HC Deb 31 October 1988 vol 139 cc498-9W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he will publish in theOfficial Report a table showing his estimate of the number of cases in which higher rate relief will be given on mortgage interest payments in the current financial year together with (a) the gross amount of interest qualifying for relief, (b) the amount of higher rate relief, and (c) the number of recipients of working age and their distribution by personal tax category and by range of total income together with the average amount of relief given by the standard and higher rate of tax;

(2) whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing by range of income and tax status an estimate of the saving to the Exchequer in a full year from abolishing, respectively, the upper earnings limit for national insurance contributions and higher rate relief on mortgage interest.

Mr. Norman Lamont

[pursuant to his reply, 29 July 1988, c. 732–34]: The removal of the upper earnings limit for employees' national insurance contributions is estimated to yield £1.45 billion in a full year at 1988–89 levels: I regret that the figure of £1.7 billion published in the Official Report was incorrect. Of the £1.45 billion, it is estimated that £0.2 billion would be from single persons, £0.65 billion from one-earner married couples and £0.6 billion from two-earner married couples. A more detailed breakdown of the yield is not available.