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Beef
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps the Government are taking to secure a lifting of the ban on the export of British beef to the EU. [117187]
Ms Quin: British beef can be exported to all member states except France. The European Commission has begun legal proceedings against the French Government for their failure to lift their ban on the import of British beef. The UK Government have made it clear to the Commission that they expect these proceeding to be pursued vigorously.
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence his Department has collated on the extent to which beef carcases retaining the spinal cord are being imported from other EU countries. [118666]
Ms Quin: Inspections of beef imported from the EU are carried out in all licensed meat plants in the UK. Since January 1998, when the Specified Risk Material Order 1997 came into force requiring imported carcases not to contain any specified risk materials, one of these inspections in mid-1999 has identified seven beef forequarters in a single consignment from which the spinal cord had not been completely removed.
Fishing Quotas
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 22 March 2000, Official Report, column 588W, if the reallocation of quota involved resulted in a reduction of (a) quota and (b) resources available to non-foreign-owned vessels; and if he will make a statement. [118019]
Mr. Morley: Vessels which rejoined the UK fleet in the early 1990s, having previously been de-registered as a result of the Merchant Shipping Act 1988, had incomplete track records for the period they had been off the register. To accommodate their return, the non-sector's quota allocations for Western hake and Area VII anglers and megrim for 1992, 1993 and 1994, which reflected fishing activity in a preceding rolling three year reference period, were adjusted as shown in the table.
| Western hake | Area VII anglers | Area VII megrim | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | |||
| Pre adjustment | 2,578 | 1,642 | 485 |
| Post adjustment | 3,837 | 2,361 | 974 |
| 1993 | |||
| Pre adjustment | 3,228 | 1,512 | 833 |
| Post adjustment | 3,928 | 1,707 | 1,107 |
| 1994 | |||
| Pre adjustment | 3,002 | 1,548 | 1,002 |
| Post adjustment | 3,193 | 1,548 | 1,057 |
Adjustments in subsequent years have been minimal as most of the vessels concerned had returned to the register by the end of 1994.
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TREASURY
Taxation
Mr. Maclean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the annual revenue raised from tax on bank and building society accounts from accounts taxed at (a) the starting rate of tax, (b) the basic rate of tax and (c) the higher rate of tax in each of the last three years. [117235]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Banks and building societies are required to deduct income tax at the lower rate of 20 per cent. before paying interest to savers. This satisfies the tax liability of lower and basic rate taxpayers. The additional tax liability of higher rate taxpayers (the difference between 20 per cent. and 40 per cent.) is administered through Self Assessment. Estimates for the liabilities are shown in the table. The increase over this period reflects higher deposit levels and interest rates.
| Tax on interest liable at 20% lower rate | Excess over 20% lower rate | Total tax liability from bank and building society interest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 2.2 |
| 1997-98 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 2.8 |
| 1998-99 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 3.7 |
Working Families Tax Credit
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for which (a) benefits and (b) services a successful claim for Working Families Tax Credit is a passport. [117620]
Mr. Timms: The major central Government passports for many Working Families Tax Credit recipients are help with NHS costs such as prescription charges, dental treatment, sight tests and hearing aids and Social Fund payments to help with maternity costs or funeral expenses.
Mr. Denzil Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer in a full year of the Working Families Tax Credit. [117838]
Mr. Timms: The projection for 2000-01 is £4.8 billion. This takes into account (a) the increase in the child tax credit in awards made from June 2000, and (b) the introduction of the disabled child tax credit in awards made from October 2000.
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Houghton and Washington, East receive the Working Families Tax Credit; and what has been the expenditure on working families tax credit for that area since it was introduced. [117976]
Mr. Timms: It is estimated that 2,200 families in Houghton and Washington, East were awarded the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) by the end of
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February 2000. There is insufficient data available to provide a reliable estimate of the total expenditure on these awards.
Car Taxes
Ms Oona King: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what taxes are payable on the purchase of (a) new cars imported from other EU member states, (b) cars less than six months old imported from other EU member states and (c) used cars. [117854]
Mr. Timms: UK VAT at 17.5 per cent. of the purchase price is payable when a private individual purchases a car which is either less than six months old, or has travelled less than 6,000 kms, in another EU member state and brings it to the UK. If the car is more than six months old and has travelled more than 6,000 kms, VAT will be payable in the member state in which the purchase took place. No UK VAT will be payable.
Personal Pension Plans
Mr. Maclean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people paid into personal pension plans and how many schemes attracted tax relief at (a) the starting rate, (b) the standard rate and (c) the higher rate in each of the last three years; [117231]
- (2) what was the total annual cost to the Treasury of providing tax relief on personal pension plans at (a) the starting rate, (b) the standard rate and (c) the higher rate in each of the last three years. [117230]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Estimates of the cost of tax relief for contributions to personal pensions and such information as is available on the number of contributors by rate of income tax are given in the tables.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Employees(12) making contributions to personal pensions | Approximately (13)3,000,000 |
| of which, higher rate taxpayers | 300,000 |
(12) Based on aggregate information provided by plan managers and survey data.
(13) All benefit from repayment of basic rate tax claimed by their pension provider, including those who are non-taxpayers or pay tax at less than the basic rate.
| Rate of income tax | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-taxpayers | 290 | 310 | 280 |
| Lower rate | 170 | 170 | 160 |
| Basic rate | 690 | 680 | 660 |
| Higher rate | 210 | 250 | 260 |
(14) Based on relief claimed on tax returns
(15) On the basis that under present arrangements, employers' contributions are not taxable as a benefit in kind of the employees. Figures assume that the proportion related to higher rate taxpayers is the same as that observed for employees' contributions.
(16) Basic rate tax relief in respect of the employees' part of the National Insurance rebate received by around 3.7 million employees with appropriate personal pensions.
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