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Employment Statistics
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claimant-count unemployed people left the UK workforce in order to secure work in other countries during the most recent year for which figures are available. [107231]
Miss Melanie Johnson: 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. Dafydd Wigley, dated 31 January 2000:
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the most recent figures for the total number of people in employment and self-employment, as a proportion of the working age population, in (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales. [107227]
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Miss Melanie Johnson:
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. Dafydd Wigley, dated 31 January 2000:
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Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list, for each year since 1979 to date, the number of (a) long-term unemployed, (b) young unemployed and (c) total unemployed in Shrewsbury and Atcham; and if he will make a statement. [107258]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
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. Paul Marsden, dated 31 January 2000:
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on drug prevention measures of the proposed reduction of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise cover in the South West; and if he will make a statement. [107544]
Dawn Primarolo:
Customs are carrying out a review to ensure that we are making the best use of our resources to target the highest priorities and risks. This work has not yet been completed and no decisions have been made.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which disability products and services are exempt from VAT. [107515]
Dawn Primarolo:
There is a specific VAT exemption for welfare services and associated goods supplied other than for profit to disabled people by charities and public bodies.
In addition there is a wide range of VAT zero-rates for goods and services supplied to disabled people. VAT Notice 701/7 "VAT reliefs for people with disabilities" contains details and is available from the Library.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions in each of the past five years computer systems in his Department have been illegally accessed by computer hackers (a) within and (b) outside his Department. [106225]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
There was one instance of unauthorised external use of a mail gateway in October 1999, but there have been no recorded instances of illegal access to Treasury computer systems at any other time.
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Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of computer (a) fraud, including fraudulent use of computer chips and (b) theft his Department has recorded in the last five years. [106221]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
There has been one instance of unauthorised external use of an email gateway (in October 1999), but there are no further recorded instances of fraudulent use of Treasury systems in any of the last five years.
There have been some cases of thefts of computer equipment as follows:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on the number of claimant-count unemployed people who left the UK workforce in order to secure work in other countries.
The information requested is not available.
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on proportions of working age people in employment.
The latest available estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the main source of labour market data on individuals, for September to November 1999 are: England 75.0 per cent., Wales 69.4 per cent., Scotland 71.8 per cent. These estimates are seasonally adjusted. The available estimate for Northern Ireland is 67.0 per cent. (not seasonally adjusted). These estimates appear in the Labour Market Statistics First Release issued on 19 January.
Employment rates express the total in employment as a percentage of all of working age, in each country. Working age is defined as men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59.
People aged 16 or over are classed as in employment by the LFS if they have done at least one hour of paid work (as an employee or self-employed) in the week prior to their LFS interview or if they have a job from which they are temporarily away. People who do unpaid work in a family business and people on Government-supported training and employment programmes are also included according to the International Labour Organisation convention.
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on the number of unemployed in Shrewsbury and Atcham.
The ONS publishes a monthly count of claimants of unemployment-related benefits. The claimant count consists of all people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or National Insurance credits at Employment Service local offices. They must declare that they are out of work, capable of, available for and actively seeking work during the week in which the claim is made.
The information requested can be obtained from the Nomis database at the House of Commons Library.
Information on the claimant count by parliamentary constituency is available monthly from June 1983. Information on the claimant count by age and duration for computerised claims only is available monthly from June 1985. Both are on the unadjusted basis only.
| Year | Amount |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 3 |
| 1996 | 6 |
| 1997 | 9 |
| 1998 | 1 |
| 1999 | 4 |
Barnett Formula
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek to alter the operation of the Barnett Formula to recognise the increased needs for public expenditure in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. [107068]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The Government's policy is set out in the White Paper, "A Voice for Wales", copies of which have been placed in the Library.
VAT (House Repairs and Refurbishment)
Mr. Curry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the level of a uniform rate of VAT on development on previously underdeveloped sites and on house repair and refurbishment which would generate the same level of VAT income as the present VAT regime. [107278]
Dawn Primarolo: Based on existing pattern of activity in new build, repairs and refurbishment, a uniform 10 per cent. VAT rate on development of previously undeveloped sites and on house repair and refurbishment would generate approximately the same level of VAT income as the present VAT regime.
Alcohol and Tobacco
Mr. Maclean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the current (a) extent and (b) loss to the Exchequer as a result of (i) tobacco smuggling and (ii) alcohol smuggling. [107496]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mrs. Lawrence) on 26 November 1999, Official Report, columns 254-55W.
Liquid Petroleum Gas
Mr. McWalter:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the fuel price escalator on those households whose principal fuel is liquid petroleum gas. [107355]
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Mr. Timms:
No such assessment is needed. Liquid petroleum gas used for domestic purposes is not subject to any excise duty.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what data he has collated on the number of individuals who are paid on a 28 day month basis; and what assessment he has made of their income tax liability in those years when they receive 14 payments? [107532R]
Dawn Primarolo:
The interval at which employees are paid is a matter for businesses to decide. No one pays more tax on their earnings than is due in law as a result of having an extra pay day in a year.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total number of death certificates issued in Wales in each of the past 10 years that mentioned (a) heroin, (b) methadone, (c) ecstasy, (d) paracetamol and (e) alcohol. [106189]
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Miss Melanie Johnson:
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. Paul Flynn, dated 31 January 2000
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(2) what representations he has received from taxpayers who may receive 14 monthly pay packets in a particular year. [107501R]
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking what was the total number of death certificates issued in Wales in each of the past 10 years that mentioned (a) heroin, (b) methadone, (c) ecstasy, (d) paracetamol and (e) alcohol.
Information is available for usual residents of Wales, rather than for deaths occurring in Wales.
The information requested in parts (a) to (d) of the question can only be supplied from 1993 onwards when text from the death certificate was first stored electronically. This enables named drugs to be identified. The ONS has constructed a database of deaths where the underlying cause of death was drug-related. Table [1] shows the numbers of deaths on this database where the substances named in (a) to (d) were mentioned on the death certificate. Some deaths may be counted more than once, for example if heroin and methadone are both recorded on the death certificate.
It is not possible to identify all deaths with a mention of alcohol from the ONS drug-related database. The ONS does, however, have a standard list of underlying causes of death regarded as being attributable to alcohol and alcohol-related illness. Figures for these deaths are presented in Table [2].
| Year | Heroin and Diamorphine | Heroin and Morphine(25) | MDMA/Ecstasy | Paracetamol(26) | Methadone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 5 |
| 1994 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 19 | 9 |
| 1995 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 39 | 19 |
| 1996 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 21 | 19 |
| 1997 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 32 | 21 |
(24) Deaths with underlying cause codes 292, 304, 305.2-305.9, E850-E858, E950.0-E950.5, E962.0 and E980.0-E980.5 using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, where the named substance was mentioned on the death certificate.
(25) Combined figures are presented for heroin and morphine as the latter may be detected at post-mortem following the breakdown of heroin in the body.
(26) Includes deaths where paracetamol or any compounds containing paracetamol, such as co-proxamol, are mentioned on the death certificate.
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| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 305 |
| 1997 | 295 |
| 1996 | 294 |
| 1995 | 289 |
| 1994 | 244 |
| 1993 | 240 |
| 1992 | 213 |
| 1991 | 233 |
| 1990 | 234 |
| 1989 | 201 |
(27) Underlying cause of death codes 303, 305.0, 291, 425.5, 571 and N980, using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision.
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