Written question asked by Lord Risby (Conservative) on Wednesday, 20 October 1999, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 29 October 1999. It was answered by Baroness Primarolo (Labour) on Friday, 29 October 1999 on behalf of the Treasury.

Treasury

Question: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other EU countries about EU proposals to enable a reduced rate of VAT to apply to (a) labour-intensive industries and (b) work on listed buildings.

Answer: Mr. Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other EU countries about EU proposals to enable a reduced rate of VAT to apply to (a) labour-intensive industries and (b) work on listed buildings. [95490] Dawn Primarolo: The terms of a draft Directive to allow member states to apply a reduced rate of VAT to certain labour-intensive services have been discussed by the European Council of Finance Ministers on several occasions this year: final agreement was reached on 22 October. There have been no discussions specifically about a reduced rate for work on listed buildings.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 95490; 336 c1034W;336 c1035W
Session: 1998-99
Subjects: EU action Listed buildings Repairs and maintenance VAT Tax rates and bands Service industries