13 Dec 1995 : Column: 633
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what occasions certificates under section 27 of the Data Protection Act 1984 were signed by members of his Department; for how long each certificate was valid; and in what circumstances taxation records may be used for the purpose of safeguarding national security. [5342]
Mr. Jack: No such certificates have been issued.
No circumstances have so far been identified in which taxation records may be used for the purpose of safeguarding national security.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil service personnel in the Inland Revenue department are located in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland. [5104]
Mr. Jack: (a) 50,510, (b) 4,391, (c) 6,253 and (d) 1,179 respectively on 1 November 1995, the most recent date for which figures are available.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Treasury personnel are located in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland, (d) Northern Ireland. [5109]
Mrs. Angela Knight: All 1,049 Treasury staff, as at 1 November, excluding those on loan or secondment to other Government Departments or the private sector, are located in England.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evaluation he has made of the likely impact of the increase of duty on diesel fuel in his Budget statement on (a) the prices of bus transport to consumers and (b) the frequency of local bus services. [5305]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Bus operators are able to claim a rebate on the majority of their diesel duty payments. Depending on the price paid for diesel the actual duty element is likely to represent less than 20 per cent. of the total VAT-exclusive price. Prior to the Budget net duty payments represented around 3 per cent. of total costs for bus operators: this will rise to around 3.5 to 4 per cent. post-Budget. The effect of these cost increases on fares and frequency of bus services will depend on the decisions of individual operators.
13 Dec 1995 : Column: 634
Mr. Sykes:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were registered unemployed in the month of August in (1) Scarborough and Whitby, (2) Torquay, (3) Weston-super-Mare, (4) Bournemouth, (5) Brighton, (6) Eastbourne, (7) Newquay, (8) Ramsgate, (9) Margate, (10) Southend-on-Sea, (11) Clacton, (12) Great Yarmouth, (13) Barmouth, (14) Pwlleheli, (15) Llandudno, (16) Rhyl, (17) Prestatyn, (18) Southport, (19) Lytham St. Annes, (20) Fleetwood, (21) Morecambe, (22) Skegness, (23) Cleethorpes, (24) Minehead, (25) Worthing, (26) Bridlington, (27) Bognor Regis, (28) Torbay, (29) Polperro, (30) Brixham, (31) Falmouth, (32) St. Ives, (33 Ilfracombe, (34) Burnham-on-Sea, (35) Weymouth and (36) Herne bay in the years 1987 to 1995 inclusive. [5193]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
Information on the numbers of people claimant unemployed in local area can be obtained from the Nomis database accessed by the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what VAT regulations apply to the Motability scheme; and to what extent these differ from the regulations applying to the commercial sector (a) before and (b) after August. [5094]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory:
The VAT Act 1994, schedule 8 group 12, items 14 and 15, allows zero-rating for the leasing of unused motor vehicles for a period of not less than three years to disabled people who are in receipt of the mobility component of the disability living allowance, and for the first sale of those vehicles after the end of the leasing period. Neither of these zero rates are restricted to supplies by Motability. Any car-leasing business whose sales consist predominantly of the provision of vehicles in these circumstances may take advantage of these zero rates, although to date only Motability has done so.
Motor dealers have always been able to buy back ex-lease cars from Motability free of VAT. In August, however, the VAT regulations governing the sale of second-hand motor vehicles changed. This has potential repercussions both for Motability and for the second-hand car market generally and so Customs and Excise will shortly be entering into discussions with all the interested parties.
Mr. Tony Banks:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on official hospitality in 1994-95 and the financial year to date; and what is the 1995-96 projected budget for official hospitality. [5582]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
Expenditure by Her Majesty's Treasury on official hospitality in 1994-95 was £84,249 and in year 1995-96 to 30 November, £53,665. The projected budget for 1995-96 is £92,000.
13 Dec 1995 : Column: 635
Mr. Rowlands:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the number and percentage of taxpayers in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Wales and (c) Mid-Glamorgan who pay at (i) 25 per cent. rate and (ii) 40 per cent. rates of tax; and what will be the change on the numbers paying at these rates following the Budget. [5427]
Mr. Jack:
It is not possible to provide a reliable breakdown below United Kingdom level for 1996-97, either before or after the Budget. The latest available information covers 1993-94 and is given in the table.
| Top rate of tax of 25 per cent | Top rate of tax of 40 per cent | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thousands | Percentage(1) | Thousands | Percentage(1) | |||
| United Kingdom(2) | 18,090 | 72.3 | 1,740 | 7.0 | ||
| Wales | 799 | 71.8 | 48 | 4.4 | ||
| Mid Glamorgan | 140 | 71.5 | 7 | 3.7 | ||
(1) of total number of taxpayers including those liable to only the
lower rate of tax.
(2) includes members of HM Forces, the Merchant Navy, civil servants
serving overseas and non-residents liable to UK tax who cannot be allocated to regions.
Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the value of the rebate from the European Union for each of the years since it was negotiated. [5499]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The value of the United Kingdom's abatement for the financial years 1985-86 to 1994-95, along with the Government's latest estimate for the year 1995-96, is set out in the table.
| Year | £million |
|---|---|
| 1985-86 | 823 |
| 1986-87 | 1,343 |
| 1987-88 | 1,137 |
| 1988-89 | 1,600 |
| 1989-90 | 1,317 |
| 1990-91 | 1,838 |
| 1991-92 | 2,428 |
| 1992-93 | 1,993 |
| 1993-94 | 2,350 |
| 1994-95 | 1,648 |
| 1995-96 | 1,564 |
Mr. Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if tax exemption of compensation for those who were wrongly advised to (a) opt out, (b) transfer from and (c) not join an occupational pension scheme extends to those who were similarly advised in respect of SERPS; and if he will make a statement. [5441]
Mr. Jack: The Securities and Investments Board is currently carrying out research into past sales of personal pensions for contracting out of SERPS. SIB is due to publish the results of this research early next year and it would not be appropriate to anticipate SIB's recommendations.
13 Dec 1995 : Column: 636
Mr. Jacques Arnold: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to revise the electricity licence exemptions regime, in the light of the planned liberalisation of the electricity supply market in 1998. [6301]
Mr. Eggar: The electricity industry and the Director General of the Electricity Supply are working towards full supply competition on 1 April 1998, bringing choice of supplier for all customers. As part of that process, we need to review the exemptions to the electricity licence regime.
I want to examine the scope for promoting competition in electricity generation and supply by reducing the regulatory burden placed on small generators, own generators, and small suppliers, while taking account of the interests of customers.
We have today issued a consultation paper which seeks the views of all interested parties by 22 January 1996. I propose to announce my preliminary conclusions in February 1996. Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Alton:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what account his Department takes of human rights of abuses, with special reference to the Karen people, in the provision of assistance to British investors in Burma. [5119]
Mr. Nelson:
My Department's efforts have focused primarily on making United Kingdom companies aware of trade opportunities that exist in Burma, rather than investment. We continue to adopt a cautious approach with regard to investment in Burma.
We remain acutely concerned about the continued abuse of human rights in Burma, including against the Karen and other ethnic groups. We and other EU partners have made it clear to the ruling military regime that normalisation of our relations depends on progress in key areas, including human rights.
Mr. Alton:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what activities his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) will be undertaking to assist British investment in Burma from November 1995 to February 1996. [5118]
Mr. Nelson:
During the period November 1995- February 1996, my Department will continue to provide information relating to investment issues in Burma and the associated risks. We held a trade awareness seminar, "An Introduction to Burma," at the London chamber of commerce on 5 December 1995. This will be followed by a trade mission to Burma from 26 February to 1 March 1996. However, both events are focused primarily on the trade opportunities that may exist for British companies, rather than investment where we continue to take a cautious line.
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