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TREASURY
Individual Savings Account
Mr. Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 5 February 1998, Official Report, column 775, when he will place the results on the consultation exercise on the ISA Green Paper in the Library. [36873]
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson [holding answer 30 March 1998]: The Government will publish a summary of the consultation exercise on the individual savings account when draft regulations for the new account are issued for consultation.
Mr. Loughton:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to respond to the question from the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham tabled for answer on 30 March regarding placing the results of the ISA consultation exercise in the Library; and if he will ensure that the responses to the consultation paper are available to hon. Members before he makes further reference to them. [40394]
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson:
I have done so.
Mr. Cash:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the effect of transfers of European Communities moneys expressed in SEC (1998) 153 on the Single Currency information programme. [37772]
Mrs. Liddell:
This transfer covers expenditure under two EC Budget lines relating to the Commission's information and communication policy: B3-300 (General information and communication work concerning the European Union) and B3-306 (Information programme for European citizens (Prince) Information activities in connection with specific policies), which covers expenditure on the Single Currency information programme.
When the 1998 EC budget was adopted, in respect of B3-306 the European Parliament entered 15 million ecu (about £10 million 1 ) in commitment appropriations and 10 million ecu (about £6.7 million) in payment appropriations in the Reserve pending further information on the breakdown and coverage of resources between the two main information campaigns for 1998: "Euro, a single currency for Europe" and "Building Europe Together".
30 Apr 1998 : Column: 220
The Commission attached detailed plans on both campaigns to the transfer proposal.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the rise or fall in (a) real and (b) nominal terms of the Deutschmark against (i) sterling and (ii) the US dollar for (1) each three month period in the four years up to the end of March 1998 and (2) in total for that period and indicating the balance of trade with Germany for each period. [39351]
Mrs. Liddell:
The real and nominal movements in the sterling and dollar rates against the Deutschmark from 1994Q2 until 1998Q1 are given in the table alongside the quarterly UK balance of trade in goods with Germany. The effects of exchange rate movements on trade balances are difficult to isolate. However, recently the UK's deficit on trade in goods with Germany has been similar to its level four years earlier.
1 Converted at the rate of £1=1.4998 ecu, which is the rate set for UK VAT and Fourth Resource contributions to the 1998 Community Budget.
| Percentage change on previous quarter | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DM/Sterling exchange rate | DM/Dollar exchange rate | UK balance trade in goods with Germany (£ million)(16) | |||
| Nominal(14) | Real(15) | Nominal(14) | Real(15) | ||
| 1994Q2 | -2.3 | -2.9 | -3.5 | -3.8 | -1,068 |
| 1994Q3 | -3.2 | -3.3 | -6.0 | -6.3 | -1,346 |
| 1994Q4 | 1.2 | 0.8 | -1.1 | -0.9 | -1,164 |
| 1995Q1 | -4.4 | -3.3 | -4.3 | -4.2 | -1,282 |
| 1995Q2 | -4.7 | -3.0 | -5.5 | -4.7 | -1,631 |
| 1995Q3 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 3.8 | -1,447 |
| 1995Q4 | -1.3 | 0.0 | -0.6 | 0.3 | -1,567 |
| 1996Q1 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 4.0 | -1,774 |
| 1996Q2 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 5.1 | -1,528 |
| 1996Q3 | 0.4 | 0.9 | -1.6 | -0.3 | -1,484 |
| 1996Q4 | 7.2 | 8.7 | 2.3 | 3.8 | -1,651 |
| 1997Q1 | 8 | 9.3 | 8.1 | 10.0 | -1,407 |
| 1997Q2 | 3.7 | 4.9 | 3.5 | 4.8 | -1,245 |
| 1997Q3 | 4.6 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 6.1 | -1,353 |
| 1997Q4 | -0.7 | 1.0 | -2.7 | -2.5 | -1,372 |
| 1998Q1 | 2.7 | 4.7 | 3.5 | 3.6 | n/a |
| Total change | 16.8 | 22.5 | 5.6 | 8.8 | -- |
(14) A minus sign denotes sterling/dollar depreciation.
(15) Nominal exchange rate changes adjusted for changes in relative consumer prices.
(16) A minus sign denotes a deficit.
Vitamin B Supplements
Mr. Tredinnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have died as a result of taking vitamin B supplements in each of the last 20 years. [39877]
Mrs. Liddell:
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
30 Apr 1998 : Column: 221
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. David Tredinnick, dated 30 April 1998:
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 1 April 1998, Official Report, column 555, if the Monetary Policy Committee has responsibility to assess the use of alternative monetary instruments. [39745]
Mrs. Liddell:
The Bank of England Bill gives the Monetary Policy Committee the responsibility for formulating monetary policy. This includes assessing the use of alternative monetary instruments which were reviewed at the meeting in August 1997.
Mr. Alan Campbell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the exact date upon which Treasury approval was given for the LG investment in South Wales to receive regional selective assistance exceeding the cost per job ceiling for intermediate status areas. [39724]
Mrs. Liddell:
The year was 1996. The exact date falls under advice given to the previous administration and so is confidential.
Mr. Cash:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on national gross domestic product of the United Kingdom joining economic and monetary union. [39754]
Mrs. Liddell:
The Chancellor has set five tests for determining if the economic case for joining the single currency is clear and unambiguous. The fifth test is whether joining EMU would promote higher growth and jobs. On 27 October 1997 the Treasury published "UK membership of the single currency: as assessment of the five economic tests". It concluded that, while joining EMU had the potential to enhance growth, the UK economy was not yet sufficiently converged and flexible to realise these potential benefits.
Dr. Kumar:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assistance his Department provides to business in preparation for the United Kingdom joining economic and monetary union. [39946]
Mrs. Liddell:
HM Treasury intends to publish by the end of the year an outline national changeover plan setting out the steps which would be involved in joining the single currency. A wide range of activities is also under way, organised by the Euro Preparations Unit in HM Treasury, to help businesses prepare for the launch of the euro elsewhere in the European Union on 1 January 1999.
30 Apr 1998 : Column: 222
Sir Michael Spicer:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his oral answer of 23 April 1998, Official Report, columns 953-55, if there was informal discussion about the Maastricht criteria at the Ecofin Conference in York. [40084]
Mrs. Liddell:
The convergence criteria of the Maastricht Treaty were not discussed in the ECOFIN meeting at York.
Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of the (i) paid and (ii) unpaid appointments which he has made to non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997 were women. [39407]
Mrs. Liddell
[holding answer 29 April 1998]: The Government are committed to increasing the representation of women in public life. In support of this I have drawn up an Action Plan for increasing the number of women and ethnic minorities holding appointments in public bodies of the Chancellor's Departments and Agencies. The information for the NDPBs to which the Chancellor and other Treasury Ministers make appointments is as follows:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary question on how many people have died as a result of taking vitamin B supplements in each of the last 20 years.
Between 1993 and 1997 (the latest year for which data are available; 1997 data are provisional) there were no deaths in England and Wales certified as due in part or whole to taking vitamin B supplements.
Data for earlier years are only available at disproportionate cost.
| Paid | Unpaid | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of women appointed | 1 | -- |
| Women as percentage of appointments | 20 | -- |
| Number of women appointed | -- | 4 appointments |
| -- | 13 re-appointments | |
| Women as percentage of appointments and re-appointments | -- | 23.5 |
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