The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: 1988

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Overseas Assets – 26 January 1989

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Overseas Assets on 26th January 1989.

    Mr. Bowis To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the stock of United Kingdom net overseas assets.

    Mr. Jacques Arnold To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the stock of United Kingdom net overseas assets.

    Mr. Beaumont-Dark To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the stock of United Kingdom net overseas assets.

    Dr. Twinn To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the stock of United Kingdom net overseas assets.

    Mr. Major At the end of 1987, the United Kingdom net stock of overseas assets was worth £89½ billion, about one fifth of GDP. These assets generated earnings of £5½ billion in 1987. The United Kingdom net stock of assets was the second highest in the world behind Japan. Figures for 1988 are not yet available.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Civil Service Manpower – 21 December 1988

    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.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Identity Cards – 19 December 1988

    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.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Civil Service Manpower – 16 December 1988

    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.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Debt Repayment – 14 December 1988

    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.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Family Incomes – 14 December 1988

    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.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Imports – 13 December 1988

    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.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Contracts (Tendering) – 12 December 1988

    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.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on the Trade Deficit – 12 December 1988

    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.

  • Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Capital Investment – 8 December 1988

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Capital Investment on 8th December 1988.

    Mr. Cran To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what proportion he expects fixed capital investment to rise in 1988 over 1987.

    Mr. Major Total fixed capital investment was forecast in the Autumn Statement to grow in real terms by 12 per cent. in 1988.