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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 2 April 1990
TRANSPORT
Coastal Railway Lines
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contingency transport plans exist in the event of storms destroying railways that run alongside the sea.
Mr. Portillo : Railway operations are the responsibility of British Rail, which has drawn up contingency plans covering a wide range of possible events. In the case of the recent flooding of the railway line at Towyn, full rail services were resumed after six days. British Rail operated a local bus service while rail services were disrupted.
Dunstable-Luton Railway Line
Mr. Madel : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether, following further representations from the hon. Member for Bedfordshire, South-West he has yet heard from British Rail as to whether it intends to re-open the Dunstable to Luton railway line for passenger traffic ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Portillo : British Rail management are continuing to appraise several options but they tell me that there has been a delay due to the heavy demands on the staff and computer programmes involved in appraising new projects. It will, I regret, be some time yet before they are in a position to take a decision.
Inventions and Proposals
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy for assessing transport proposals, inventions and ideas put up by members of the public to address particular transport problems.
Mr. Atkins : Where ideas or suggestions relate to my Department's responsibilities, they are naturally subject to analysis by my officials. Otherwise they are passed on to the appropriate public transport operator or local highway authority.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy on part-funding research and development of proposals, inventions and ideas proposed by (a) the private sector and (b) private individuals.
Mr. Atkins : The Department welcomes proposals, inventions and ideas for research and development. Practical assistance is being made available by the Department, in association with the Science and Engineering Research Council under a new £5.9 million LINK transport infrastructure and operations programme to be announced very shortly.
Under this programme, aimed specifically at small to medium-sized businesses and individuals, up to half the
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cost of transport research projects can be made available. It is intended that this combination of public and private funding will stimulate a net increase in research into basic transport- related processes and technologies. However the costs of developing specific products for the market place must be borne by the companies and individuals concerned.Road Works
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action is being taken to improve the co-ordination of statutory undertakers' road works.
Mr. Atkins : Statutory undertakers' rights to excavate in roads in order to lay and maintain their apparatus are governed by the street works code in the Public Utilities Street Works Act 1950. The Government accept that a fundamental reform of this legislation as recommended by the Horne report is required. A Bill will be introduced as soon as a suitable opportunity can be found. This will include a new duty on highway authorities to co-ordinate all excavations in the highway with a view to minimising the disruption to road users and avoiding undesirable combinations of excavations.
Road Pricing Schemes
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will investigate the effectiveness or otherwise of Sweden's road pricing scheme and its implications for future United Kingdom road transport policy.
Mr. Atkins : My Department monitors a wide range of developments in the transport field and as part of its brief will keep developments in road pricing in Scandinavia and elsewhere under review.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations have submitted correspondence on road pricing schemes since the beginning of the year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : A wide range of organisations and individuals have corresponded on the subject of road pricing since the beginning of the year. A number of organisations discussed road pricing and other forms of restraint in their responses to "Traffic in London" and the London assessment studies.
Ferries (Safety)
Sir David Price : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received the report and recommendations of the steering committee supervising his Department's programme of research into the safety of roll-on roll-off passenger ferries ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Parkinson : Immediately after the Herald of Free Enterprise capsised outside Zeebrugge harbour in March 1987 the then Secretary of State announced a public inquiry into the causes of the disaster. The Sheen inquiry reported in July 1987, and its recommendations have been vigorously followed up by the Department. Firstly, by legislation, both in the Merchant Shipping Act 1988 and in no less than eight sets of statutory instruments laying new requirements on United
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Kingdom-flag ships. Only one issue-- concerning the detail of cargo securing--is still under review. Most of these requirements have also been extended to non-United Kingdom ro-ro passenger ships operating into United Kingdom ports.Secondly, by requiring all United Kingdom-flag ferries not only to meet all current international stability standards, but in addition, and irrespective of age, to meet the United Kingdom residual stability standards introduced for new vessels in 1980. These standards exceed those applicable to foreign-flag ships, including those trading into United Kingdom ports. All but a handful of the older United Kingdom ships, which are at present being phased out, now meet these higher standards.
The third main Sheen recommendation was for a programme of research to examine the capability of ro-ro passenger ships to survive after sustaining collision damage. It should be noted that Sheen did not imply that current standards of intact stability were inadequate. In fact, all present evidence suggests that any undamaged United Kingdom ferry which complies with today's prescribed standards of intact stability and is operated in a proper and reasonable manner will successfully withstand the rigours of wind and sea likely to be encountered.
The Department of Transport made available £1 million for the research programme. To assist and advise the Department in the management of this programme, a steering committee, including eminent naval architects, was established. I am pleased to say that this important work has now been completed and I have received the steering committee's report. I have today placed copies of the report in the Library, and arranged for copies to be sent to interested parties.
The research programme, carried out by contractors selected by open tender, considered the risks of travel on passenger ro-ro ships ; collision resistance ; future hull design ; internal structure ; and how far existing ships met design standards for survivability recently adopted by the IMO and to come into force in April 1990 in respect of new passenger ships. In addition, models were tested in various wave conditions to determine the standards of stability necessary to provide protection against the possibility of rapid capsize of damaged vessels.
An overview report was commissioned to draw together and summarise the results of the research. This report comments in detail on each project, and on the various measures proposed for enhancing survivability, in terms of practicability, benefit and cost. A great deal of valuable information has emerged which should help designers and operators to develop the most suitable ways of improving the survival capability of ro-ro passenger ships. A copy of this overview accompanies the steering committee's report.
The main conclusions and recommendations in the steering committee's report are :
(a) that the new internationally agreed standards of residual stability after damage, applicable to all passenger ships built after 29 April 1990, appear to provide reasonable protection against rapid capsize, the United Kingdom should make the report and the overview publicly available. It should be offered to IMO and designers so that account can be taken of the various measures which, if incorporated in future designs, would enable vessels to meet the higher stability standards ;
(b) that current international standards are not sufficient to rule out the possibility of capsize in respect of existing
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ferries, the United Kingdom should request IMO to give urgent consideration to the adoption of a higher standard of residual stability for existing ships ;(c) if it does not prove possible to achieve early international agreement on an acceptable level of residual stability for existing ro-ro passenger ships, and if the discussions in the IMO forum become unduly protracted, the UK should initiate discussions with European marine administrations. Should that approach fail then the UK should consider the possibility of unilaterally introducing higher standards of residual stability for all existing ro-ro passenger ships operating into UK ports regardless of flag ;
(d) to assist international consideration, full details of the results of the research programme should be submitted to the fifty-eighth session of the IMO maritime safety committee (21-25 May 1990) ;
(e) further model testing should be carried out with a view to validating conclusions of the theoretical studies on the value of the various measures investigated to improve survivability ;
(f) ship designers should be urged to pay special attention to the study on collision resistance, and the importance of stem construction and profile shape particularly when bulbous bows are fitted, as they can present a special hazard in the event of collision ;
(g) the Department should commend the IMO guidelines for safe ship management for adoption by the industry.
I have already taken steps to ensure that these proposals are considered at the IMO maritime safety committee meeting this May. In addition, in order to promote discussion of this very important work, an international symposium devoted entirely to the results of the research programme will be held in London on 26-27 April. I am pleased that the Royal Institution of Naval Architects has agreed to co-sponsor this event, and I expect it to have a major impact internationally on the further development of ro-ro passenger ferry safety.
Learner Drivers (Supervision)
Mrs. Maureen Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to complete consideration of his proposals to amend the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations qualifying the age and experience of those who are supervising learner drivers.
Mr. Atkins : We are currently considering the reponses to our consultation document. In the light of those, I shall consult shortly on the necessary regulations with a view to bringing them into effect this summer.
Road Signs
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to introduce a more flexible policy on road signs for tourist sites and other tourist attractions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : Signs to tourist destinations are traffic signs which are prescribed by regulations subject to confirmation by Parliament. Policy and guidance on the provision of tourist signs are currently being reviewed in consultation with the English tourist board and the local authority associations. Following this we shall be consulting more widely with a view to an announcement by the autumn.
Radioactive Waste
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much spent nuclear fuel is transported by road through Clwyd via the A5.
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Mr. Atkins : I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 29 March, Official Report, column 272.Company-assisted Travel
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to take into account the material used, and conclusions reached by, the study commissioned from Earth Resources Research Ltd. by Friends of the Earth into the financial and environmental costs of such vehicles in his commissioned research into company-assisted travel.
Mr. Atkins : The professional research commissioned by the Department is based on surveys of the travelling public and it would be inappropriate to incorporate material from other studies. The question of company car taxation is a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer. However, in so far as the research by Earth Resources Research Ltd. affects my Department's responsibilities, I shall be happy to take its findings into account.
Severn Crossing
Mr. Page : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the likely final cost of the completed improvement works to the existing Severn crossing.
Mr. Atkins : The final cost of stengthening and resurfacing the Severn crossing is estimated at £70 million.
Mr. Page : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the progress to date and likely completion date of improvement and strengthening work to the existing Severn crossing.
Mr. Atkins : Strengthening work on the Severn crossing will be completed during the course of 1990. Resurfacing of the crossing is due to be completed by early 1991.
Efficiency Unit
Mr. Soames : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further progress he has made towards the implementation in his Department of the recommendations in the efficiency unit's report entitled, "Improving Management in Government : The Next Step" ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Parkinson : I am today establishing three further executive agencies in my Department : the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) and the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA). I am delegating clear responsibilities for improvements in efficiency, effectiveness and customer services to the chief executives. Those delegations are set out in the agencies' published framework documents ; I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library.
Each year, I shall set these agencies demanding financial and service targets, and those targets will be published in annual business plans. I have arranged for copies of the 1990-91 business plans to be placed in the Library. The agencies will also publish annual reports ; again copies will be put in the Library. DVLA has some 5,500 staff, the majority based at its headquarters in Swansea. It is responsible for the registration and licensing of vehicles and drivers, and for the collection and enforcement of vehicle excise duty. Following an open competition I am appointing Mr.
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Stephen Curtis, formerly chief executive of Companies House, to be DVLA's first chief executive. DSA is responsible for the testing of drivers and driving instructors. Most of its 2,000 staff are driving examiners, who conduct driving tests from the nationwide network of driving test centres. I am appointing Dr. Christopher Woodman to be DSA's first chief executive. VCA is a small specialised organisation less than 100 strong, which is responsible for testing new models of vehicles and vehicle parts for conformity to specific safety and environmental standards. Most of its staff are based at its headquarters in Bristol. I am appointing Mr. Derek Harvey as VCA's first chief executive.I wish the chief executives and their staffs every success for the future. I am confident that the enhanced responsibilities which they will have in the areas of finance, contracts and personnel, will enable them to meet their twin objectives of providing yet further improvements in service to the public while giving better value for money.
Where hon. or right hon. Members have queries about matters relating to the operation of those agencies, I hope they will write in the first instance to the chief executives. I and my hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for roads and traffic will of course continue to deal with questions of policy or where there is dissatisfaction with an agency's reply.
CIVIL SERVICE
Next Steps"
Sir Hal Miller : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will make a statement about the progress of the "next steps" initiative.
Mr. Luce : The "next steps" initiative which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister launched in February 1988 continues to go well, and is starting to deliver results.
There will be 30 agencies established by the end of this week, covering some 66,000 people. We expect more to be set up by the summer, taking the total involved to some 80,000. A list of agencies and announced candidates is set out in the table and work continues in many other areas of Government. By the end of 1991 we expect that "next steps" will have been applied to at least half the civil service.
The establishment of agencies is only the first step. The aim of "next steps" is to deliver greater efficiency and better service to the public. Achieving one at the expense of the other is not good enough. Demanding performance targets, financial and non-financial, are being set, and will be refined and improved as experience is gained, and further freedoms and flexibilities and delegations are given.
Results from the early agencies are promising. Each agency will publish annually a report and accounts which amongst other things will set out what is looked for and what is achieved. To help the House and the public see what is happening, we propose to publish annually, starting later this year, a general report on the initiative overall including summaries of developments and results in individual agencies.
The "next steps" initiative although directed in the first place at activities within the civil service is of broad application and its benefits should be sought more widely within the public sector. Accordingly the Government
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have decided that these disciplines should be applied to non-departmental public bodies which have executive functions, where this is appropriate and where this is likely to improve their performance. I am announcing more details about this separately. Overall, "next steps" is showing its worth in the delivery of improved performance and better service to the public. The Government will continue to press this important initiative forward with energy and urgency.
|c|Executive Agencies Established or Expected to be Established by|c|
|c|Easter 1990|c|
Executive Agencies |Date or expected |Staff
|date of |numbers
|establishment
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Building Research Establishment |2 April 1990 |650
Central Office of Information |5 April 1990 |750
Central Veterinary Laboratory |2 April 1990 |550
Civil Service College |6 June 1989 |200
Companies House |3 October 1988 |1,150
Department of the Registers of Scotland |6 April 1990 |950
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency |2 April 1990 |5,250
Driving Standards Agency |2 April 1990 |2,000
Employment Service |2 April 1990 |35,000
Historic Royal Palaces |1 October 1989 |350
Her Majesty's Stationery Office |14 December 1988 |3,250
Hydrographic Office |6 April 1990 |<1>900
Information Technology Services Agency |2 April 1990 |3,000
Insolvency Service |21 March 1990 |1,400
Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce |2 April 1990 |850
Laboratory of the Government Chemist |30 October 1989 |300
Meteorological Office |2 April 1990 |2,450
National Weights and Measures Laboratory |18 April 1989 |50
Natural Resources Institute |2 April 1990 |450
Occupational Health Service |2 April 1990 |100
Patent Office |1 March 1990 |1,150
QE11 Conference Centre |6 July 1989 |50
Radiocommunications Agency |2 April 1990 |450
Resettlement Agency |24 May 1989 |550
Royal Mint |2 April 1990 |950
Training and Employment Agency (NICS) |2 April 1990 |1,600
Vehicle Certification Agency |2 April 1990 |50
Vehicle Inspectorate |1 August 1988 |1,600
Veterinary Medicines Directorate |2 April 1990 |50
Warren Spring Laboratory |20 April 1989 |300
|---
30 in number |66,350
<1> Defence Support Agency. Figure does not include service personnel.
Note: Figures based on staff in post 1 October 1989.
|c|Announced candidates for Executive Agency status at Easter
1990|c|
|c|These activities have been announced by Departments as
under|c|
|c|consideration for Agency status|c|
Candidate |Staff numbers
--------------------------------------------------------------
Cadw |200
Central Statistical Office |1,000
Civil Service Commission |300
Defence Accounts Organisation |<1>2,150
Defence Research Agency |12,000
Forensic Science Service |550
Fuel Suppliers Branch |50
Historic Buildings and Monuments |600
Land Registry |11,000
Military Survey |<1>850
National Engineering Laboratory |500
National Physical Laboratory |800
Ordnance Survey |2,600
Passport Office |1,100
Planning Inspectorate |550
Property Holdings |1,600
RAF Training |<1>2,500
Royal Parks |550
Service Children's Schools |<1>1,300
Social Security Benefits |72,000
Social Security Contributions |7,000
Training Agency |<2>3,500
Rating Division (NICS) |250
Social Security Operations (NICS) |4,250
24 in number |127,200
<1> Defence Support Agency. Figure does not include service
personnel.
<2> Figures in Command 814: since revised downwards.
In addition work continues in many other areas of Government, including Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise, and other parts of the Ministry of Defence.
Sir Hal Miller : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what progress he has made with the creation of executive agencies within his Department.
Mr. Luce : In addition to the civil service college, which became an agency in June 1989, I am happy to announce that I have today launched the civil service occupational health service (the OHS) as an executive agency.
The occupational health service was set up in 1986 to implement the recommendations of a scrutiny by the Prime Minister's efficiency unit. Its job is to promote the health and safety of civil servants at work. Government Departments, like other employers, have to prevent or deal with the distinctive health problems which affect their staff by reason of their work or workplace, not only to meet their legal obligations but to reap the benefits of a fit, productive and well-motivated organisation. And large employers are increasingly finding it best to do so by means of their own dedicated health service.
The occupational health service has a key role to play in supporting management in Government Departments and in executive agencies. It provides expert advice on the statutory responsibilities of employers and on all aspects of occupational health, from recruitment to retirement. And it offers a complete range of supporting services like medical examinations, training in first aid, in the handling of hazardous substances and in the implications of legal changes ; and tailor-made information and advice for civil servants working abroad.
This relatively new service has already risen to the challenge of change, and is admirably fitted to perform even better an executive agency. It carries out well-defined executive functions ; it recovers its full costs from charges to customer departments, which may obtain services elsewhere where they see this as providing better value for money ; and it is responsive to customer demand, designing new services as required to meet changing priorities on the job. The OHS has a framework document which is designed to enhance its status, to sharpen its objectives, to encourage its
customer-orientation, and to give its staff the incentives and the tools to go from strength to strength in improving the quality and efficiency of the service they provide.
The OHS framework document identifies two key indicators by which the performance of the organisation will be monitored. These are the cost per productive
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professional day (that is the fully loaded cost of the time of its professional staff) and the unit cost of advising on cases referred to the OHS for advice on sickness absence and the health of potential recruits to the civil service. The OHS is also committed to devising an indicator by which the quality of its services can be monitored in future.Copies of the OHS framework document have today been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Sir Hall Miller : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what action the Government are taking to apply the "next steps" approach to non- departmental public bodies.
Mr. Luce : The Government have drawn up a programme of action for the selective application of the "next steps" approach to executive non- departmental public bodies. This will extend the benefits of "next steps" more widely within the public sector. It continues to be Government policy that new NDPBs will not be set up unless it can be demonstrated that creating a new public body is the most appropriate and cost-effective solution to the task in hand. When a new body is set up, it is important to ensure it starts off on the soundest possible managerial footing.
Sponsoring Departments will in future prepare a management statement, broadly on the lines of a "next steps" framework document, for all new executive NDPBs. The overall aim will be to delegate responsibility to the maximum extent practicable to the body, within an agreed framework which unambiguously sets out the relationship between each body and its sponsoring Department. The approach is designed to improve managerial responsibility for performance and the delivery of results, to improve service to the public, and to enhance accountability.
A similar approach will be applied selectively over a period to existing bodies. Departments and NDPBs have already put a great deal of effort into improving management arrangements. The existing system of comprehensively reviewing each NDPB at least every five years gives Departments the opportunity to consider which NDPBs will most benefit from the early preparation of a management statement, building on what is already in place, and taking account of the statute which sets the framework for each NDPB's relationship with its sponsoring Department. Details are set out in a note prepared by Cabinet Office (Office of the Minister for the Civil Service) and the Treasury. I am placing a copy in the Library of the House.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Manufacturing
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing in value terms for each year from 1970 to 1989 his estimate of gross and net output for manufacturing ; and if he will add figures to show gross output after the elimination of transfers within the manufacturing sector.
Mr. Norman Lamont : The information on gross and net output for manufacturing industry is published annually at current prices in Business Monitor PA1002, report on the census of production, summary volume. Copies of this volume up to 1987, the latest available year, are available from the House of Commons Library.
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Transfers of goods produced by a business to departments not covered by the census (including other businesses in the same enterprise group) are treated within output as sales, valued as if sold to an independent buyer.Value Added Tax
Mr. Warren : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Her Majesty's Government have implemented regulations under all the opportunities available under the European Economic Community value added tax directive relating to not-for-profit organisations covered under article 13 of the directive relating to the reimbursement by Her Majesty's Government of value added tax paid by such organisations and similar relief on donations listed as sales for a nominal amount to such organisations.
Mr. Ryder : Article 13 of the EC sixth VAT directive includes various activities where services and goods supplied by charities or non- profit-making organisations shall be exempted from VAT. Under the normal EC VAT rules, when a business donates equipment it is required to account for VAT on the supply, but donors are not obliged to pass this VAT charge on to the recipient of the equipment.
There is no provision in EC legislation for national Governments to reimburse VAT incurred by non-profit-making organisations on their exempt or non-business activities.
Rateable Values (Fylde)
Mr. Jack : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which office of the rating and valuation service holds the records of the rateable values of the domestic properties within the Fylde constituency.
Mr. Lilley : The statutory valuation list was prepared for Fylde borough council by the valuation officer, Lancaster. A copy of this list is held for public inspection in the office of Fylde borough council.
Treasury Bills
Sir Richard Body : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total value of the Treasury bills issued for each of the last 12 months.
Mr. Ryder : The results of the weekly Treasury bill tender are contained in table 3.8 of "Financial Statistics." Table 3.7 shows the distribution of holdings of Treasury bills.
Royal Mint
Mr. Hanley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in developing the Royal Mint as an executive agency.
Mr. Ryder : I am pleased to announce that the Royal Mint will today become an executive agency under the "next steps" initiative. The present Deputy Master of the Mint, Mr. A. D. Garrett will be chief executive of the agency.
The mint has been a Government trading fund since 1975 and since that time has consistently achieved a high level of profitability. Its contribution to exports has been recognised by the Queen's Award on four occasions.
As an executive agency the mint will have greater management freedom to develop its thriving business on
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sound commercial lines in accordance with best private sector practice, and to maximise the efficiency, effectiveness and profitability of its operations. This is reflected in the framework document governing the operation of the agency, copies of which are being placed in the Library of the House today.A Treasury minute setting the new financial target for the mint of an average 12 per cent. current cost return on assets for the period 1990-91 to 1992-93 was laid on 27 March 1990 in accordance with section 4(1)(b) of the Government Trading Fund Act 1973.
I wish the deputy master and chief executive and his staff every success in achieving their objectives.
Employee Share Ownership
Mr. Hanley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to evaluate the tax reliefs introduced in recent years to encourage employee share ownership.
Mr. Lilley : Information from the returns made by employers shows that impressive progress in developing employee share ownership has already been made with the help of the existing tax incentives, and the Government hope to see this progress maintained. To supplement the information already available, I have recently authorised the Inland Revenue to commission research into employers' attitudes to employee share ownership including, in particular, the factors which influence them in the introduction and operation of employee share schemes. The terms of reference for the study are being placed in the House Library.
European Community
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will outline the information which Her Majesty's Government are required to provide to the European Economic Community Commission in terms of the European documents considered along with his Budget statement ; if this information is at present collected by Her Majesty's Government ; and what will be the cost in future years of the collection and supply of the information so required.
Mr. Ryder : The European Commission's annual economic report is based on its own information and analysis. Member states may offer comments before the report is approved by ECOFIN. The cost to the United Kingdom of so doing is not significant.
Budget Yields
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish information in respect of (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Wales, (c) England, (d) Scotland and (e) Northern Ireland for the Budget years 1988-89 and 1989-90 on (i) total yield of national insurance, (ii) total yield of corporation tax, (iii) total net yield of value added tax, (iv) vehicle excise duty, (v) petrol and derv duty, (vi) tobacco duty and (vii) alcohol duty.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 29 March 1990] : Figures for the United Kingdom as a whole are as follows :
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£ billion |1988-89 |<1>1989-90 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Social security contributions (including national insurance) |33.00 |33.1 Corporation tax |18.5 |21.4 Value added tax |27.3 |29.7 Vehicle excise duty |2.8 |2.9 Petrol and derv duty |8.5 |8.6 Tobacco duty |5.0 |5.0 Alcohol duty |4.5 |4.6 <1>Estimate Data for central Government revenue are not generally broken down by territories. Of those categories requested, only for social security contributions is information available. Latest estimates suggest that these are made up as follows:
|c|United Kingdom security
contributions, percentage of
total|c|
|per cent.
-------------------------------------
England |85
Scotland |9
Wales |4
Northern Ireland |2
|-------
Total |100
Mortgage Interest Tax Relief
Mr. Clay : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing (a) the total cost of mortgage interest tax relief in 1990- 91, (b) the average value of relief per mortgagor and (c) the numbers receiving mortgage relief, broken down in the income ranges : under £4,000, £4,000 to £5,000, £5,000 to £6,000, £6, 000 to £7,000, £7,000 to £8,000, £8,000 to £9,000, £9,000 to £10,000, £10,000 to £12,000, £12,000 to £15,000, £15,000 to £20,000, £20,000 to £25,000, £25,000 to £30,000 and over £30,000.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 30 March 1990] : Estimates for 1990-91 are not yet available. Estimates for 1989-90 were given in my reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown) on 19 February, Official Report, column 519.
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