§ Ms. MowlamTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide figures for(a) the total number of employees currently making donations to charity under the payroll deduction scheme introduced in the 1987 Budget, (b) the total number of companies from which employees are currently making donations to charity under the payroll deduction scheme, (c) the amount of money raised in the financial year 1987–88, under the scheme, (d) the total amount of money that has been raised to date for charities under the payroll deduction scheme and (e) the estimated amount of money that will have been raised for charities under the payroll deduction scheme by 1 April 1989.
§ Mr. Norman Lamont[holding answer 8 February 1989]: In 1987–88 it is estimated that about 60,000 employees participated in the scheme and £1 million was donated. The number of participants and the amount of donations are expected to be considerably higher in 1988–89. Current indications are that about 100,000 employees are participating, but it is not possible to provide a reliable forecast at this stage for the year as a whole. About 3,400 schemes have been set up to date, but a figure for the number of separate companies participating in the scheme is not available. Public authorities and other employers may also operate schemes and one company may register separate schemes for different payrolls; conversely a single scheme may cover a group of companies.