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Employment Statistics

Mr. Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in work are (a) women aged between 50 and 60 years, (b) men aged between 50 and 60 years, (c) women aged between 60 and 65 years, (d) men aged between 60 and 65 years, (e) women aged over 65 years and (f) men aged over 65 years; and what percentage are in full-time employment in each category. [122370]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Douglas Alexander, dated 18 May 2000:

The Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been asked to reply to your recent question on people in employment aged over 50. I am replying in the Director's absence.
The table attached shows non-seasonally adjusted estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) which is the main source of labour market data on individuals. It gives the number of men and women in work by age group and the percentage that are in full-time employment in each category in the winter (December to February) quarter of 1999/2000.

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People aged 16 or over are classed 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 that they are temporarily away from. 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.

Persons in employment by age group and whether working full-time, United Kingdom, Winter (December-February) 1999-2000Thousand and percentage (9)

	Age
In employment	50-59	60-64	65+
Men	2,731	644	283
Of which:
Total in full-time employment	2,512	526	88
Percentage in full-time employment(10)	92	82	31
Women	2,297	370	179
Of which:
Total in full-time employment	1,201	116	22
Percentage in full-time employment(10)	52	31	12
All persons	5,028	1,014	461
Of which:
Total in full-time employment(10)	3,712	642	110
Percentage in full-time employment	74	63	24

(9) Not seasonally adjusted

(10) People in full-time employment as a percentage of all in employment in the relevant age band.

Source:

Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics

Subcontractors

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reports have been made on subcontractors registering C154 certificates; and if he will make a statement. [122707]

Dawn Primarolo: None. In terms of checks on eligibility, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 17 April 2000, Official Report, columns 370-71W.

Compliance Costs

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how far the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise have progressed with their research on compliance costs to business of major taxes and duties; for which taxes and duties the review has been completed; if he will place the completed research in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [122517]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise have embarked on a four year programme of research on business compliance costs. The joint programme starts in 2000-01 with separate research projects on the costs to business of dealing with VAT and Corporation Tax of non-financial companies.

The results of this research will enable the Revenue Departments to look for ways of making improvements in those areas. They will shortly be inviting expressions of interest in tendering for projects within the programme.

As the joint programme has just begun, no research has yet been completed.

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VAT

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Treasury has made of the VAT revenue per annum from 2001 on (a) tampons, (b) menstrual towels, (c) panty liners, (d) light use continence pads and (e) heavy use continence pads. [122102]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 15 May 2000]: As a result of the 2000 Budget, from January 2001 the Government are cutting VAT on all women's sanitary protection products from 17.5 per cent. to 5 per cent.--the lowest level allowed. The VAT revenue per annum from 2001 on (a) tampons, (b) menstrual towels and (c) panty liners is estimated to be £5 million, £5 million, and negligible, respectively. Light use continence pads and heavy use continence pads are already zero-rated when supplied to incontinent people. Data on standard-rated sales of continence products are not directly available.

WALES

Green Transport

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the key buildings for which his Department (a) submitted and (b) did not submit green transport plans by March. [122560]

Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office is fully committed to measures such as the "greening" of official ministerial cars. Because the Department is principally located in central London, no members of staff routinely drive to work, instead relying on public transport. However, my Department is extremely small and controls only a single building which houses fewer than 50 staff. We have not therefore submitted a green transport plan.

Civil Servants

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average percentage increase in salaries of non-industrial civil servants, excluding members of the senior civil service, in his Department for 1999-2000; and to what extent the pay awards were staged. [121656]

Mr. Paul Murphy: Wales Office staff are seconded from the National Assembly for Wales and their last pay settlement was the same as that received by Assembly staff. The headline pay settlement applicable from August 1999 was 2.5 per cent. on the pay bill and, together with the additional funds from staff turnover, staff in post received performance related increases averaging 4.2 per cent. The increases were not staged.

Open Government

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many applications for information he received under the Open Government: Code of Practice on Access to Government Information in the last parliamentary session; and how many were granted. [121860]

Mr. Paul Murphy: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given to him today by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, Official Report, columns 216-17W.

My Department has received no such applications during this session.

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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Veterinary Medicines

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the application of EU Directive 81/851/EEC to the traceability of veterinary medicines in the United Kingdom. [105197]

Ms Quin [holding answer 17 January 2000]: I apologise for the long delay in responding, the result of an administrative error.

Council Directive 81/851/EEC as amended contains provisions to assist traceability of veterinary medicinal products by way of requirements on marketing authorisation holders, wholesalers and retailers to keep detailed records of purchases and sales. Regulations to implement the requirements of the Directive in relation to retail sales by pharmacies and veterinary practices were laid before Parliament on 10 January and entered into force on 1 February.

Greyhounds

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the countries (a) from which greyhounds were imported to and (b) to which greyhounds were exported from the United Kingdom in each of the last five years and the number of greyhounds imported and exported in each case from each of those countries in each of those years. [120584]

Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 3 May 2000]: Figures on the import of dogs into Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not held by my Department.

Imports

Details of the breed of commercially traded dogs imported into the UK from other member states in accordance with Article 4A of the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 1974 (as amended) are not held centrally.

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However, the number of greyhounds imported into England and entering quarantine from outside the British Isles during 1997, 1998 and 1999 and details of the countries they were imported from are as follows:

Country	1997	1998	1999
Australia	2	2	1
Cyprus	0	0	2
Germany	1	0	0
Israel	0	1	0
Italy	0	0	1
Spain	0	0	54
USA	6	3	1

Information on the number of greyhounds imported into England during the preceding two years could be provided only at disproportionate cost, as it is not computerised.

Exports

Annual figures for dog exports prior to 1997 are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, as they are not computerised.

Figures held on the export of dogs from the United Kingdom since 1997 are not sub-categorised by breed and it is therefore not possible to state how many were greyhounds.

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