§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many front-line anti-smuggling staff are currently deployed at each port on the south coast; and how many were deployed at each south coast port in each year since 1983.
§ Sir John Cope[holding answer 26 January 1994]: This information is not gathered centrally and the cost of supplying staffing figures for all south coast ports is considered to be disproportionate. However, the number of staff years deployed on anti-smuggling duties for the main south coast ports are as follows.
Numbers for earlier years are no longer available as the records have now been destroyed. The figures for 1992–93 and 1993–94 relate purely to anti-smuggling staff but the numbers for earlier years also cover other duties which include collection of duty and other fiscal work. The figures were not sub-divided between anti-smuggling and other tasks for those earlier years.
§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what working assumption has been used for interest rates to calculate forecasts of the cost of changes to the rate of mortgage interest relief published in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1994–95."
§ Mr. Dorrell[holding answer 26 January 1994]: Using the conventional assumption of mortgage interest rates remaining at their then current level, 8 per cent. was used.
§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of mortgage interest relief would be in 1994–95 and 1995–96 if the rate at which it were available were unchanged from 1993–94.
§ Mr. Dorrell[holding answer 26 January 1994]: The estimated costs if mortgage interest relief were given at 25 per cent. are £4.3 billion in 1994–95 and £4.7 billion in 1995–96. These estimates are based on the conventional assumption that mortgage interest rates remain at their current levels.