To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies have been done to assess the effects on relative living standards, work incentives and family life of phasing out married couples' income tax allowance and the additional personal allowance for lone parents.

No specific studies on this question have been carried out. Although tax changes in 1994 and 1995 will result in a proportionately greater tax burden for married couples and unmarried people with children, they will still pay less tax than other single people with the same incomes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the cost in tax relief of each dwelling let under the business expansion scheme; and what estimates he has made of the amount of capital gains tax which will be lost if and when these are sold;(2) how many dwellings let under the business expansion scheme were specifically let for the university sector; and what the proportion of business expansion scheme dwellings are assured exit schemes;(3) how many new lettings from investments under the business expansion scheme there were in

The average cost per dwelling of providing BES income tax relief is estimated to be about £17,500 for lettings made between 1988 and 1992. It is not possible to give a reliable estimate of the cost of exempting gains arising from disposals of BES shares from capital gains tax. Any gains arising from the sale of properties owned by BES companies are, of course, subject to corporation tax in the usual way. Information is not available centrally from administrative sources on the number of dwellings let under the BES for the university sector or the proportion of dwellings which are let through assured exit schemes. However, information from independent analysts suggests that of the total amount of investment made through BES assured tenancy public offers about 30 per cent. was invested in accommodation let for academic establishments and about 60 per cent. was in assured exit schemes. Reliable estimates by regions are available for years up to 1991–92. These and preliminary estimates for the United Kingdom total in 1992–93 are shown in the table.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the building societies that have agreed to allow the building societies ombudsman scheme to consider home income plans cases;(2) if he will list those building societies who were involved with home income plans; and which have refused to agree that such cases can go to the ombudsman scheme.

I understand that the following societies have consented to an extension of the Building Societies Ombudsman's powers to cover complaints or possible complaints related to home income plans:

• Bradford and Bingley
• Britannia
• Chelsea (Capital Access Scheme mortgages on a case by case basis)
• Cheltenham and Gloucester (including complaints arising out of lending by the former Guardian, Heart of England and Portsmouth Building Societies)
• Halifax
• Melton Mowbray
• National and Provincial
• Newcastle
• Northern Rock (all complaints arise out of lending by the former Lancastrian Building Society)
• Portman (including lending by the former Wessex Building Society)
• Staffordshire (if Society cannot first resolve complaint itself)
• Woolwich (all complaints arise out of lending by the former Town and Country Building Society).

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what authority district valuers may require those whose business premises are being revalued to produce audited accounts; for how many years they may be asked to produce these; within what period they may be asked to provide them; what sanctions apply in the event of non-production; and for what purpose such detailed information may be required.

Valuation officers are empowered under paragraph 5 of schedule 9 to the Local Government Finance Act 1988, as amended, to serve a notice on a person, who is the owner or occupier of a hereditament, requesting that person to supply information, specified in the notice, that the officer reasonably believes will assist him on carrying out his statutory functions.Accounts are asked for where rental information is sparse for the type of property in question. Valuation officers will specify a period sufficient to establish trends, but this would not normally exceed three years.The Act provides that the information should be supplied within a period of 21 days from the date of service of the notice. There is a fine on summary conviction for failing to do so without reasonable excuse.The information supplied will be used to establish rental values for those classes of properties in order that valuation officers may fulfil their statutory obligation to compile and maintain rating lists.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 1 February, Official Report, columns 607–8, if he will publish a similar table of revenues from North sea oil since 1979–80, based on 1993–94 prices.

Revenues raised from North sea oil and gas production by category of tax since 1979–80 at 1993–94 prices have been as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the hon. Member for Peckham will receive an answer to the two questions about the effect of the 1995–96 tax changes, tabled for answer on 31 January.

Today.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update his answer of 19 January, Official Report, columns 635–41, to provide similar estimates of the burden of direct and indirect taxes for 1995–96 to take account of

[holding answer 31 January 1994]: Estimates of tax payments in 1995–96 on the basis requested are given in the table. The actual tax burden in 1995–96 will depend on decisions taken in the 1994 Budget as well as on changes in prices and earnings.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update his answer of 19 January, Official Report, columns 653–41 and, on the same basis as his answer to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Garscadden (Mr. Dewar) of 22 April 1993, Official Report, columns 176–78, provide similar estimates of the burden of direct and indirect taxes

[holding answer 31 January 1994]: Figures illustrating the hypothetical tax burdens in 1995–96 if the measures announced for 1995–96 applied in 1994–95 are given in the table. The actual burden of tax in 1995–96 will depend on decisions taken in the 1994 Budget as well as on changes in prices and earnings.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 19 January, Official Report, columns 635–41, if he will provide estimates for the years 1978–9 to 1992–93 of the burden of direct and indirect taxes on a married couple, two children, and one earner on 100 per cent. of average earnings, including the impact of mortgage interest relief, if the family is assumed to have a mortgage at the average outstanding level in each year, and is paying the average mortgage interest rate.

[holding answer 1 February 1994]: The available information is given in the table.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 19 January, Official Report, column 635, if he will (a) provide estimates for the years 1993–94 and 1994–95 of the burden of direct and indirect taxes on a married couple, one earner, two children, on 100 per cent. of the average earnings, including the impact of mortgage interest tax relief, assuming that the family has a £35,000 mortgage and that mortgage interest rates are 7·9 per cent. in 1993–94 and 7·8 per cent. in 1994–95 and (b) provide similar estimates for 1995–96 to take account of the tax changes announced for 1995–96, assuming that other aspects of the tax regime are subject to statutory indexation, that prices rise by the amount specified in the working assumption on page 121 of the Financial Statement and Budget report 1994–95, that earnings growth in 1995–96 is the same as in 1994–95 and that the family has a £35,000 mortgage and that mortgage interest rates are 7·8 per cent. in 1995–96.

[holding answer 1 February 1994]::The available information is given in the table.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information the Securities and Investments Board requested from FIMBRA, LAUTRO and IMRO in relation to pension transfers; what was the basis of the brief given by the Securities and Investments Board to KPMG; what action was taken by the Securities and Investments Board in investigating pension transfers by the companies directly regulated by the Securities and Investments Board; what were the terms of reference of the steering committee on pension transfers; and if he will make a statement.

[holding answer 16 February 1994]: KPMG was asked by the Securities and Investments Board to examine in conjunction with FIMBRA, LAUTRO and IMRO the extent of compliance with regulators' requirements in the sale of lump sum pension transfers. I understand that the study was carried out on a representative sample of client files provided by those SROs. It was commissioned as a result of SIB's analysis of compliance by directly regulated firms, which indicated significant levels of non-compliance. SIB published the report on 16 December 1993. It found that, as with SIB's directly regulated firms, a large proportion of files did not contain all the material that they should have contained. SIB has stressed that it remains to be seen how far this finding is symptomatic of unsuitable advice causing financial disadvantage to investors.A regulators steering group, chaired by the chief executive of SIB, has been charged with examining the extent of the problem and devising preventative and remedial guidelines. An advisory committee of experts, chaired by Sir Douglas Wass, has been set up to advise the SIB board on further work on pension transfers. Full terms of reference of both are set out hereafter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now arrange for the issue of a full British passport or travel documents to Mrs. Hunwicks, a constituent of the hon. Member for Ilford, South.

Mrs. Hunwicks has not acquired British citizenship and thus does not qualify for a British passport. Any application she may wish to make for a Home Office travel document will be considered on its merits.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are applied by officials in the Passport Agency and his Department when deciding whether or not to issue passports to people living in this country for the last 30 years but who were born in the republic of Cyprus (a) before and (b) after it gained its independence.

The Passport Agency issues British passports to those who qualify under the relevant nationality legislation. In the case of people born in Cyprus, this is the Cyprus Act 1960 and the British Nationality (Cyprus) Order 1960.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the Passport Agency has refused to issue a full passport to Mrs. Hunwicks, a constituent of the hon. Member for Ilford, South; and what account was taken of the issue of a British visitor's passport.

Mrs. Hunwicks has not acquired British citizenship and thus does not qualify for a British passport.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Mr. and Mrs. Hunwicks, constituents of the hon. Member for Ilford, South, first applied for passports at the Passport Office at Petty France, London; what reasons they gave for the application; when Mr. Hunwicks was given his passport; why Mrs. Hunwicks was refused a passport; and how many subsequent visits and telephone calls Mr. and Mrs. Hunwicks made to the Passport Office.

Mr. Hunwicks applied for British passports for himself and his wife on 18 January 1994 to enable them to travel to Morocco. A passport for Mr. Hunwicks was issued on 21 January. He was informed that a passport could not be issued to Mrs. Hunwicks as she has not yet acquired British citizenship. Mr. and Mrs. Hunwicks have made three visits to London passport office, and had several telephone conversations, in seeking to clarify this situation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce his decision on the conclusions reached by his Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs regarding the misuse of the hypnotic temazepam.

I am studying the Advisory Council's conclusions in consultation with ministerial colleagues. The consultation process is taking a little longer than at first envisaged, but I hope to reach a decision shortly after Easter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by region the available data on the breakdown of assault victims by (i) race and (ii) religion in 1993.

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by region the number of female victims of (i) sexual and (ii) physical assaults since 1990 who were assaulted by males against whom they had restraining orders.

The information requested is not available centrally.