0.9	1.0	1.0	1.1
Social Security (administration)	3.2	3.1	3.6	3.9	3.8
Scotland	12.0	12.4	12.9	13.4	13.8
Wales	6.3	6.8	7.1	7.4	7.7
Northern Ireland Executive	4.2	4.4	4.6	4.7	4.8
Northern Ireland Office	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	0.9
Chancellor's Departments	3.4	3.7	3.7	3.8	3.7
Cabinet Office	1.1	1.1	1.2	1.2	1.2
Employment Opportunities Fund(1)	0.5	0.9	0.8	0.8	1.2
Invest to Save Budget	--	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.0
Capital Modernisation Fund	--	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Policy Innovation Fund	--	--	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reserve	--	1.9	1.1	1.5	1.8
Total Resource Budget DEL	158.5	169.0	176.5	183.7	189.9
Capital Budget
Education and Employment	1.2	2.2	2.4	2.8	3.5
Health	0.9	1.7	2.5	3.0	3.0
of which: NHS	0.9	1.6	2.4	2.9	2.9
Environment, Transport and Regions	5.8	6.3	7.7	9.3	11.1
Local Government	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.3	0.3
Home Office	0.5	0.6	0.8	0.9	0.8
Legal Departments	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1
Defence	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.7
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2
International Development	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.4
Trade and Industry	0.2	0.5	0.7	0.7	0.9
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Culture, Media and Sport	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1
Department of Social Security	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.0
Scotland	1.8	2.3	2.6	2.8	2.9
Wales	0.9	0.8	1.0	1.1	1.2
Northern Ireland Executive	0.7	0.8	0.8	0.9	1.0
Northern Ireland Office	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.0
Chancellor's Departments	0.1	-0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2
Cabinet Office	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.2
Employment Opportunities Fund 1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Invest to Save Budget	--	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Capital Modernisation Fund	--	0.1	0.4	0.8	1.1
Policy Innovation Fund	--	--	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reserve	--	0.7	0.3	0.4	0.5
Total Capital Budget DEL	18.3	22.0	25.8	29.7	33.2
Total Departmental Expenditure Limits	176.8	190.9	202.4	213.4	223.1

⁽¹⁾ Formerly Welfare to Work

28 Jul 2000 : Column: 1025W

28 Jul 2000 : Column: 1025W

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which year he expects to be able to judge that the trend rate of growth had increased from 2.5 per cent by 2004; how the Inland Revenue will judge total compliance costs to business; how compliance costs are defined in his document entitled "Prudent for a Purpose", Cm 4807; and if he will make a statement. [132267]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The Government's estimate of the UK's 2½ per cent. trend growth rate was set out in "Trend Growth: Prospects and implications for policy" which was published in November 1999. The Government continually monitors all relevant evidence and data on the UK's trend rate of growth.

28 Jul 2000 : Column: 1026W

Inland Revenue will judge total compliance costs to business as those costs incurred by all businesses or third parties in meeting the requirements laid upon them by those parts of the tax system which are administered by Inland Revenue.

Prudent for a Purpose commits the Inland Revenue to reductions in costs which act as a barrier to the establishment and growth of small businesses.

Tobacco Industry

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the value of United Kingdom exports of tobacco products was to countries outside the European Union in (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999; [132336]

28 Jul 2000 : Column: 1027W

(2) what the contribution of the UK tobacco industry was to the balance of payments in (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999. [132335]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 24 July 2000]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Andrew Hunter, dated 28 July 2000:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent questions on the United Kingdom's trade in tobacco. (132336/7).

The following table shows the latest estimates for UK trade in tobacco products. Figures are shown in £billion on a Balance of Payments basis and cover Division 16 of the 1992 Standard Industrial Classification--SIC(92). The balance of trade in goods is the value of goods exported less the value of goods imported.

	Contribution to balance of trade in goods	Exports to non-EU countries
1997	+1.0	0.7
1998	+0.9	0.6
1999	+0.9	0.6

Estimates for the tobacco industry in respect of the other components of the current account of the Balance of Payments are not available.

---