Category: Chief Secretary (1987-1989)

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Local and National Expenditure on 10th January 1989.

Mr. Battle To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing expenditure by function for (a) housing, (b) other environmental services, (c) education and science, (d) health and personal social services and (e) social security, broken down into expenditure accounted for by (i) local authorities and (ii) central Government for each year between 1968–69 and 1990–91 in both cash and real terms.

Mr. Major [holding answer 22 December 1988]: Detailed information on public expenditure by function and Department was given in the introductory tables to the departmental chapters in “The Government’s Expenditure Plans 1988–89 to 1990–91” Cm 288-II. These tables also differentiated between expenditure accounted for by local authorities and central Government. Information on trends in cash and real terms since 1978–79 were given in the historical trends section of Cm 288-I, which also gave the GDP deflators from which other real terms figures can be calculated. Similar information updated to take account of the 1988 public expenditure survey will appear in the departmental booklets and chapter 21 of the 1989 public expenditure White Paper due to be published in January.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Departmental Spending on 10th January 1989.

Mr. Nigel Griffiths To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish figures showing the public spending outturn for each Government Department and total in (a) each year from 1978–79 until 1989–90 plans expressed in constant 1988 prices, (b) the annual percentage change for each Department and the total and (c) the overall percentage change for each Department and the total.

Mr. Major A breakdown of the public expenditure planning total by Department for the years 1978–79 and 1983–84 to 1989–90 in real terms (base year 1987–88), from which percentage changes can be derived, was given in table 1.10 of the 1988 Autumn Statement. Corresponding figures for the years 1979–80 to 1982–83 will appear in the 1989 public expenditure White Paper (table 21.4.3) which is due to be published towards the end of the month.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Civil Service Manpower on 21st December 1988.

Mr. Hind To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of staff in post in central Government Departments at 1 October.

Mr. Major On 1 October 1988 there were 573,891 staff in post in central Government Departments. Of these, 502,407 were non-industrials and 71,484 were industrials.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Identity Cards on 19th December 1988.

Mr. Cohen To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has investigated, or is currently studying, the usefulness of a national identity card to his departmental responsibilities; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Major I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary gave to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Darling) on 15 December at column 1080.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Civil Service Manpower on 16th December 1988.

Mr. John Greenway To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if copies of the Treasury report on Civil Service manpower changes in 1987-88 will be made available to hon. Members.

Mr. Major Yes. The report for 1987-88 has been passed to the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee today and copies placed in the Library of the House.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Debt Repayment on 14th December 1988.

Mr. Butterfill To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the total debt repayment paid by Britain in the current year; if he will express the figures as a percentage of gross domestic product; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Major The public sector debt repayment (PSDR) is expected to be about £10 billion in 1988-89, equivalent to 2 per cent. of gross domestic product. On the basis of this forecast, the PSDR in 1988-89 will be larger as a proportion of money GDP than in any year since the beginning of the 1950s, the earliest date for which figures on this basis are available.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Family Incomes on 14th December 1988.

Mr. Harry Barnes To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has produced any estimate of the expected impact on the living standards of an average sized family on average incomes of the combined effects of the poll tax and the privatisation of electricity and water.

Mr. Major No specific estimate is available. However, to raise the same revenue from community charge as from domestic rates will need no change in the average household bill. The introduction of competition and the disciplines of the private sector into the electricity and water supply industries will put downward pressure on costs and prices.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Imports on 13th December 1988.

Mr. Boswell To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the marginal propensity to import by individuals according to convenient bands of personal income.

Mr. Major The information is not available in the form requested.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Contracts (Tendering) on 12th December 1988.

Mr. Blair To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Government have made any study of the impact on British industry of the EEC draft directive requiring all companies in the private and public sectors to put out to tender contracts for supplies above £500,000 and capital schemes above £3,000,000; when he expects this draft directive to come into effect; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Major [holding answer 9 December 1988]: Recent proposals by the European Commission to extend rules on purchasing to bodies outside central and local government cover undertakings in the water, energy, transport and telecommunications sectors which operate on the basis of special or exclusive rights or an authorisation granted by a competent authority of a member state. The rules are intended to make purchasing more open, but let undertakings negotiate with selected suppliers or contractors instead of putting contracts out to tender. Individual contracts would be affected when their estimated value, net of VAT, exceed £142,000 for supplies (and software service contracts in the case of the proposal on telecommunications) and £3.3 million for building and civil engineering works; supplies requirements which were expected to exceed £500,000 in a product area over 12 months would be the subject of periodic indicative notices. The proposals are part of the single market programme due to be completed in 1992. The Government are consulting closely with relevant purchasers and suppliers in the United Kingdom on possible changes to the proposals which would reduce any burdens the rules may impose. The rules should enable United Kingdom suppliers and contractors to compete more effectively in markets which in some cases have been difficult to enter.

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on the Trade Deficit on 12th December 1988.

Mr. Austin Mitchell To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the loss of revenue to the Exchequer as a result of the deficit of £14 billion in trade in manufactures.

Mr. Major The effect of the deficit of trade in manufactures on Government revenues depends on what would otherwise have happened to a wide range of economic variables. Any estimates would be highly speculative and subject to wide margins of error. Even the direction of the effect is ambiguous. Revenues could be either higher or lower.