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Cancer (Survival Rates)
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the five-year survival rate for cancer is in (a) the UK and (b) other OECD countries. [59849]
Ms Hewitt: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Jonathan Sayeed, dated 17 November 1998:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary question on the five-year survival rate for cancer.
I refer you to my answer of 5 November to Dennis Skinner MP (Hansard number 233, column 682), which gave information on the survival of cancer patients.
Cot Deaths
Mr. Fearn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the rate of cot death in (a) 1996, (b) 1997 and (c) 1998 to date. [60012]
Ms Hewitt: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Ronnie Fearn, dated 17 November 1998:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question on rates of cot deaths.
The infant mortality rate 1 for England and Wales due to sudden infant death is as follows:
1996 0.65
1997 0.61
1998 Data are not yet available
1 per 1,000 live births
This information is published in the ONS monitor DH3 98/2 Sudden infant deaths 1993-1997, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.
Abortions
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of abortions for women in Walthamstow were funded by the NHS in the last three years for which figures are available. [60031]
Ms Hewitt: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Neil Gerrard, dated 17 November 1998:
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As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question on NHS abortions in Walthamstow.
Information on the number of abortions performed on residents of each parliamentary constituency is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The ONS routinely publishes abortion statistics by regions and health authorities (HA). The following table shows the percentage of abortions funded by the NHS for residents of Redbridge and Waltham Forest HA.
| Year | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 42 |
| 1996 | 34 |
| 1997(12) | 42 |
(12) Provisional figure
Figures for each year from 1995 and 1996 are published in the ONS Annual Reference Volumes: Abortion statistics series AB nos. 20-23. Provisional figures for 1997 were published in the ONS Monitor Series AB 98/4 Legal abortions 1997: residents of regions and health authorities on 26 June 1998. These are available in the House of Commons library.
Landfill Tax
Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on landfill tax in relation to salt extraction companies. [58629]
Ms Hewitt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 9 November 1998, Official Report, column 100.
Public Expenditure
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out his estimates of additional public expenditure for each Department on the basis of the same assumptions as underly the calculation that spending on health and education will rise by £40 billion by the end of the Parliament, (a) on the Government's proposed accounting conventions and (b) treating public expenditure and tax expenditures on the working families tax credit in the same way as expenditure on family credit is currently treated. [58599]
Mr. Byers [holding answer 9 November 1998]: Estimates of the cumulative increase in each department's Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) for the years 1999-2000 to 2001-02 over and above expenditure planned for the current year, 1998-99, can be calculated from Table B17 in the Pre-Budget Report, which updates Table A4 in the Comprehensive Spending Review White Paper. The figure of £40 billion for additional spending on education and health includes estimates of spending in these areas by the Scottish Office, Welsh Office and Northern Ireland departments, and by local authorities, as well as by the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Health.
Expenditure on family credit in 1998-99 and 1999-2000 is included not in DEL but in Annually Managed Expenditure (AME). Payments of working families tax
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credit from 1999-2000 onwards will also score in AME, in line with the new European System of Accounts. The cumulative increase in AME for 1999-2000 to 2001-02 over 1998-99 can be calculated from Table B12 of the Pre-Budget Report.
Mr. Tyrie:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government will press the IMF for (a) the publication of all Article IV reports and (b) greater transparency of the IMF's accounts. [56528]
Ms Hewitt
[holding answer 26 October 1998]: In his statement to the Interim Committee of the IMF on 4 October, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer said that the case for publishing in a timely and systematic way all key surveillance and programme documents, including Article IV reports, should be considered. He also said that ways should be found to improve the IMF's own accountability, to ensure that it performs its responsibilities in an open and transparent way that enhances public confidence. As part of that effort, the Chancellor is encouraging the IMF to continue looking for ways to improve the format, readability and clarity of their financial data.
Ms Lawrence:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest progress in the review of personal pensions mis-selling. [60382]
Ms Hewitt:
Further advances have been made towards completion of the first phase of the review.
On the regulators' advice, a further eight firms who have met their targets for phase 1 of the review have been removed from the Treasury's published list. The eight are Albany Life, Allied Dunbar, Canada Life, Gan, M&E Network, National Westminster, Royal London and Wesleyan Assurance.
Of the 21 firms whose results are set out in the table, only two have resolved less than 75 per cent. of their cases. Seven have now resolved over 90 per cent of their cases.
Substantial progress is now being made with phase 1 of the review. But firms should be clear that it is essential the remaining cases are resolved in line with the regulators' timetable. That means all firms completing phase 1 by the end of December.
The published figures measure firms' progress in assessing whether people are entitled to redress, and, if so, reaching agreement on offers of redress, but that is not the end of the process. It is also important that the redress is delivered as a matter of priority. The regulators will continue to take action against laggards to ensure that investors are properly protected.
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Notes:
A: cases identified as requiring review.
B: of A, cases where investor was informed that information gained during assessment excluded cases from review.
C: number of assessments completed.
D: cases where the investor has been informed that no redress is due.
E: cases where redress has been offered.
F: cases where redress has been accepted.
G: cases where redress has been accepted as a percentage of cases identified for review ((F/A)x100).
H: cases completed, including exclusions, as a percentage of cases identified for review (((B+D+F)/A)x100).
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