| Home Page |
Column 283
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 23 March 1995
TREASURY
Pool Betting Duty
Ms Armstrong: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue he expects to receive from the pool betting duty in (a) the current year and (b) next year. [15399]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 21 March 1995]: The amount of pool betting duty receipts is expected to be about £340 million in 1994 95. No separate forecasts are made for pool betting duty for future years.
Ms Armstrong: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax was received from the pool betting duty in December, January and February 1993 94 and December, January and February 1994 95. [15398]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 21 March 1995]: The amount of pool betting receipts for December, January and February 1993 94 was £88.2 million and for December, January and February 1994 95 was £81.6 million.
Spread Betting
Ms Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the likely effects of deregulating sports spread betting; [14795]
(2) what consultations he has had concerning the deregulation of sports spread betting; [14793]
(3) what alternative forms of regulations he has considered for the control of sports spread betting; [14796]
(4) what regulations exist to protect participants in spread betting and to ensure they are fully informed of the risks. [14794]
Mr. Nelson: Spread bets are currently regulated as investments under the terms of the Financial Services Act 1986. Companies offering spread betting services are required to become authorised by joining one of the self-regulating organisations recognised under that Act. In doing so, they are subject to detailed conduct of business rules.
Spread betting based on matters such as the performance of financial indices will continue to be
Column 284
regulated in this way. But we intend that spread betting on matters such as sporting events and the weather should be excluded from the scope of the Act.The financial services deregulation task force identified non-financial spread betting as an area for deregulation. My officials have consulted industry representatives, as well as the Securities and Investments Board and the Home Office. A draft amendment to exclude certain non-financial spread betting from the Financial Services Act is under preparation, and the Treasury will shortly be consulting with all interested parties on its terms.
Barings
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if Her Majesty's Government and Bank of England officials will co-operate fully with all requests for information
made by judicial managers, representatives of SIMEX and other authorised persons in Singapore charged to carry out inquiries into activities at Barings.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 13 March 1995]: If any such requests are received by the Treasury, officials will co-operate fully to the extent allowed by the applicable statutory framework and the need to avoid confusion or unnecessary duplication between inquiries. I understand that the Bank of England takes the same view.
Privatised Companies
Sir Norman Fowler: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the total tax receipts for the last financial year from industries that have been denationalised since 1979.
Sir George Young [holding answer 28 February 1995]: Corporation tax receipts in 1994 95 from privatised companies are likely to be £2.5 billion.
Ms Armstrong: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update the answer to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr Banks) of 17 November 1986, Official Report , column 82 , as to the number of individual shareholders retaining shares in each of the concerns privatised since 1979. [15401]
Sir George Young: This information is not held centrally, but the number of shareholders may be found in individual companies' annual reports.
Ms Armstrong: To ask the Chancellor of the exchequer what was the total amount of debt written off in each of the privatisations and sale of Government assets since 1979, for each company privatised. [15358]
Sir George Young: The table shows the debt written off, and the type of debt concerned, for each company privatised where this occurred. This includes all debt written off since 1979 in companies subsequently privatised. The liability to pay interest on debt remains up to the date of repayment or write-off.
Debt written off prior to privatisation Year |Privatisation |Amount £ |Type of Debt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1980-81 |British Steel |509,308,359 |National loans fund 1980-81 |British Aerospace |60,000,000 |Public dividend capital 1980-81 |National Freight Corporation<1> |100,000,000 |National loans fund 1980-81 |British Airways |160,000,000 |Public dividend capital 1982-83 |British Transport Docks Board<2> |81,293,616 |National loans fund 1984-85 |British Telecommunications |2,789,865,772 |National loans fund 1986-87 |BAA |43,503,340 |National loans fund 1988-89 |British Steel |500,000,000 |Public dividend capital 1988-89 |British Steel |3,480,000,000 |Borrowing under Iron and Steel Act 1982 1989-90 |Water companies |4,973,332,672 |National loans fund 1989-90 |Water companies |55,013,916 |Public Works Loan Board 1991-92 |Scottish electricity companies<3> |1,043,573,600 |National loans fund 1994-95 |British Coal |1,633,400,000 |Voted loans Notes: <1>privatised as National Freight Consortium-now NFC. <2> privatised as Association British Ports Holdings. <3> prior to privatisation, national loans fund debt due to the South of Scotland electricity board nuclear programme of £1,368,390,398 was transferred to Scottish Nuclear Ltd. and subsequently written off.
Ms Armstrong: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will indicate the administrative costs for the share offers relating to (a) British Gas, (b) the electricity generating companies, (c) the electricity distribution companies, (d) the two Scottish electricity companies and (e) the water companies in the same
Column 286
manner as he did in his answer to the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) of 5 March 1992, Official Report , column 240 . in respect of British Telecom. [15400]Sir George Young: The table shows the administrative costs for the sales requested.
Column 285
Administrative costs<1> of privatisation
|Selling and
|other |Recovering |UK |UK |Other
|Year |commissions |Marketing<2> |bank costs |advisers fees|underwriting |costs<3> |Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
British Gas |1986 |8 |36 |40 |4 |53 |22 |163
Water companies |1989 |6.7 |36.3 |26.1 |25.8 |33.2 |15.4 |143.5
Regional electricity companies<4> |1990 |10.5 |15.2 |92.3 |28.8 |36.6 |18.5 |201.9
Generating companies<4> |1991 |3.3 |6.9 |34.1 |17.2 |14.9 |8.2 |84.6
Scottish electricity companies<5> |1991 |4.1 |5.9 |29.4 |19.6 |21.5 |9.1 |89.6
<1> Only costs borne by the Exchequer are shown. Costs shown exclude VAT and, where known, stamp duty, the cost of incentives and interest earned on
application monies.
<2> Including the operation of the share information office.
<3> Including overseas expenses.
<4> Costs to 31 December 1991.
<5> Costs to 31 March 1992.
Income Tax
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide an estimate of the number of those who will pay income tax in 1995 96; and how many people paid income tax in each year from 1978 79 to 1994 95.
Sir George Young [holding answer 13 March 1995]: Provisional estimates for 1993 94 and onwards are given in the table. Figures for earlier years are available in table 2.1 of "Inland Revenue Statistics 1994", a copy of which is in the Library. The increase in taxpayer numbers is largely due to economic growth. In addition, the number of people in work is increasing--UK work force in employment up 174,000 between December 1993 and December 1994.
|estimated numbers of
|individuals paying
|tax
Year |(millions)
---------------------------------------------------------------
1993-94 |25.5
1994-95 |25.7
1995-96 |26.2
VAT (Fuel)
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the numbers of
Column 286
poor people who would be assisted by the zero rating of standing charges in regard to VAT on fuel. [14980]Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Zero rating of standing charges would not necessarily help the very poor who frequently are on a prepayment meter tariff which is for a single supply and does not identify a standing charge. The Government have put in place a substantial package of help for those least able to meet the increase in their fuel bills. In addition, the Government have increased funding of the home energy efficiency scheme to £100 million a year from April. The burden of VAT on fuel will bear fully only on people of working age not receiving means-tested benefits.
Vocational Courses
Ms Short: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax relief on training costs is given to people who enrol in and pay fees on national vocational qualification and other vocational courses; and if he will make a statement. [15161]
Sir George Young: Since 6 April 1992, tax relief has been available to individuals for the payments they make for training capable of counting towards national vocational qualifications and Scottish vocational qualifications, subject to certain conditions. Relief at the basic rate of tax is given by deduction at source from the fees by the trainee, so both taxpayers and non-taxpayers can benefit.
Column 287
Employees may also be able to claim tax relief for certain job-related training expenses under an Inland Revenue extra-statutory concession--ESC A64--if the requirements of the concession are met. The self-employed can also get tax relief for business expenditure on training which is revenue in nature and incurred wholly and exclusively for the purpose of their trade or profession.Retail Prices Index
Sir Timothy Sainsbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 20 February, Official Report, column 275 , on consumer expenditure patterns, if he will ask the Retail Prices Index Advisory Committee to consider how the retail prices index might be modified to take better account of the spending patterns of consumers varying in response to sales and special offers. [15387]
Mr. Nelson: I have no plans to do so. The Retail Prices Index Advisory Committee has recommended repeatedly that the quantities and qualities of the contents of the RPI basket should be held constant during the year. The weights given to different items and types of shop are, therefore, reviewed annually. This reflects changes in consumers' shopping patterns more closely than in most other countries, which only re-weight their indices at intervals of about five years.
Personal Equity Plans
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on his Budget proposal to extend personal equity plans to corporate bonds, preference shares and convertibles. [16474]
Sir George Young: My right hon. and learned Friend's Budget proposal to admit corporate bonds, preference shares and convertibles to PEPs has been widely welcomed. The Inland Revenue will be issuing draft regulations, for consultation, on 31 March. Comments will be invited as soon as possible, but, in any event, by no later than 12 May. In the light of the consultation, the regulations will be finalised by the end of May, laid before the House in June and, subject to the negative resolution procedure, will come into force three weeks later.
EMPLOYMENT
Cumbria Training and Enterprise Council
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress Cumbria TEC is making in meeting the criteria for the award of a three-year licence.
[16586]
Mr. Paice: I am pleased to announce that Cumbria training and enterprise council has now completed the process of meeting the rigorous standard we set for the award of the new three-year licences. Its licence will be effective from April 1995.
Labour Statistics
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the numbers of full-time employees
Column 288
on adult rates in (a) Greater Manchester, (b) Merseyside, (c) Cheshire, (d) Lancashire and (e) the north-west region whose weekly earnings excluding overtime were (i) less than £220 and (ii) less than £200 broken down by the categories (1) manual males, (2) non-manual males, (3) all full-time males, (4) manual females, (5) non- manual females and (6) full-time females giving total numbers of employees in the sample in each case; and what is the number of part-time employees on adult rates in (a) to (e) whose hourly earnings excluding overtime, were (iii) less than £6 and (iv) less than £5.50, broken down by the categories, (7) manual females, (8) non-manual females, (9) all part-time females, (10) manual males, (11) non-manual males and (12) all part-time males, giving total number of employees in the sample in each case.Mr. Oppenheim: Information from the 1994 new earnings survey is provided in the following tables:
Full-time employees on adult rates of pay whose
pay was not
affected by absence for the survey pay period
Number in sample
with gross weekly earnings, excluding overtime,
below the
following amounts: April 1994
Number and
percentage of
full-time employees
with gross weekly
earnings less than:
£220 £200
------------------------------------------------
Manual men
Greater
Manchester |766 |51.4 |552 |37.1
Merseyside |267 |40.0 |193 |28.9
Cheshire |268 |40.4 |207 |31.2
Lancashire |396 |49.0 |296 |36.6
North West
Region |1,697|46.8 |1,248|34.4
Non-manual men
Greater
Manchester |330 |19.0 |260 |15.0
Merseyside |154 |20.5 |117 |15.6
Cheshire |83 |11.9 |63 |9.0
Lancashire |173 |20.9 |137 |16.5
North West
Region |740 |18.4 |577 |14.4
All men
Greater
Manchester |1,096|34.0 |812 |25.2
Merseyside |421 |29.6 |310 |21.8
Cheshire |351 |25.8 |270 |19.8
Lancashire |569 |34.8 |433 |26.5
North West
Region |2,437|31.9 |1,825|23.9
Manual women
Greater
Manchester |291 |86.6 |265 |78.9
Merseyside |106 |88.3 |97 |80.8
Cheshire |103 |75.7 |88 |64.7
Lancashire |162 |88.5 |154 |84.2
North West
Region |662 |85.4 |604 |77.9
Non-manual women
Greater
Manchester |734 |48.3 |573 |37.7
Merseyside |387 |49.8 |296 |38.1
Cheshire |274 |49.2 |211 |37.9
Lancashire |393 |54.2 |316 |43.6
North West
Region |1,788|49.9 |1,396
All women
Greater
Manchester |1,025|55.2 |838 |45.1
Merseyside |493 |55.0 |393 |43.8
Cheshire |377 |54.4 |299 |43.1
Lancashire |555 |61.1 |470 |51.8
North West
Region |2,450|56.3 |2,000|45.9
Part-time employees on adult rates of pay
whose pay was not
affected by absence for the survey pay period
Number in sample
with gross hourly earnings, excluding overtime,
below the
following amounts: April 1994
Number and
percentage of
part-time employees
with gross hourly
earnings less than:
£6.00 £5.50
-----------------------------------------------
Manual men
Greater
Manchester |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
Merseyside |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
Cheshire |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
Lancashire |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
North West
Region |109 |83.8 |104 |80.0
Non-manual men
Greater
Manchester |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
Merseyside |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
Cheshire |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
Lancashire |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
North West
Region |78 |57.4 |76 |55.9
All men
Greater
Manchester |76 |69.1 |75 |68.2
Merseyside |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
Cheshire |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
Lancashire |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
North West
Region |187 |70.3 |180 |67.7
Manual women
Greater
Manchester |314 |94.9 |306 |92.4
Merseyside |246 |96.5 |239 |93.7
Cheshire |113 |89.0 |110 |86.6
Lancashire |149 |95.5 |143 |91.7
North West
Region |822 |94.6 |798 |91.8
Non-manual women
Greater
Manchester |438 |73.7 |410 |69.0
Merseyside |245 |71.4 |223 |65.0
Cheshire |197 |75.8 |182 |70.0
Lancashire |228 |70.6 |204 |63.2
North West
Region |1,108|72.9 |1,019
All women
Greater
Manchester |752 |81.3 |716 |77.4
Merseyside |491 |82.1 |462 |77.3
Cheshire |310 |80.1 |292 |75.5
Lancashire |377 |78.7 |347 |72.4
North West
Region |1,930|80.8 |1,817|76.1
Enterprise Allowance
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what would be the value of the enterprise allowance at current values if the annual rate of inflation had been applied since the scheme's inception. [15063]
Mr. Paice: It is estimated that the value of the £40 weekly enterprise allowance, introduced nationally in 1983, would be £69 at current values if the annual rate of inflation had been applied throughout.
The standard rate of £40 ceased to apply in 1991 when the programme was renamed the business start-up scheme. Training and enterprise councils, which deliver the scheme, could then pay between £20 and £90 per week.
BSUS resources are now part of the single regeneration budget. This will fund locally initiated economic regeneration projects, including start-up activity, where they are proposed and approved.
Asbestos
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of health dangers to workers associated with asbestos; if he will provide details of enforcement of existing controls; what new steps his Department proposes to take; and if he will make a statement. [15317]
Mr. Oppenheim: The most recent formal assessment of the effects on health of exposure to asbestos was conducted by Sir Richard Doll and Professor Julian Peto on behalf of the Health and Safety Commission. The results were published in 1985. Recent research by Professor Peto and the Health and Safety Executive, published in The Lancet on 4 March 1995, has shown that although the assessment is still valid, the extent of occupational exposure to asbestos dust was more widespread than previously thought. That research indicates that those employed in the building maintenance industry such as plumbers and electricians may be at risk from occasional exposure to asbestos installed in existing buildings. HSE is currently mounting a campaign to raise awareness of the risks from asbestos in these occupational groups.
All work with asbestos is governed by the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987, as amended in January 1993. In addition, the most dangerous--that with asbestos insulation and coating--is covered by the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations (ALR) 1983. The provisional enforcement figures for 1993 94 are set out in the following table:
Column 291
|Average fine
|Informations |per conviction
|laid |Convictions |(£)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAWR |31 |20 |1,395
ALR |6 |6 |1,117
HSE is satisfied that current legislation and guidance provide an adequate framework for preventing and controlling the risks posed by exposure to asbestos dust.
Training
Ms Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether unemployed people who have once been required to attend either (a) a restart course, or (b) a workwise--worklink in Scotland--course, or (c) a job-plan workshop, and who have fully complied with that requirement, will be free from any subsequent requirements to attend such a workshop or course in a particular spell of unemployment; and if he will make a statement. [15151]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Ms Clare Short, dated 23 March 1995:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about attendance on Jobplan, Workwise (Worklink in Scotland) and Restart Courses.
It may help if I explain that since December 1990 there has been a requirement for people to attend a Restart Course after two years unemployment if they fail to take up an offer of a place on an Employment Department (ED) programme at their Restart interview. This requirement is covered in the Income Support (General) 1990 Regulation 21A. This regulation was amended in March 1993 to cover people who have been unemployed for 12 months or more and they are now required to attend a Jobplan Workshop if they refuse an offer of a place on an ED programme.
In April a new package of help for 18 24 year olds called Workwise and 1 2 1 will replace Jobplan for people in this age group who have reached 12 months of unemployment.
It is not out intention that people should be required to attend more than one Jobplan Workshop or equivalent for 18 24 year olds or more than one Restart Course within a spell of unemployment if they have already been required to attend and have completed the full programme. I hope this is helpful.
Ms Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what provisions apply when a person has to leave training for work or community action because of (a) operational difficulties encountered by their provider, including the unavailability of a suitable work placement, or (b) illness or accident, so as to allow the person to qualify for entry to another training for work or community action place; and if he will make a statement. [15183]
Mr. Paice: Training and enterprise councils will be required to provide alternative training where a provider is no longer in a position to provide training for work as agreed in the person's individual training plan, so that the individual does not have leave the programme. Where trainees experience an extended period of sickness, they will be able to re -enter the programme without having to requalify.
If people have to leave community action due to operational difficulties encountered by the provider or through illness or accident, they are able to rejoin the
Column 292
programme, if they wish to do so, without having to requalify.Ms Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if unemployed claimants are offered a place in (a) training for work or (b) community action, or (c) job clubs or (d) the job interview guarantee at a restart or other counselling interview would they lose benefit if they fail to participate; if they take up a place on any of these programmes, if they can leave at any time without incurring a benefit penalty; and if he will make a statement. [15152]
Miss Widdecombe: Participation in employment and training programmes is generally voluntary and failure to participate does not carry a benefit sanction. The only exception to this is at the 12 and 24-month stage of unemployment where clients are asked to attend a job plan workshop and restart course respectively unless they take up a place on another Employment Department programme.
Consequently, people who agree to participate in one of the programmes listed by the hon. Member but who fail to start, or who leave prematurely, are not usually subject to benefit sanctions. They are, however, interviewed to see if there is a problem, to make sure the course of action previously agreed is still appropriate and to see what other help may be needed.
Employment Medical Advisory Service
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many doctors were working within the employment medical advisory service for each year since 1979, broken down by region; what studies are currently in progress on the work of EMAS doctors; what are the estimated number of EMAS doctors for (a) 1995 96 and (b) 1996 97 broken down by region; and if he will make a statement. [15136]
Mr. Oppenheim: The following tables show the numbers of doctors working by region in the Health and Safety Executive's employment medical advisory service on 1 April for each year since 1979. In 1979 EMAS was organised in the following regions:
|Number
------------------------------------
Eastern and Midlands |7.0
London and South East |13.5
Northern |5.5
North East |8.5
North West |13.0
Scotland |9.0
South West |6.5
Wales |3.5
West Midlands |9.5