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Film Industry
27. Ms Ward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the efficacy of his tax relief measures to support the film industry; and if he will make a statement. [112244]
Dawn Primarolo: We are continuing to assess the effectiveness of the tax measures introduced in 1997 and indications are that they are working well. It would of course be improper for me to anticipate what may or may not be in my right hon. Friend the Chancellor's Budget.
Market-sensitive Announcements
28. Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the making of announcements which are market sensitive. [112245]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Treasury has well-established procedures which allow us to advance policy while taking account of any potential market sensitivity.
VAT (House Renovations)
29. Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of VAT on house renovations. [112246]
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Dawn Primarolo:
Statistics on renovated dwellings and on the VAT relating to such work are not directly available.
Based on data published in Housing and Construction Statistics 1988-98, VAT charged in 1998 in respect of repairs, maintenance and improvements carried out by contractors on private sector housing in Great Britain is estimated at £1.7 billion. It is not possible to identify renovations separately.
30. Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the latest costs to the contingency fund of (a) civil and (b) military actions in Kosovo. [112247]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
No advances from the Contingencies Fund have been made to Departments in respect of military or civil actions in Kosovo. There have however in the course of the current financial year been allocations from the Reserve of £396 million in respect of military operations and £154 million in respect of peacekeeping, humanitarian and refugee programmes.
31. Mr. Butterfill:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is his objective to harmonize Sterling interest rates with those of the euro-zone. [112249]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
The Monetary Policy Committee sets UK interest rates at the level it considers necessary, in its best collective judgment, to keep inflation on track to meet the Government's inflation target. Similarly, the European Central Bank set interest rates to achieve their objective of maintaining price stability in the euro-area.
33. Mr. Goggins:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the net effect on public finances arising from changes in the rate of employment since May 1997. [112251]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
Employment has increased by over 800,000 since the last election, and there are now more people in work than ever before. While higher employment improves the public finances by raising revenue and reducing social security payments, it is difficult to identify the precise effect of changes in the rate of employment on the public finances, as this depends on a large number of factors. None the less, a higher rate of sustainable employment has been an important contributory factor to the substantial improvement seen in the public finances since May 1997.
Mr. Derek Twigg:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of United Kingdom jobs dependent on trade with the European Union. [112237]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
It is estimated that up to 3½ million jobs in the UK are linked, directly and indirectly, to the exports of goods and services to the European Union from the UK.
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Mr. MacShane:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost of including within the working families tax credit an additional £32 per week if the claimant is 18 or over and is married; and what would be the cost if this additional credit was also extended to claimants who are not married but living with someone as though they are married to that person. [112807]
Dawn Primarolo:
Within the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC), both those couples who are married and those living together as if they are married are treated alike. It is therefore not possible to provide separate estimates for the two groups.
Based on the full year cost of the WFTC, the cost of including an additional £32 per week within the credits for all couples already in receipt of WFTC would be about £1.3 billion. In addition, there will be couples who previously did not qualify on income grounds who will become eligible because of the additional credit. It is not possible to estimate the additional costs arising from this and other behavioural effects, except at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met representatives of low cost airlines to discuss air passenger duty. [112216]
Mr. Timms:
I have recently had various discussions about air passenger duty with representatives from a wide range of organisations within the airline industry, including EasyJet.
Dr. Desmond Turner:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to help reduce the level of sterling. [112223]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
The Government want a stable and competitive pound over the medium term that is consistent with price stability, but does not have a target for the exchange rate. The best contribution the Government can make, consistent with this objective, is to maintain sound public finances and low inflation.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 2 March 2000, Official Report, column 379W, if he was informed before the Commission for Racial Equality's meeting on 7 February that additional funding had been promised to Global Cultural Diversity Congress 2000 Ltd by his Department; if he or any of his Ministers authorised such funding or promises of funding; and if he will make a statement. [113800]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I do not accept that a promise was made to provide additional funding.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 1 March 2000, Official Report, column 288W, concerning the
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Global Cultural Diversity Congress, if he will make a statement on the timescale for the review to be conducted by the Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality which he announced on 22 February. [113803]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The timetable is still under discussion with Gurbux Singh. It will be announced shortly.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 1 March 2000, Official Report, column 288W, concerning the Global Cultural Diversity Congress, if he will place the full text of the report by the Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality in the Library when it is available, along with the key findings of the report. [113802]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I refer to the reply given to my hon. Friend, the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore) by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 6 March 2000, Official Report, column 548W.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answers of 2 March 2000, Official Report, columns 378-83W, if he had been informed of (a) the involvement of Mr. Hugh Harris with Global Cultural Diversity Congress 2000 Ltd. and (b) the fact that additional funding for Global Cultural Diversity Congress 2000 Ltd. was to be discussed at the Commission for Racial Equality's meeting on 7 February, when he appointed Mr. Harris as acting Chairman of the Commission of Racial Equality on 7 February; and if he will make a statement. [113804]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, was aware that Hugh Harris was a member of the Board of Global Cultural Diversity Congress 2000 Ltd at the time of his appointment, but did not become aware until later of all the issues that led my right hon. Friend, to decide that substantial public funds could not be justified to support the Congress.
My right hon. Friend was also aware that additional funding for Global Cultural Diversity Congress 2000 Ltd was to be discussed at the Commission for Racial Equality's meeting on 7 February.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the organisations which have agreed to provide accommodation on contract to the National Asylum Seekers Support Agency. [113785]
Mrs. Roche:
We are currently concluding negotiations with accommodation providers prior to awarding contracts very shortly. In the meantime, information about those providers, including their identities, must be treated as commercially confidential.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 6 March 2000, Official Report, columns 556-58W, to the hon. Member for South Thanet (Dr. Ladyman) what additional funding will be provided to local authorities supporting asylum seekers after 1 April. [113797]
Mrs. Roche:
The Home Office has a provisional allocation of £300 million to meet the costs of supporting asylum seekers in 2000-01. The cost of supporting asylum seekers is sensitive to a wide range of factors,
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including the level of applications, the rate for take-up of support and the speed with which applications are processed. We are continuing to work with local authorities and others to determine an accurate estimate of costs and consider the most suitable method of reimbursement.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many units of accommodation for asylum seekers after 1 April he has asked the National Asylum Seekers Support Agency to secure; how many such units of accommodation have been secured so far; and if he will make a statement. [113788]
Mrs. Roche:
We intend to have enough accommodation from 3 April to take destitute port asylum applicants on to the new support arrangements. We aim to build up numbers fairly swiftly from there on to be able to bring in-country applicants on to the arrangements as soon as possible.
We expect to conclude supplier negotiations and award contracts very shortly.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on asylum seeker support in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2001-02; [113787]
Mrs. Roche:
The Home Office has provisional allocations of £300 million to meet the costs of supporting asylum seekers in 2000-01 and £250 million in 2001-02.
The cost of supporting asylum seekers is sensitive to a wide range of factors, including the level of applications, the rate for take-up of support and the speed with which applications are processed. We are continuing to work with local authorities and others to determine an accurate estimate of costs and consider the most suitable method of reimbursement.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims for asylum have been submitted by people who came into the United Kingdom (a) under the United Nations Humanitarian Evacuation Plan from Kosovo and (b) through organised medical evacuations from Kosovo; and if he will make a statement. [113323]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 6 March 2000]: Non-Governmental Organisations representing Kosovan Albanians evacuated to the United Kingdom have been asked to direct applications for asylum to a central unit in the Integrated Casework Directorate of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. These records show two asylum applications to have been made by people who came into the United Kingdom from Kosovo under the United Nations Humanitarian Evacuation Plan, one of which has subsequently been withdrawn, and that none have been made by people who came into the United Kingdom from Kosovo through organised medical evacuations.
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(2) what estimate he has made of the amount of money his Department will pay to local authorities in 2000-01 to reimburse them for the costs of supporting asylum seekers who claim asylum on or after 1 April. [113789]
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