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DEL Scheme
Ms Lawrence: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the entitlements for 1999-2000 resulting from the carry forward of underspends allowed under the DEL end year flexibility scheme. [93819]
Mr. Milburn: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, individual departmental DELs, running costs limits and external finance limits will be increased when entitlement is taken up.
The increase in DEL resulting from the take up of end year flexibility will be charged to the DEL Reserve and £700 million, representing the underspend in 1998-99 on programmes within DEL, is being carried forward into the 1999-2000 DEL Reserve for this purpose. A list of entitlements will be placed in the Library.
Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times Ministers in his Department have held meetings with Ministers and officials of the
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Irish Government since 1 January 1998, indicating the dates and locations of each meeting, the Ministers involved, and the names of the Irish Ministers and officials at each meeting. [90404]
Ms Hewitt:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has met his Irish counterpart, Charlie McCreevy, on a number of occasions in the margins of meetings of European Finance Ministers. In addition they had a meeting on 12 March 1998 in London.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if those categories of income excluded from taxation with effect from 6 April by the Finance Bill 1999 will be similarly excluded in the calculation of income for the purposes of the Working Families Tax Credit with effect from October 1999. [91835]
Dawn Primarolo:
The rules for the categories of income which are to be excluded from the calculation of the Working Families Tax Credit build on those for Family Credit. They can be found in the Family Credit (General) Regulations 1987, and the draft Tax Credits (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulation 1999 published on 5 July.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what date staff in the Inland Revenue inquiry offices will be trained to make better-off calculations for inquirers considering taking up employment; and if the Inland Revenue will advise Family Credit claimants whether they would be better off waiting to claim Working Families Tax Credit rather than renewing or making a claim for Family Credit for the first time. [91833]
Dawn Primarolo:
Advice on Family Credit and transition to WFTC will continue to be available from the Family Credit Unit Helpline. The training to enable existing IR staff, including those in IR inquiry offices, to tell potential applicants how much WFTC might be due if they made a claim will begin on 31 August.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Inland Revenue will first accept and begin to examine claims for the Working Families Tax Credit and the Disabled Person's Tax Credit. [91831]
Dawn Primarolo:
Working Families Tax Credit and Disabled Person's Tax Credit awards will begin from 5 October. The Inland Revenue will accept applications and have procedures in place in advance of this date to ensure that payments are made as soon as possible after 5 October.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to ensure that before employers are involved in the administration of the Working Families Tax Credit and Disabled Person's Tax Credit in April 2000, the lessons learned from the practical experience with the new forms and procedures for those credits in Autumn 1999 will be taken into account. [91834]
Dawn Primarolo:
The joint Inland Revenue/Benefits Agency Project Team will be drawing on the practical experience of the October 1999 changes in finalising the arrangements for April 2000. Inland Revenue officials will continue to consult employer representatives on the details of the scheme.
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Mr. Webb:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what date training for staff will be completed in the Inland Revenue inquiry offices on the working families tax credit and the disabled person's tax credit. [91832]
Dawn Primarolo:
Help and advice will continue as now, to be available in Benefits Agency and Employment Service offices. The initial training of all Inland Revenue staff who may expect to deal with inquiries about working families tax credit and disabled person's tax credit will take place in September and October 1999 so as to ensure that sufficient numbers of trained staff are in position to deal effectively with such inquiries.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Commission proposal on own resources at ECOFIN on 12 July. [92830]
Ms Hewitt:
The Berlin European Council agreed that a new Own Resources Decision should be introduced under which the UK abatement will remain; the ceiling on EU own resources is kept at 1.27 per cent. of EU GNP; and contributions related to VAT and "traditional" own resources are reduced in favour of fairer payments linked to member states' GNPs. At ECOFIN on 12 July the Commission made a short presentation of their draft of that Decision. I shall shortly be submitting an Explanatory Memorandum on it to the Scrutiny Committee.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the presidency reports on the implementation of the European anti-fraud office approved at ECOFIN on 12 July. [92829]
Ms Hewitt:
The Presidency made an oral report on progress on the implementation of the European anti-fraud
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office and tabled two documents. The first concerned the appointment of the Members of the Supervisory Committee and was deposited for scrutiny on 21 July. The second was a draft Council decision concerning implementation. I will send this to the Chairman of the Scrutiny Committee for information when I receive a copy of the final decision which was approved.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the ECOFIN Council of 12 July endorsed increased commitments to EIB loans to third countries. [92871]
Ms Hewitt:
The ECOFIN Council of 12 July agreed to renew the Community guarantee for EIB lending in third countries for a further seven years from 1 February 2000. The guarantee will cover average annual lending of up to euro 2,630 million during this period. This is an increase on the volume of lending under the existing guarantee which covers an average of approximately euro 2,450 million a year (over a three year period).
Mr. Rogers:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each county in England and for the relevant areas in Wales and Scotland the number and percentage of taxpayers with taxable incomes over (a) £50,000, (b) £60,000, (c) £70,000, (d) £100,000 and (e) £150,000. [93120]
Dawn Primarolo:
The table shows approximate estimates of the number and percentage of taxpayers with taxable incomes above the levels requested in 1996-97, the latest year for which there is information available. These estimates are based on a sample survey and the sample size is not large enough to allow estimates to be made for the majority of unitary authorities in Wales and Scotland.
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(47) Sample size too low to allow estimates to be made
Source:
1996-97 Survey of Personal Incomes, Inland Revenue
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