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ECOFIN
Mr. Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the (a) Ministers and (b) officials, indicating the departments represented, who were present at the ECOFIN meeting on 26 January. [69249]
Mrs. Roche [holding answer 4 February 1999]: There was no meeting of the Economic and Finance Council (ECOFIN) on 26 January. The Chancellor of the Exchequer attended a meeting of ECOFIN on 18 January, accompanied by a number of officials.
Mr. Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the EU countries which, at the ECOFIN meeting in Brussels on 26 January, declared (a) in favour and (b) against ecological tax reform; and if he will make a statement on the Government's policy. [69306]
Mrs. Roche [holding answer 4 February 1999]: The ECOFIN Council agreed at the meeting held on 1 December 1998 to mandate officials to continue work on a framework of energy taxation based on the draft Energy Products Directive. The meeting held on 26 January was a technical working group discussion on the draft Directive. Member States were not asked to say whether they were in favour or against ecological tax reform. The working group is expected to report back to ECOFIN in due course.
The Government's position on the Energy Products Directive is that we favour some aspects of the proposal, such as higher minimum rates of tax on road fuels.
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However, we could not accept, for social policy reasons, any obligation to impose new taxes on domestic fuel and power. Our attitude to new taxes on business use of energy will depend on the decisions we take in the light of Lord Marshall's report on 'Economic Instruments and the Business Use of Energy' which was published on 3 November 1998.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has (a) to review and (b) to alter the Barnett formula. [69238]
Mr. Milburn
[holding answer 4 February 1999]: I have no such plans.
Mr. Loughton:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to announce a timetable for the setting up of the Joint Committee on the proposed Financial Services Bill; when the proposed Membership of the Joint Committee will be announced; what criteria will be used in proposing members; and when the proposed remit of the Joint Committee will be announced.[R] [69183]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 4 February 1999]: The Joint Committee will be appointed after discussions through the usual channels and the necessary motions will be tabled soon.
Sir Teddy Taylor:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evidence he has evaluated on the printing of counterfeit Euro notes in advance of their distribution; and if he will make a statement. [69196]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 4 February 1999]: There is no specific evidence available at this stage of any counterfeit Euro notes. But police intelligence is constantly alert to the possibility of such activity. Moreover, there is a framework of international co-operation already in place to combat the counterfeiting of the Euro currency.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the letter of 28 October from the Financial Secretary to the hon. Member for Linlithgow (3/5658/98) concerning the Customs and Excise investigation into Lear's macaws and other parrots, what is the current position in respect of the Lear's macaws and their return to Brazil. [65406]
Dawn Primarolo
[holding answer 21 January 1999]: The Lear's macaws and other parrots have been seized as they are suspected to be liable to forfeiture. They are being kept in secure accommodation pending civil condemnation proceedings.
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases have been referred to the police for
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criminal prosecution as a result of pensions mis-selling in the last five years. [68806]
Mr. Cash:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the European Court of Justice Ruling (C172/96) on the UK financial services industry; what estimate he has made of the cost of the ruling to HM Customs and Excise; and if he will make a statement. [68816]
Dawn Primarolo:
The European Court of Justice ruled (C172/96) on 14 July 1998 that foreign exchange (forex) transactions are supplies for VAT purposes. This ruling will effect the extent to which financial institutions will be able to recover VAT on purchases relating to these transactions. In some cases, it will reduce the amount of VAT recoverable, but for those UK financial institutions with a wide range of non-EU, international customers it should increase the amount of recoverable tax. This is because these institutions will now be able to recover the VAT on forex transactions supplied to persons outside the EU where they were not previously able to do so. Some of these same institutions may also benefit if they apply the ruling to forex transactions which were made before 14 July 1998. The ECJ ruling will have no significant effect on the costs of HM Customs and Excise.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy that child care vouchers issued by employers should not be counted as part of an employee's taxable income; and if he will make a statement. [68964]
Dawn Primarolo:
The Government have no plans to exempt employer-provided child care vouchers from tax as a benefit in kind. Help for child care costs will be available to those who need it most through the child care tax credit, which forms part of the Working Families Tax Credit, to be introduced from 5 October this year.
Mr. Brady:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) of 14 January 1999, Official Report, columns 430-31, on the New Deal for Young People, what assumptions in respect of savings in benefits and increased tax revenue from those funding work are made in his calculations of the cost per job; and if it is his intention to apply this methodology to other Government programmes. [66592]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 19 January 1999]: I warmly endorse the answers given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunities to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on the New Deal for Young People on 14 January 1999, Official Report, columns 431-31. Expenditure on the New Deal is, as he said, money well spent. Early evidence suggests that the New Deal has speeded up the rate of exit from unemployment and the rate of entry into jobs amongst 18-24 year olds.
8 Feb 1999 : Column: 31
The Government's estimate of the average cost of jobs secured so far through the New Deal does not rely on assumptions in respect of savings in benefits and increased tax revenue. However, it does take general account of these factors when assessing the effectiveness of employment or other analogous programmes. As the New Deal increases sustainable employment and reduces structural unemployment, revenue would be gained and benefit outlay reduced as a result. This would contribute to the Government's Welfare to Work agenda, reducing dependency, maximising self-determination and contributing to the development of communities.
Mr. Derek Twigg:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make available details of his travel arrangements for attending international meetings of finance ministers in September 1997. [70306]
Mr. Gordon Brown:
Details have been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Maples:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the cost of the chartered helicopter he used between the airport and his hotel in Mauritius when he attended the Commonwealth finance ministers meeting in September 1997; [69412]
Mr. Gordon Brown
[holding answer 1 February 1999]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I am giving today to my hon. Friend the Member for Halton (Mr. Twigg), Official Report, column 31.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce a tax on windfall profits on the sale of agricultural land for development purposes. [69308]
Dawn Primarolo:
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be making his Budget statement on 9 March.
(2) what assistance the British High Commission in Mauritius gave in arranging to charter the helicopter used by the Chancellor of the Exchequer between the airport and the hotel during the Commonwealth finance ministers meeting in September 1997. [69413]
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