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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 9 May 1990
NORTHERN IRELAND
Fair Employment
Rev. William McCrea : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public grant aid Sean Quinn Quarries Ltd., Derrylin has received for each of the years 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989.
Mr. Needham : Grant aid received by Sean Quinn Ltd. for each of the financial years from April 1985 is as follows :
|£
------------------------------
1985-86 |26,795
1986-87 |905,480
1987-88 |2,475,004
1988-89 |1,065,746
1989-90 |99,756
Enterprise Ulster
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accounting procedures of Enterprise Ulster in regard to the supply and use of materials, whether provided by the client or by Enterprise Ulster.
Mr. Needham : All accounting procedures of Enterprise Ulster, including those concerning the supply and use of materials, are subject to the approval of the Department of Economic Development and subsequently to internal and external audit.
I am satisfied that the accounting procedures are adequate and that they are properly audited.
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many supervisors and area superintendents are employed by Enterprise Ulster ; how they were trained in materials usage and stock control ; where the training took place ; and how long the courses of training lasted.
Mr. Needham : Enterprise Ulster currently employs nine area superintendents and 101 supervisory grade personnel.
Instruction on materials usage and stock control is given to all new supervisory staff as part of their normal induction programme. These subjects are also included on refresher courses which are attended periodically by supervisory staff and on courses of study undertaken by them.
EC Energy Development Programme
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what level of European Community funds was used to assist the creation of peat extraction businesses by the local enterprise development unit.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 3 May 1990] : The information is as follows :
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|Amount
---------------------
1987 |Nil
1988 |Nil
1989 |£1,375
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Removals Industry
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received recently about the problems of the removals industry.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I am not aware of any recent representations to this Department about the problems of the removals industry. However, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise have received representations about VAT on removal charges after the completion of the single market.
Departmental Savings
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what value for money savings have been achieved by his Department in the last year ; and how much of this was as a result of advice from the central unit on purchasing.
Mr. Forth : Figures for last year (FY 1989-90) are not yet available. The saving achieved in FY 1988-89, on a spend of £133.8 million, was £13.92 million, or 10.4 per cent. against the set target of 5 per cent.
In general, it is not possible to attribute particular value for money savings to advice from the central unit on purchasing. The role of the unit is to provide advice and guidance on best purchasing practice ; it provides overall support and guidance and encourages value for money across all Departments.
Iraq Contract
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his latest assessment of the possible military uses of the parts of equipment already sent to Iraq by Sheffield Forgemasters and Walter Somers.
Mr. Ridley [holding answer 26 April 1990] : In the light of the criminal charges laid against individuals, and in the light of the continuing investigations by Customs and Excise, it would be inappropriate to give any further information on these matters.
NATIONAL FINANCE
European Monetary Union
96. Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on recent European Community discussions on Delors stages 2 and 3.
Mr. Lilley : The possible development of economic and monetary union beyond stage 1 of EMU and the arrangements for the forthcoming inter- governmental conference were last discussed at the informal meeting of the European Community's Economic and Finance Council on 31 March and the special meeting of the European Council on 28 April which were reported to the House on 3 April at column 523 and on 1 May at column 902.
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Lone-parent Families (Income Support)
Mr. Hanley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assistance the Inland Revenue gives to the Department of Social Security to help trace absent parents who are not paying maintenance for lone-parent families in receipt of income support.
Mr. Lilley : Section 59 of the Social Security Act 1986 permits the Inland Revenue to provide information to the Department of Social Security and the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland, in connection with the operation of the benefit Acts, without breaching their confidentiality obligations. At present the information provided is confined to the details required to account for class 1 national insurance contributions, which the Inland Revenue collects on behalf of the DSS, and details of those known to be self-employed to assist DSS in collecting class 2 national insurance contributions.
I have now asked the Inland Revenue to extend the disclosures made under its authority to include the addresses of absent parents and, where appropriate, the names and addresses of their employers, in cases where the absent parent is liable under the Social Security Act 1986 to maintain lone -parent families receiving income support.
ESOP Trusts
Mr. Hanley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Inland Revenue will establish a clearance procedure under which it will advise whether or not a particular trust is a qualifying ESOP trust.
Mr. Lilley : My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer proposed in his Budget statement a new relief from capital gains tax for those selling shares to qualifying employee share ownership trusts, as defined by schedule 5 to the Finance Act 1989. Since owners of shares may want to know if a trust is a qualifying trust before a sale of shares takes place, I have authorised the introduction of an arrangement under which the Inland Revenue will be willing to examine executed employee share ownership trust deeds and inform the trustees whether in their view the trust meets the qualifying conditions of schedule 5. The trustees will then be able to inform any potential vendors concerned as to the status of the trust itself.
Taxation
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional weekly, monthly and yearly income tax payments a married man on average earnings with two children would pay if tax rates were at the levels in place on 3 May 1979.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 8 May 1990] : The information is as follows :
|c|Increase in tax liability at average earnings<1> in
1990-91 if tax rates|c|
|c|and thresholds applicable on 3 May 1979 were to be
indexed for|c|
|c|inflation and re-introduced|c|
|£ per week |£ per month|£ per year
------------------------------------------------------------
Married man |20.00 |86.50 |1,037.80
<1>Average earnings are for full time adult males in all
occupations in 1990-91; £303.80 per week; in line with the
assumptions in paragraph 3.02 of the 1989 Autumn Statement.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has as to the amount of extra
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tax a married man with two children earning (a) £25,000 a year and (b) £30,000 a year would pay if income tax rates were increased to 50p in the pound and national insurance to 9 per cent.Mr. Lilley [holding answer 8 May 1990] : If the higher rate of income tax were raised from 40 per cent. to 50 per cent. and the upper earnings limit for class 1 national insurance contributions were abolished so that 9 per cent. was paid on all earnings above the lower earnings limit, the extra payments by a married man in 1990-91 would be :