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TREASURY
Employment Tax Credits
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 19 April 2000, Official Report, column 588W, on employment tax credits, what is the higher rate for couples. [120799]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 4 May 2000]: The rate for couples in the illustrative model of the employment tax credit for people without children is £49.50 a week. This is the same as the employment tax credit for people with children that is implied by the introduction of the integrated child credit, based on April 2001 rates of Working Families Tax Credit and Children's Tax Credit. Details of this illustrative model are set out in the table on page 14 of the Treasury paper "Tackling Poverty and Making Work Pay--Tax Credits for the 21st Century".
Tax (EU)
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals are under negotiation in the EU for (a) Europe-wide taxes and (b) European limits and controls on national taxes. [120809]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 5 May 2000]: EC proposals for legislation are considered by the European Scrutiny Committee and Explanatory Memoranda concerning existing proposals on taxation are in the Library.
EU-UK Trade
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of United Kingdom exports and imports counted as being within the EU, consists of entrepot trade through Rotterdam and Amsterdam (a) to and (b) from non-EU countries. [120810]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 5 May 2000]: HM Customs and Excise are the Department responsible for collecting trade statistics on the movement of goods with other countries including EC member states.
Goods from non-EC destinations that transit other EC member states before clearing customs procedures for import in UK are recorded as non-EC movements for trade statistics purposes. Likewise, goods from non-EC destinations that transit other EC member states after clearing customs procedures for export in UK are recorded as non-EC movements.
Some trade reported as moving within the EC may have previously originated from, or be ultimately destined for, non-EC countries. However, under the Intrastat system these movements are not readily identifiable.
UK Companies Overseas (Bribes)
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Inland Revenue takes to ensure that bribes paid by UK companies overseas are not treated as tax-deductible expenses. [121032]
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Dawn Primarolo: Section 577A, Income and Corporation Taxes Act (ICTA) 1988 denies tax relief for any payment the making of which constitutes the commission of a criminal offence.
This effectively denies relief, inter alia, for any bribe which is contrary to the Prevention of Corruption Acts. There is also a general provision (section 577 ICTA) which denies tax relief for any form of business entertainment, hospitality or gift--so some payments which might be in a grey area might in any event be denied relief without the need to show that they were in any way corrupt payments.
As far as enforcement is concerned, the Inland Revenue examines a proportion of tax returns every year, to ensure that taxpayers pay the correct amount of tax. Most of the returns that are examined in detail are selected after a risk assessment, which identifies those cases where errors are most likely, and where the amount at stake is greatest. Tax inspectors are trained to discover evasion, avoidance and technical errors, by establishing the full facts and applying the correct interpretation of tax law. As part of this process they will, where appropriate, make inquiries about claims for expenditure, to ensure that they are allowed under tax law.
Children's Fund (Wales)
Ms Julie Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to distribute money from the Children's Fund in Wales; and what mechanisms will be used to distribute the fund. [119579]
Dawn Primarolo: The Children's Fund will be used to support voluntary sector projects providing local solutions to the problem of child poverty. These are devolved matters. Work on mechanisms for distributing money is currently focusing on England, but involves dialogue with the devolved administrations.
The question of resources for the Children's Fund, including any consequentials for the devolved administrations, is being considered as part of the current Spending Review. In the event of spending consequentials it would be for the Welsh Assembly to decide whether and how to establish a Children's Fund for Wales.
HEALTH
Smokers Helpline
Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls were made to the new helpline for smokers between 10 December 1999 and 11 February 2000. [113837]
Yvette Cooper 70,480 calls were answered by the frontscreen service in the specified period. This includes hang-ups, hoaxes and trials, but does not include short-calls lost in the British Telecom system.
Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the total expenditure on advertising the new helpline for smokers in the current year. [113838]
9 May 2000 : Column: 336W
Yvette Cooper: The total sum of advertising spend on the new tobacco education campaign for the period 10 December 1999--31 March 2000 inclusive was £5,485,000. The breakdown is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Ambient media | 141,000 |
| Billboards | 1,242,000 |
| TV | 3,190,000 |
| Press | 397,000 |
| Radio | 515,000 |
The aim of the new campaign is to increase the intention to give up, provide support and encouragement for those who want to give up by communicating that many smokers want to give up and that they are not alone; that giving up is an ongoing and difficult process and that individual support is available in local areas and through the helpline.
Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of calls to the new helpline for smokers were answered by an automated system (IVR) during the period 10 December 1999 and 11 February 2000. [113839]
Yvette Cooper: During the specified period 40 per cent. of calls were answered by the IVR system and 60 per cent. were answered by live operators.
During the exceptional Millennium period (27 December 1999 to 3 January 2000) 58 per cent. of calls went to IVR and the rest to live operators.
If these exceptionally high figures for the Millennium period are taken out of the totals the proportion of IVR to live would be 26 per cent. IVR to 74 per cent. live for 10 December 1999 to 11 February 2000.
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure was on advertising the new helpline for smokers, between 10 December 1999 and the end of March 2000; and what the expenditure on the Quitline was for the equivalent period in the previous year. [115395]
Yvette Cooper: The total sum of advertising spend on the new tobacco education campaign for the period 10 December 1999 and up until the end of March 2000 is £5,485,000. The breakdown is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Ambient media(3) | 141,000 |
| Billboards | 1,242,000 |
| TV | 3,190,000 |
| Press | 397,000 |
| Radio | 515,000 |
(3) The term Ambient media is defined as non-traditional, outdoor media.
The total advertising spend for 1998-99 was £2,720,000, most of the campaign activity being concentrated in the December 1998 to February 1999 period.
The aim of the new campaign is to increase the intention to give up, provide support and encouragement for those who want to give up by communicating that many smokers want to give up and that they are not alone;
9 May 2000 : Column: 337W
that giving up is an on-going and difficult process and that individual support is available in local areas and through the helpline.
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of calls to the new helpline for smokers were answered by an automated system (IVR) during the period 10 December 1999 to 11 March 2000 inclusive; and what was the proportion for calls to Quitline for the equivalent period in the previous year. [115394]
Yvette Cooper: 35 per cent. of calls were answered by the IVR system in the specified period. The proportion of calls reaching the automated Quitline service in the equivalent period in 1998-99 was 26 per cent.
If the exceptionally high figures for the Millennium period (27 December 1999 to 3 January 2000) are taken out of the totals the proportion of calls answered by IVR was 22 per cent.
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls were made to the new helpline for smokers, between 10 December 1999 and 11 March 2000 inclusive; and how many calls were made to the Quitline, in the same period for the previous year. [115396]
Yvette Cooper: The 1999-2000 campaign was designed to motivate smokers towards a range of cessation options such as 'going it alone', seeking advice from a general practitioner or pharmacist or visiting a local cessation service, as well as telephoning the helpline or visiting the new campaign website.
Calls to the helplines funded by the Department were as follows:
10 December 1999 to 11 March 2000
0800 169 0 169: 83,451 (calls answered)
0800 00 22 00: 75,431 (calls answered)
Total: 158,882.
In addition, there were 231,891 hits to the website in that period.
10 December 1998 to 11 March 1999
175,827 calls were made to Quitline: 0800 00 22 00.
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