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Climate Change Levy
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what help is he able to offer those industries that are intensive energy users but are presently outside the eligibility criteria to enter into a negotiated agreement under the climate change levy. [107937]
Mr. Timms: Those sectors outside the scope of the negotiated agreements stand to benefit from a number of modifications to the design of the climate change levy announced by the Chancellor in the Pre-Budget Report, including the lower overall rates of the levy; the exemptions for electricity generated from 'new' forms of renewable energy and in 'good quality' combined heat and power plants; and the trebling of support for energy efficiency measures under the levy package.
Tobacco Revenues
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if spending on the NHS during the period of
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the second Comprehensive Spending Review, excluding any increases in spending that result from real terms increases in revenues from tobacco, will not be cut in real terms. [107983]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
Decisions on expenditure plans for 2001-02 to 2003-04 will be taken in due course as part of the current spending review. The Government are however committed to increase NHS spending in real terms, year on year.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the profits were from the Bank of England's investment of the reserves net of management charges for the last five years; [106799]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
The 1997-98 accounts of the Exchange Equalisation Account, the account at the Bank of England which holds the United Kingdom's foreign currency and gold reserves, were published on 26 January. These accounts were the first ever accounts of the Exchange Equalisation Account to be published. The accounts for 1998-99 will be published once the National Audit Office has completed its audit.
The Treasury has a PSA target to:
Mr. McWalter:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the differentials between the salaries of IT staff in the (a) public sector and (b) private sector on the efficiency of public sector IT procurement. [106585]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
This is one of a range of issues currently being examined by the Cabinet Office's review of major IT projects. We are also taking careful account of it in setting up the Office of Government Commerce.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of (a) families with dependent children, (b) non-pensioner couples with no children, (c) non-pensioner single people, (d) pensioner couples and (e) single pensioners who have gross annual income of less than £10,000 and who (i) pay tax and (ii) do not pay tax, if receipts of tax credits are treated as negative taxation. [103551]
Dawn Primarolo:
Treating the Working Families Tax Credit as negative taxation impacts only upon category (a): families with dependent children. It is estimated that in 2000-01 there will be 270,000 families with dependent children with gross annual income of less than £10,000 that include a taxpayer. Of those families about 200,000 will receive Working Families Tax Credit that exceeds the total tax liability of the family. For 2000-01 the numbers affected in the other categories, and the numbers in receipt
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of other tax credits such as the Disabled Person's Tax Credit are too small, or the amounts involved are too small, for reliable estimates to be made.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many press releases were issued by the Treasury in each year from 1995 to the present. [106802]
Dawn Primarolo:
The number of Treasury press notices in each year from 1995 to the present is as follows:
(2) what the cost was of holding the Government's foreign currency reserves in the last five years. [106798]
"minimise the cost of holding the Government's foreign currency reserves, while reducing risk".
A report on performance against this target will be published in the Treasury's Departmental Report to be published later this year.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 186 |
| 1996 | 187 |
| 1997 | 184 |
| 1998 | 244 |
| 1999 | 239 |
| 2000 | (14)8 |
(14) To date
SOCIAL SECURITY
Nursing Home Residents (Income Support)
Mr. O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate how many residents of residential and nursing homes (a) in total, (b) aged 65 years or over and (c) aged under 65 years, who have preserved rights to income support, are being supported by local authorities. [104063]
Mr. Hutton: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is not available centrally.
State Second Pension
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measure of average earnings will be used to update the lower earnings threshold for the state second pension. [107670]
Mr. Rooker: The Low Earnings Threshold will be revalued annually in line with increases in national average earnings, normally measured by the Average Earnings Index (All Employees) as published by the Office for National Statistics.
Invalid Care Allowance
Mr. Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the method used to calculate holiday entitlement for people in receipt of Invalid Care Allowance. [107653]
Mr. Bayley: We recognise the importance for carers of being able to take a break from their caring responsibilities. A carer in receipt of Invalid Care Allowance is therefore able to retain entitlement during short breaks not exceeding four weeks in any 26 without losing benefit.
The calculation of this entitlement involves the use of a rolling period of 26 weeks. Each week of the proposed break is assessed to see if it falls within a period of 26 weeks in which no more than four weeks' break will have occurred in total.
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Mr. Coaker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to use benefit sanctions to tackle the problem of neighbour nuisance. [107484]
Angela Eagle:
We have made it clear that there is no unconditional right to benefits. Rights must be matched by responsibilities. We are looking at these issues across the board, but no announcements are imminent.
Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the age at which the income of the two pensioners in examples 1 and 2 of page 122 of the "Opportunities for All" report will be less than the Minimum Income Guarantee; and what are his assumptions about increases in (a) the basic state pension, (b) the state second pension and (c) the Minimum Income Guarantee after 2051. [107373]
Mr. Rooker:
The information is in the table.
Note:
These results have been estimated assuming:
State second pension starts in 2002 and is uprated in line with prices once in payment;
Basic state pension is uprated in line with prices;
Minimum Income Guarantee is uprated in line with earnings from 1999 onwards;
Earnings are assumed to grow 1.5 per cent. faster than prices in line with GAD projections;
A person who works for a full working life begins work at age 16, works for 49 years and retires at age 65.
The time taken and age at which each of the two illustrative examples detailed would fall onto the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG).
Example 1 Example 2
Time taken to fall onto the MIG following retirement (years) 9 12
Age when example falls onto the MIG 74 77
Barristers (Northern Ireland)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what words form the declaration required as a condition of appointment to the Senior Bar in Northern Ireland; and what is his assessment of the compatibility of this requirement with (a) the Fair Employment Act, (b) the Good Friday Agreement and (c) UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers. [107826]
Mr. Lock: Those called as Queen's Counsel in Northern Ireland are required to make the same declaration as is required of Queen's Counsel in England and Wales:
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Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many individuals have been called to the Bar in Northern Ireland in each of the past 10 years; and what was the perceived community affiliation of the intake in each year. [107824]
Mr. Lock:
I understand from the Inn of Court of Northern Ireland that the numbers of individuals called to the Bar of Northern Ireland were:
"I, N., do sincerely promise and declare that I will well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second and all whom I may lawfully be called upon to serve in the office of one of Her Majesty's Counsel learned in the Law according to the best of my skill and understanding."
The second part of the question relates to a matter currently before the High Court in Northern Ireland, and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment at this stage.
| Year | Term | Number called | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Hilary | 4 | -- |
| Trinity | 6 | -- | |
| Michaelmas | 24 | 34 | |
| 1990 | Trinity | 7 | -- |
| Michaelmas | 26 | 33 | |
| 1991 | Trinity | 9 | -- |
| Michaelmas | 22 | 31 | |
| 1992 | Hilary | 2 | -- |
| Trinity | 1 | -- | |
| Michaelmas | 22 | 25 | |
| 1993 | Hilary | 3 | -- |
| Trinity | 7 | -- | |
| Michaelmas | 23 | 33 | |
| 1994 | Hilary | 1 | -- |
| Trinity | 2 | -- | |
| Michaelmas | 36 | 39 | |
| 1995 | Trinity | 4 | -- |
| Michaelmas | 21 | 25 | |
| 1996 | Hilary | 7 | -- |
| Trinity | 6 | -- | |
| Michaelmas | 33 | 46 | |
| 1997 | Hilary | 7 | -- |
| Trinity | 3 | -- | |
| Michaelmas | 43 | 53 | |
| 1998 | Hilary | 14 | -- |
| Michaelmas | 36 | 50 | |
| 1999 | Hilary | 13 | -- |
| Michaelmas | 43 | 56 |
Information on the perceived community backgrounds is irrelevant and is not collected.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the dates of correspondence exchanged since January 1997 with the Northern Ireland Lord Chief Justice concerning appointments to the Senior Bar; and if he will place copies of correspondence in the Library. [107825]
Mr. Lock:
This relates to a matter currently before the High Court in Northern Ireland and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment or to provide copies as sought at this stage.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will set out the procedures for nomination, selection and appointment of the Senior Bar in Northern Ireland; how many appointments have been made in each of the last 10 years; and what was the perceived community affiliation of the intake in each year. [107823]
Mr. Lock:
The process of appointing Queen's Counsel relates to a matter currently before the High Court in Northern Ireland and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment. The nomination and selection process is one of open application, the applications received being considered alongside the views of consultees who comprise judges, the Northern Ireland Bar and Law Society of Northern Ireland. Selections are made on merit.
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The number of Queen's Counsel appointed in Northern Ireland in the last 10 years are:
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1989 | 8 |
| 1990 | -- |
| 1991 | -- |
| 1992 | -- |
| 1993 | 10 |
| 1994 | -- |
| 1995 | -- |
| 1996 | 13 |
| 1997 | -- |
| 1998 | -- |
| 1999 | 10 |
The call of members of other Inner Bars and calls Honoris Causa are not included.Information on the perceived community background of appointees is irrelevant and is not collected.
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consultation procedures were adopted following publication of the Elliott report in May 1997; what responses were made; and what conclusion he reached. [107827]
Mr. Lock:
This relates to a matter currently before the High Court in Northern Ireland and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment at this stage.
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