House of Commons Hansard Debates for 8 Feb 1995

Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 8 February 1995

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Oxygenated Petrol

Mr. Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what research his Department has carried out into oxygenated petrol; what plans he has for research into the environmental suitability of oxygenated petrol; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Robert G. Hughes: This is a development issue which is being pursued by the fuel industry, but the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is considering launching a programme into fundamental combustion research aimed at raising the efficiency and reducing the harmful emissions of the combustive process.

Ian Greer

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many items he has received from Ian Greer in each week of the last month.

Mr. David Hunt: None.

Special Advisers

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the severance payments made to special advisers in each of the last five years indicating (a) the amount and (b) the date.

Mr. Robert G. Hughes: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary on 6 February 1995, Official Report , column 69 .

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Ian Greer

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many items he has received from Ian Greer in each week of the last month.

Mr. John M. Taylor: I received one item from Ian Greer last week. It was an invitation to a reception which my constituency secretary declined on my behalf.

Child Witnesses

Mrs. Llin Golding: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list all fast-tracking initiatives being made to reduce delays faced by child witnesses; and if these initiatives are to be evaluated for broader application.

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Mr. John M. Taylor: Fast-tracking schemes are currently in place at the following Crown court centres: Leeds, Lincoln, Newcastle, covering cases from Durham; Peterborough; Plymouth, pilot scheme; Preston and Winchester, pilot scheme. Area criminal justice liaison committees are still considering whether similar schemes can be set up in other Crown court centres. However, a number of informal schemes are also in existence, in response to the duty on the courts to ensure that waiting times in cases involving child witnesses are kept to a minimum.

The Criminal Justice Consultative Council is due to review the introduction of fast tracking schemes in the Crown court at its next meeting in April, when a decision will be taken as to further action.

TREASURY

VAT

Mr. Mandelson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table comparable to table 3 of appendix 7 of HC 289 of Session 1990 91 giving estimates of the increase in VAT payments between 1991 92 and 1995 96 by decile group.

Mr. Nelson: Latest estimates of VAT paid by decile of income are given in the Central Statistical Office article "Effects of taxes and benefits upon household income 1993" on the December 1994 edition of "Economic Trends". VAT payments in 1995 96 will depend on what happens to earnings and prices, and on household composition and spending patterns.

Lending Package (Mexico)

Mr. Denzil Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the short-term lending package for Mexico authorised by central banks through the bank of international settlement has been promised by Her Majesty's Government.

Mr. Nelson: No formal lending proposal has yet been received from the BIS.

Capital Gains Tax

Mr. Leigh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the costs of collecting capital gains tax for each of the previous five years.

Sir George Young: The figures for the five tax years to 1993 94--the latest figure available--are:


          |£ million          

------------------------------

1989-90   |34.3               

1990-91   |39.0               

1991-92   |43.3               

1992-93   |38.4               

1993-94   |41.9

The figures quoted exclude tax on gains made by companies included in corporation tax. Some of the costs associated with companies, however, cannot be separately identified and are therefore included in the costs figures for CGT rather than corporation tax.

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Retail Prices Index

Mr. William Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the monthly changes in the retail prices index since January 1989, with January 1989 being taken as 100.

Mr. Nelson: Monthly percentage changes in the retail prices index are available from the Central Statistical

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Office database--series CZEQ--which can be accessed by the House of Commons Library.

Rebasing the index by using January 1989 as 100 rather than the official January 1987 = 100 base has little effect on monthly changes. There are, however, slight differences due to the retail prices index methodology of calculating percentage changes from index numbers rounded to 1 decimal place. The figures requested are listed below.

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