To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will make appointments to the regional committees of the Further Education Funding Council for England; and when the committees will begin operating.

My right hon. Friend is currently considering appointments to the nine regional committees of the Further Education Funding Council. He hopes to announce the chairmen of the committees by 1 April, with a view to the full establishment of the committees as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment has been made of the proportion of religious education syllabuses which comply with the requirements of the Education Reform Act 1988.

The Department has made no such assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the study undertaken by the National Curriculum Council into religious education syllabuses.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Wyre Forest (Mr. Coombs) on 22 February 1993, Official Report,column 452.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to allow Mr. Jock Kane to publish his two books; and what are the legal costs incurred by the Treasury Solicitor.

I have no plans to apply for the lifting of the High Court injunctions restraining the publication of these books. The books contain information which would cause serious damage to national security and which Mr. Kane obtained in the course of his employment at GCHQ.The Treasury Solicitor has estimated the legal costs for the 1987 High Court case as £5,870. Figures are not available for 1984, but would not exceed the 1987 figure. Action also taken in 1987 in the Scottish courts, in which legal costs of £839 were incurred.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his statement of 15 February, Official Report, column 27, whether he will list those articles and protocols which are desirable but not necessary to incorporate into domestic law for the ratification and implementation of the Maastricht treaty.

I refer the hon. Member to the remarks of my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney General in the Committee stage of the Maastricht Bill on 22 February, Official Report, columns 737–39, and to the written answer given by my right hon. and learned Friend to the right hon. Member for Llanelli (Mr. Davies) on the same date, Official Report, column 433.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what means the obligations of tiles I, V, VI and VII of the treaty of union are acceded to by an applicant state of the European union, other than by article O of that treaty.

Article O sets out exhaustively the procedure for accession to the treaty on European union, including titles I, V, VI and VII.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to defer the market testing of ED5 in order to clarify the legal position with regard to article 8(4) of the draft EC data protection directive.

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what outside legal advice he has received on the effect of article 8(4) of the draft EC data protection directive on the ability of private contractors to hold data concerning criminal convictions.

Legal advice is available from the Home Office on this as on other aspects of the draft directive. I have not sought outside legal advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many domestic fridges and freezers his Department intends to purchase in 1993;(2) what are the latest available annual figures for his Department's purchase of domestic fridges and freezers.

This information is not recorded centrally and in the case of the prison service could not be obtained without disproporationate cost. The available information, which may not be complete, for the non-prisons estate is that some 66 fridges/freezers will be purchased in 1993, compared with approximately 51 last year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department will make it its policy to purchase domestic fridges and freezers that do not contain ozone-depleting substances.

It is the Department's policy, subject to ensuring value for money, to reduce the use of ozone-depleting substances by replacing the equipment which contains them except in instances where usage is essential.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now introduce legislation to make hare coursing illegal.

The Government believe that participation in field sports is a matter for individual conscience. There are no plans for legislation to prohibit or restrict hare coursing.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the law to provide that weddings may be performed in private chapels by ministers of churches other than the Church of England.

My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to be able to report to the Prime Minister on the conclusions of the review which he has been asked to undertake of the law relating to obscenity and pornography.

As I explained in my reply to a question from my hon. Friend on 18 February, at column 299, my Department is considering in what ways improvements can be made in the enforcement of the existing legislation relating to obscenity. My right hon. and learned Friend is keeping the Prime Minister informed and will report to him in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Governor of Hong Kong has submitted a further report on the discharge of his functions under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990.

The Governor of Hong Kong submitted a second report to me on 30 December 1992. A copy has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what interim arrangements he is making in respect of each county for prison education between April and August; and what assessment he has made of the effect on the contracts of existing college staff.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis) on 19 February, at column 370. The prison service is not the employer of education staff who work in prisons and the effect on their contracts of employment is a matter for the employers and their employees.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make an announcement about the provision of secure accommodation for juvenile offenders in Cleveland.

I have been asked to reply.In consultation with the directors of social services in the north-east of England, including Cleveland, we have identified the need for 11 extra secure beds in the region. I expect a firm decision about the location to be made shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are his plans for future management of aid to the southern Africa region.

My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development has announced the Government's intention to set up a new ODA development division in Pretoria, similar to those already operating successfully in other parts of the world. The British development division in Pretoria will help shape and run Britain's increasingly important bilateral aid programme in South Africa, and programmes in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland. The new development division will be operational this summer. The development division in Lilongwe will continue to manage aid programmes in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of British civil servants are promoted internally while on secondment to the EC.

This information is not held centrally. The comparatively short secondments to the EC, or to UKREP, provide valuable developmental experience which Departments are encouraged to take into account when making promotions. Whether promotion on secondment is possible will depend on several factors, including the opportunities for re-absorbing the officer in the new grade on his or her return.

To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions have been initiated by the Serious Fraud Office; and how many of these have been successful.

Since the establishment of the Serious Fraud Office, it has instituted criminal proceedings against 328 defendants.Of this total, 221 have been tried. Of these 139 were convicted of one or more offences without a successful appeal, 72 were acquitted of all offences and 10 were neither convicted nor acquitted. In the case of eight defendants proceedings were ordered to lie on the file, one defendant died and a nolle prosequi was entered in the remaining case.Of the remaining defendants, 90 have had proceedings instituted against them but have not yet been tried, seven are abroad and warrants for their arrest have not yet been executed, and 10 did not proceed to trial.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the housing investment programme borrowing allocation or basic credit approval for the last 14 years, expressed at constant prices; and what is the basic credit approval announced for 1993–94 on the same price basis.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 25 November 1992, Official Report, column 669, to the Member for Sheffield Attercliffe (Mr. Betts) for information on the housing investment programme—HIP— allocations for the years 1979–80 to 1992–93. The total of the 1993–94 HIP allocation is £1,920 million—£1,869 million in 1992–93 prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the total value of negative equity in homes in (a) England and (b) the north-west standard region in April 1992 and at the present date, and of the number of properties involved.

There is insufficient information to estimate the total value of negative equity in mortgaged homes. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 February to my hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove (Sir T. Arnold), Official Report, column 522. The number of dwellings in the north-west region where the mortgage exceeded the value of the dewlling in the fourth quarter of 1992 was probably about 10,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many empty properties have been purchased under the arrangements announced in the autumn statement; which housing associations have made the purchases and in what areas; and at what total cost.

The latest figures from the Housing Corporation show that by 19 February approvals for the purchase of 16,666 properties had been granted, with 5,755 purchases actually completed.The assocations making purchases in each of the Corporation's regions were:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to increase the use of smoke alarms for the deaf.

I have been asked to reply.The Home Office spends over £1 million a year on television advertising to promote the installation and maintenance of smoke alarms in occupied buildings in England and Wales. The television commercials are designed to be readily understood even without the benefit of the soundtrack. We are considering the possibility of providing subtitles on smoke alarm commercials for the 1993–94 advertising campaign.The Home Office also produces a range of free leaflets on fire safety. These are issued mainly through fire brigades although they are made available to other organisations. One of the leaflets, "Fire safety advice for disabled people", provides information on smoke alarms for deaf people and include addresses from where these may be obtained.

To ask the Prime Minister when he will visit Featherstone.

I have been asked to reply.As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister informed the hon. Member on 18 February, he is making plans for a series of visits to all parts of the country and hopes to include Yorkshire among them.

To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit the Sherwood constituency.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is making plans for a series of visits to all parts of the country and hopes to include Nottingham among them.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will give dates and costs of work carried out at public expense at the homes of Ministers of the Crown since 1979.

I have been asked to reply.Information prior to 1991 cannot be obtained except at disproportionate cost.Since April 1991 about £1.5 million has been spent on the installation of protective security measures at the homes of current Ministers. These measures were provided on the advice of those responsible for ministerial security and reflected an assessment of the threat to the individuals concerned. All spending is carefully monitored and controlled by those responsible.

To ask the Prime Minister what contribution his office has made to date to the Scott inquiry on arms sales to Iraq.

I have been asked to reply. Lord Justice Scott has asked to see certain papers and these have been made available to him.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 25 February.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 25 February.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is on an official visit to the United States of America.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 18 February, Official Report, column 327, if he will agree to the request made by Mr. Salman Rushdie for a meeting with him.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has agreed to meet Mr. Rushdie. A date has not yet been decided upon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individual general practitioners prescribed methadone in the last year.

Methadone is listed under three therapeutic categories of drugs within the British National Formulary. The number of general practitioners who prescribed methadone for each therapeutic category in England during 1991 is given in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the returns made (a) by district health authorities and (b) by district units and trusts on the cost of provision of services; and in what form this information is reported to Parliament.

District health authorities, directly managed units and trusts prepare annual financial statements which are audited and made available to the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will consider a system of fingerprinting or footprinting new born babies to prevent wrong identification of infants.

Advice from the maternity services advisory committee to the national health service is that parents should be able to see the correct details written on their baby's identity bracelets and to confirm that these bracelets are put on their baby. It is essential that all maternity units have in place procedures that ensure that these requirements are met and that bracelets are securely attached to babies in their care. Fingerprinting and footprinting are possible alternatives or additional methods but, before introducing such arrangements, they would need to be thoroughly assessed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people during the year 1991–92 (a) qualified for free prescriptions on the grounds of prescribed illnesses or conditions and (b) are estimated to have failed to take up an exemption certificate on this ground during this period.

The information is not available in the form requested. Prescription charge exemption certificates for people with a specified medical condition are valid for a period of five years. In the six months from January to June 1992, the latest period for which figures are held centrally, family health services authorities issued over 40,000 such certificates. The average number issued in each of the three years from 1989 to 1991 was about 75,000. In 1991–92 community pharmacists and appliance contractors dispensed some 24.7 million prescribed items free of charge to people holding these certificates and to expectant or nursing mothers. It is not possible to estimate the number who have failed to take up an exemption certificate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to change the rules covering information disclosure by members of (a) the Committee on the Safety of Medicines and (b) the Committee on the Review of Medicines respectively.

I have no plans, at present, to change the rules covering information disclosure by members of the Committee on the Safety of Medicines. The Committee on the Review of Medicines was disestablished on 1 April 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list the numbers of disability working allowance claimants to date who are also in receipt of exemption from prescription charges, by reason of (a) low income and (b) prescribed illness or condition;(2) what is her estimate of numbers and types of persons who fail to claim exemption from prescription charges.

The information requested is not available; nor is it possible to make such an estimate. About 80 per cent. of all prescribed items dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors are free of charge; a further 5 per cent. go to holders of prescription prepayment certificates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will issue a report on the provisions made by her Department to recompense pharmacists for purchasing and maintaining adequate stocks of expensive medicines when on-cost is abolished in April.

Discussions are taking place with the pharmaceutical services negotiating committee about this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has carried out a detailed costing for the introduction of a triple prescription form of the kind proposed by the pharmaceutical services negotiating committee.

No detailed costing has been carried out as yet, but the issue of triple prescription forms is still under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the input, by experts and groups relating to the study of dermatology, in the advisory committee on NHS drugs on the proposed changes and addition of new categories to the NHS selected list.

A consultant dermatologist, Dr. Grattan, has been appointed to the advisory committee on national health service drugs. It is open to the committee to seek any further expert advice it considers necessary for its work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the health service careers department last advertised for trainee nurses in Birmingham; and how many of the last intake to qualify have obtained jobs within the NHS.

There is no health service careers department. The last advertising campaign run by the Department of Health was in 1991–92. Details of local recruitment campaigns and jobs for qualifiers are not held centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Donald Wilson, chairman of West Midlands regional health authority for details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were issued for each benzodiazepine by community pharmacists in (a) England and Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in 1991.

The Department holds figures only for England. The information is in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given to health authorities and trusts about the level of appropriate post natal follow-up, following termination of pregnancy for foetal abnormality.

In April 1991 the Department issued copies of the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society's "Guidelines for Professionals" to relevant points in the national health service. These guidelines are as relevant to the loss of a baby resulting from termination in pregnancy for foetal abnormality as they are for miscarriage and stillbirth.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what developments are taking place leading to the licensing of oral vitamin K.

Discussions have been held between the Medicines Control Agency and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry with regard to appropriate data requirements of safety, efficacy and quality for the granting of a product licence for an oral preparation of vitamin K.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to ensure that the comments of the Mental Health Commissioner relating to staffing in psychiatric units at Stepping Hill contained in its letter dated 9 September 1992 are being acted upon.

An internal review panel was set up by Stockport health authority to look into aspects of psychiatric services, including staffing, at Stepping Hill hospital. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Peter Milnes, chief executive of Stockport health authority, for further information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will fund research into the effects of sulphur dioxide and related pollutants on lung function in asthmatics and others with respiratory disease and the effects of such pollutants on the incidence of respiratory disease and asthma attacks; and if she will make a statement.

The advisory group of medical aspects of air pollution episodes set up in 1990 by the Government's chief medical officer has prepared two reports on air pollutants. That on ozone was published in 1991 and that on sulphur dioxide in 1992. Copies are in the Library.The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council—MRC—which receives its grant in aid from the Office of Science and Technology. The MRC is currently sponsoring some research into factors contributing to the rise of asthma cases and has set up a working party to examine the aetiology of asthma under the chairmanship of Professor A. J. Norman Taylor. This working party is currently considering a range of possible contributory factors to current levels of asthma including air pollution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the total FHSA budget for each such authority in the Yorkshire region for 1992–93;(2) what is the total purchasing budget for each health authority in the Yorkshire region for 1992–93.

The information held centrally is for regional health authorities only. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Bryan Askew, chairman of Yorkshire regional health authority, for this information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total budget for fund-holding practices for each health authority area in the Yorkshire region for 1992–93.

The Yorkshire regional health authority is responsible for the management of the general practitioner fundholding scheme in these areas. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Bryan Askew, the regional health authority chairman, for details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were registered at (a) fund-holding and (b) non-fund-holding practices for each health authority area in the Yorkshire region as at 31 December 1992.

This information is not held centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Bryan Askew, chairman of the Yorkshire regional health authority, for details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a table showing for (a) each regional health authority and (b) England as a whole the number of hospital beds by specialty, on the basis of average daily available beds, for each year from 1979–80 to 1991–92; and if she will make a statement.

The available information has been published and copies of the national and regional summaries placed in the Library. The data for 1979 to 1986 are contained in the publication "Hospital Statistics—Form SH3", which records bed availability at individual specialty level. The data for 1987–88 to 1990–91 are contained in the "Summary of Bed Availability—Form KHO3", which implemented the recommendations of the Korner review of health service information. These data are classified by broad ward category, recognising the more flexible use of bed facilities. The summaries for 1991–92 are to be published shortly and copies will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pamphlets the national health service management executive published from January 1990 to January 1991 and from January 1991 to January 1992; if she will list the title, the recipients and the cost; and if she will make a statement.

During the period April 1990 to December 1991, the national health service management executive issued 78 pamphlets, leaflets and brochures. The tables give the description, cost and recipient.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has given the Alexandra hospital in Redditch concerning its bid for trust status; what guidance she has given North Worcestershire health authority concerning the planned closure of the Highfield hospital in Droitwich; and if she will make a statement.

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce compulsory blood tests on a regular basis for all national health service employees; and if she will make a statement.

I have no current plans to introduce regular compulsory blood tests for all national health service staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she takes to ensure that she is in possession of all relevant information when hearing an appeal by a doctor against a penalty imposed by a tribunal hearing a disciplinary action.

The procedures for dealing with appeals against family health services authority decisions on complaints against general practitioners are set out in the National Health Service (Service Committee and Tribunal) Regulations. Copies of the regulations are available in the Library.In determining an appeal, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will inquire into the whole of the complaint, and take into account any evidence that was available to the committee which heard the complaint and of any further information, if any, that has been presented on appeal. Where appropriate, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State may appoint persons to hold an oral hearing of the appeal and to report their findings, and may also seek advice from the Medical Advisory Committee as to whether a penalty should be imposed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her estimate of the number of people who have died in sed each of the last three years from lung cancer as a result of handling asbestos; and if she will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.Since April 1985, lung cancer has been a prescribed disease under the industrial injuries scheme provided the sufferer has had occupational exposure to asbestos and has some other clinical sign of asbestos-related disease. The numbers of cases diagnosed under this scheme in the last three years for which figures are available are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the schemes now approved under the Leader programme; and what is the estimated funding in each scheme.

Schemes now approved under the EC Leader programme in Northern Ireland are as follows:

• Mid Ulster Enterprises (Creggan) Ltd., Omagh, Co. Tyrone—£388,320;
• The Seeconnell Initiative, Castlewellan, Co. Down—£508,200;
• South West Fermanagh Development Organisation Ltd. —£52,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all the terrorist incidents in 1992 in which shots were fired over the international frontier, bombs or command wires crossed the frontier, the terrorists came over or escaped over the frontier or that otherwise had a cross-frontier element.

[holding answer 12 February 1993]: It would not be appropriate to disclose detailed information held by the Royal Ulster Constabulary about incidents in which charges may be brought.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy for family courts to provide creche facilities.

All family court care centres have a separate child witness waiting room and, in addition, as a result of local initiatives, family rooms where children can wait have been created at a number of other courts. At the magistrates courts, creche facilities may be provided on a local basis if it is considered desirable by the relevant magistrates courts committee. This is the most practical policy in the circumstances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many personnel who served with the Royal Navy during the second world war are in receipt of pensions awarded further to submitting claims for asbestos-related diseases.

The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the Resettlement Agency's plan to dispose of its resettlement units to voluntary organisations or local authorities.

The Resettlement Agency is, today, beginning a tender exercise to dispose of its resettlement units at West End house, Spur house and Pound lodge each of which is in London, and also its resettlement units at Leicester and at Lye in the west midlands. The exercise to dispose of these five units will be completed by the end of March 1994.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people who pay national insurance contributions are not liable to income tax.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list, for each change in the minimum lending rate since April 1992, the interest earned on £5,000

Based on information from the annual new earnings survey and estimates of the number of employees in employment, it is estimated that there are currently some 0.5 million contributors whose earnings fall below the PAYE threshold for the payment of income tax.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people faced marginal tax rates (a) including and (b) excluding social security of over (i) 40 per cent., (ii) 50 per cent., (iii) 60 per cent., (iv) 70 per cent., (v) 80 per cent., (vi) 90 per cent. and (vii) 100 per cent. in each year since 1978–79.

Such information as is available is in the tables.

The information requested is in the table. This reflects changes in the base rate rather than the minimum lending rate—the two are often used as broad synonyms but the latter has only been used intermittently

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans have been proposed regarding tendering of typing pool services in VAT and Inland Revenue offices in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Customs and Excise have included typing pool services in VAT as part of the programme of market testing activities in their regional executive units in England and Wales.The Inland Revenue proposes to market test typing services within the boundaries of its south-west regional executive office.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to (a) Coopers and Lybrand management consultants, (b) Touche Ross management consultants, (c) Price Waterhouse management consultants, (d) Ernst and Young management consultants, (e) Chrichton Roberts Ltd., (f) KPMG management consultants and (g) Leopold Joseph management consultants, with the total cost of the contracts with each contractor, for (i) the past 12 months and (ii) 1991–92.

The record of contracts awarded by the Treasury to the companies mentioned in the question is as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the instances, by Government Department, when the National Audit Office, in reports published since November 1990, has identified cost overruns resulting from departmental inefficiencies.

Since November 1990, seven NAO reports on Government Departments have identified cost overruns. These reports are listed in the table, along with the reasons for the overruns.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown) of 11 January, Official Report, column 546, if he will give similar information for an increase in the reduced rate band of income tax.

At 1993–94 levels of income and assuming indexation of allowances and thresholds, the full year cost of a 1p cut in the basic rate of tax is about £1·5 billion. This is equivalent to the cost of increasing the lower rate band width to £3,700. Under such a regime, a married man paying tax at least at the basic rate would be £1·54 per week better off when compared with indexation.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with children are estimated to have taxable income below the income tax threshold; and what proportion this represents of all families with children.

In 1992–93 it is estimated that 1·6 million single parents and married couples with children have no income tax liability. These represent just over a fifth of all families with children.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the saving if mortgage interest tax relief was limited to 25 per cent. of base rates.

The revenue yield from calculating mortgage interest relief in terms of 25 per cent. of interest charged at base rates rather than actual mortgage interest rates would be about £700 million at 1992–93 levels.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the increase in cost to the Treasury, in terms of mortgage interest tax relief, of each percentage increase in interest rates.

About £500 million at 1992–93 levels.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect on revenues in 1993–94, and in a full year, of (a) increasing and (b) decreasing the limit for mortgage tax relief by (i) £1,000, (ii) £2,000 (iii) £5,000 and (iv) £10,000.

The estimated costs at 1992–93 levels of increasing or decreasing the limit for mortgage interest tax relief are shown in the table. The estimates are based on the distribution of existing mortgages and therefore exclude behavioural effects which might result.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will provide a table showing the number of recipients of higher-rate mortgage interest tax relief for each year since 1979–80 in the United Kingdom by region;(2) if he will provide a table showing the number of recipients of mortgage interest tax relief for each year since 1979–80 in the United Kingdom by region;(3) what was the total value of providing higher-rate mortgage interest tax relief for each year since 1979–80 in the United Kingdom by region

[holding answer 24 February 1993]: Information for the total of mortgage interest relief is in the tables. The regional distributions for 1979–80 to 1982–83 have been derived from the relevant surveys of personal incomes. However, following the introduction of mortgage interest relief at source—MIRAS—in April 1983, regional information cannot be extracted from Inland Revenue records. Broad estimates for the years 1983–84 to 1991–92 have accordingly been based on analyses of the family expenditure surveys for the years concerned.Reliable estimates of the value of and the number of recipients of higher rate mortgage interest tax relief by region are not readily available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.