House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 15 Feb 1999 (pt 45)

Wages (Paisley)

Mr. Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how many (a) men and (b) women working (i) part-time and (ii) full-time in Paisley, South earn less than (1) £3 per hour, (2) £3.60 per hour and (3) £2.50 per hour; and in each case what is the percentage of the total number involved. [71431]

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. Douglas Alexander, dated 15 February 1999:

As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on earnings in Paisley South.

The New Earnings Survey (NES) can provide earnings data for small geographical areas. However, the release of NES data is restricted to figures which are derived from a sufficiently large sample of employees, and which have an acceptable level of accuracy. Estimates of the number of men and women in Paisley South who earn less than the levels quoted cannot be provided, because the small sample size produces unreliable statistics. I have therefore provided data for Renfrewshire in the attached table. These are based on the 1998 NES, the latest for which data are available.

The NES is based on a one per cent. sample of employees in the PAYE system and is therefore likely to under-represent relatively low paid staff earning below the tax threshold and in particular those who work part-time.

New Earnings Survey, April 1998Employees on adult rates, whose pay for the survey pay-period was unaffected by absence. Hourly earnings excluding overtime payments

Percentage earning

Less than £2.50 Less than £3.00 Less than £3.60

Renfrewshire

Full-time males 0.0 0.5 3.5

Part-time males (69)-- (69)-- (69)--

All males 0.0 0.5 3.8

Full-time females 1.7 1.7 4.3

Part-time females (69)-- (69)-- (69)--

All females 1.9 1.9 9.2

All full-time employees 0.6 1.0 3.8

All part-time employees (69)-- (69)-- (69)--

All employees 1.0 1.2 6.5

	Percentage earning
	Less than £2.50	Less than £3.00	Less than £3.60
Renfrewshire
Full-time males	0.0	0.5	3.5
Part-time males	(69)--	(69)--	(69)--
All males	0.0	0.5	3.8
Full-time females	1.7	1.7	4.3
Part-time females	(69)--	(69)--	(69)--
All females	1.9	1.9	9.2
All full-time employees	0.6	1.0	3.8
All part-time employees	(69)--	(69)--	(69)--
All employees	1.0	1.2	6.5

(69) Denotes that a reliable estimate is not available

15 Feb 1999 : Column: 595

Departmental Staff

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the total number of staff (a) in his Department and (b) in each of the agencies for which he is responsible and their location in (i) London, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) each of the English regions. [70456]

Ms Hewitt: I refer my hon. Friend to the "Civil Service Statistics 1998", which is available in the Libraries of the House. Total numbers of staff in Departments and Agencies are provided but a regional breakdown is provided for Departmental staff only.

Gaming Duty

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average increase in the income to the Treasury per transaction arising from the increase in gaming duty announced in the 1998 Budget. [70656]

Dawn Primarolo: No such estimate is available.

Private Health Care

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual average levy on a private healthcare insurance scheme as a result of the extension of insurance premium tax to such schemes in the 1997 Budget. [70678]

Dawn Primarolo: Insurance Premium Tax has applied to private medical insurance since the tax was introduced in 1994. The current rate is 4 per cent. In 1997, the legislation was amended to apply IPT again to a few insurance schemes that had been repackaged to benefit from the exemption for long-term policies. This protected £70 million tax revenue potentially at risk and removed a distortion of competition.

Fuel Duty

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) domestic households and (b) businesses have been affected by the changes in fuel and gas oil duty announced in the 1997 and 1998 budgets; and in each case what has been the average cost. [70680]

Ms Hewitt: This information is not available.

Corporation Tax

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses have been affected, and by what average amount, as a result of the reduction in the (a) main and (b) small firms rate of corporation tax in the 1997 and 1998 budgets. [70674]

Dawn Primarolo: The reductions in the main rate of corporation tax will benefit some 40,000 companies and the reductions in the small companies' rate will benefit some 360,000 companies. The full effect of the April 1997 rate cuts will occur only in payments made in 1999-2000 and similarly the full effect of the small companies' rate cut in April 1999 will occur only in payments made in 2000-01. The 1 per cent. cut in the main rate in April 1999 will start to have an effect from 1999-2000 as these companies will by then be partly paying tax in quarterly instalments.

15 Feb 1999 : Column: 596

The expected average gain for each type of company as a result of the tax cuts is given for each budget in the tables:

1997 Budget£

Average reduction in payment per company in:

1998-99 1999-2000

Cut in main rate from 33 per cent. to 31 per cent. on 1 April 1997 35,000 49,000

Cut in small companies' rate from 23 per cent. to 21 per cent. on 1 April 1997 500 700

	Average reduction in payment per company in:
	1998-99	1999-2000
Cut in main rate from 33 per cent. to 31 per cent. on 1 April 1997	35,000	49,000
Cut in small companies' rate from 23 per cent. to 21 per cent. on 1 April 1997	500	700

1998 Budget£

Average reduction in payment per company in:

1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02

Cut in main rate from 31 per cent. to 30 per cent. on 1 April 1999 7,500 25,000 27,500

Cut in small companies' rate from 21 per cent. to 20 per cent. on 1 April 1999 neg 250 350

	Average reduction in payment per company in:
	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02
Cut in main rate from 31 per cent. to 30 per cent. on 1 April 1999	7,500	25,000	27,500
Cut in small companies' rate from 21 per cent. to 20 per cent. on 1 April 1999	neg	250	350

Pensions

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the average annual cost to (a) a personal pension plan and (b) an occupational pension scheme as a result of the abolition of ACT credits; [70683]

(a)

(b)

Ms Hewitt: It is for pension providers and their contributors to decide what pension contributions should be paid after taking many factors into account.

Company Cars

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average number of company cars owned or leased per company in the United Kingdom. [70697]

Ms Hewitt: I regret that the information requested is not available.

Simon de Danser

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the boarding of the Simon de Danser by Customs and Excise officials. [70891]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, West (Valerie Davey) on 11 February 1999, Official Report, column 357.

15 Feb 1999 : Column: 597

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes to answer the four parliamentary questions tabled by the hon. Member for Maldon and East Chelmsford on 14 January for answer on 18 January. [71087]

Dawn Primarolo: I have done so today.

15 Feb 1999 : Column: 598

Ice Cream Sales

Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual revenue from VAT on ice cream sales by mobile ice cream vendors. [71130]

Dawn Primarolo: The annual revenue from VAT on the sale of ice cream eaten away from the home is approximately £20 million. It is not possible to separate the amount from mobile vendors.