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TREASURY
Pensioners (Tax)
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensioners pay tax and at what
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rates; and how many (a) paid no tax before the Budget and (b) are paying no tax after the Budget. [117517]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 4 April 2000]: Only around 40 per cent. of pensioners currently have any income tax to pay. Estimates for the number of pensioners by different marginal rates are given in the table:
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| Marginal rate | 1996-97 (20) | 1997-98 (20) | 1998-99 (20) | 1999-2000 (20) | 2000-01 (20) | 2001-02 (20) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% (non-taxpayer) | 6.8 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.8 | 6.5 | 6.7 |
| 10% | -- | -- | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.8 |
| 20% | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| 22%, 23% or 24% | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| 40% | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Total | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 10.8 |
(19) Women aged 60 or over, men aged 65 or over
(20) The estimates are rounded to the nearest 100,000
Note:
The estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes and consistent with the March 2000 Budget.
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Marginal Deduction Rates
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the taxes and benefits taken into account in calculating the effect of Government reforms on marginal deduction rates, as shown in Table 4.2 of the Red Book, HC 346. [122498]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 16 May 2000]: A marginal deduction rate (MDR) measures how much of an additional pound of earnings is deducted through the combination of taxes and/or reduced entitlement to benefits and/or tax credits. The figures in table 4.2 of the Red Book are for working households in receipt of income-related benefits or the Working Families Tax Credit where at least one person works 16 hours or more a week. The calculation of an MDR therefore incorporates Income Tax (taking into account personal allowances and tax credits such as the Children's Tax Credit) employee National Insurance Contributions, and income-related benefits and tax credits, namely the Working Families Tax Credit, Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit.
Tax Credits
Ms Kelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of projected claimants of the (a) Working Families Tax Credit and (b) Disabled Person's Tax Credit for the years (i) 2000-01 and (ii) 2001-02. [123798]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 25 May 2000]: Table C12 in the March 2000 Financial Statement and Budget Report shows projected expenditure on the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) and the Disabled Person's Tax Credit (DPTC). These projections were based on the expectation that up to 1.4 million individuals and families will benefit from WFTC and DPTC.
Child Poverty
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of children which his policies have lifted out of poverty between 1997-98 and 2000-01, based on a poverty line of (a) 50 per cent. of mean income
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before housing costs, (b) 50 per cent. of mean income after housing costs, (c) 60 per cent. of median income before housing costs and (d) 60 per cent. of median income after housing costs, indicating in each case the cash value of each threshold. [123716]
Dawn Primarolo: Based on a threshold of 60 per cent. of median income, after housing costs, there will be a total of 1.2 million children in households lifted out of poverty as a result of measures announced this Parliament. Figures for this and for other proportions of the median are given in Box 5.1 on page 86 of the Budget 2000 Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report.
A threshold at 50 per cent. of mean income would be very similar to the 60 per cent. of median income threshold used above. Any difference in results using this threshold would be rendered insignificant by the sampling and estimating errors involved in these calculations.
The number of children lifted out of poverty before housing costs is similar to the after housing costs figures. As before, the differences are small and rendered insignificant by the sampling and estimating errors involved. However, as the number of children in poverty in 1997-98 was lower before housing costs, the proportional reduction in child poverty arising from Budget measures would be greater.
Latest statistics on household incomes (covering 1997-98) can be found in "Households below average incomes 1994-95 to 1997-98" published by the Department of Social Security.
CITES
Mr. Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) investigations and (b) successful prosecutions Customs officials have conducted with regard to breaches of CITES legislation in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [124050]
Dawn Primarolo: HM Customs and Excise do not hold central records of the number of endangered species related investigations undertaken by its staff in any given period.
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In the period 1995 to date, the Department made 2,174 detections of live species or derivatives covered by CITES legislation. Of these, however, the vast majority were either tourist souvenirs (85 per cent.) or relatively small commercial quantities where there was insufficient evidence of deliberate criminal activity to warrant action beyond seizure of the goods.
During this period Customs has mounted four successful prosecutions, all resulting in custodial sentences.
Single Ombudsman Service
Mr. Efford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the Financial Services Authority to publish its response to the consultation on the Single Ombudsman Service; and if he will make a statement. [124944]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Financial Services Authority published its response to the consultation on the Single Ombudsman Service on 24 May on the internet and on 1 June in hard copy form. I understand the FSA has sent a copy of its response direct to my hon. Friend.
National Insurance
Mr. Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he plans to take to compensate those contributors who were wrongly advised to continue to pay the married women's option in the national insurance scheme. [125102]
Dawn Primarolo: The Government's policy is to provide sufficient information to enable women to make an informed choice about their election to pay reduced rate contributions.
Opinion Research
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 25 May 2000, Official Report, column 585W, on opinion research, what steps have been taken to ensure that his Department
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makes such results publicly available as required by paragraph 19 of the Cabinet Office May 1999 Guidelines on Research into Public Attitudes and Opinions. [124904]
Mr. Timms: The Treasury take full account of the Cabinet Office Guidelines on Government Research into Public Attitudes and Opinions, which were published on 12 May 2000.
Taxation (I-E Formula)
Mr. Jack: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 24 May 2000, Official Report, column 524W, on Taxation (I-E Formula), in respect of each rate of tax shown in the table, what is his estimate of a 1 per cent. reduction in each of the rates shown for tax years 1999-2000 and 2000-01. [125120]
Dawn Primarolo: No estimates are available.
Correspondence
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to reply to the letter of 21 October 1999 from the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East, in respect of which a reminder letter was sent on 17 February. [124806]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I replied to the hon. Member on 23 November 1999 and am sending him a copy of my letter.
Inter-Governmental Conference
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions have taken place on the rebate of the contribution of the United Kingdom to the EU Budget at the Inter-Governmental conference considering the prospective Treaty of Nice; and what has been the percentage change in the UK's (a) gross and (b) net contribution to the EU (i) taking into account and (ii) not taking into account the rebate in the last five years. [125252]
Miss Melanie Johnson: No such discussions have taken place. Details of the United Kingdom's gross contributions, abatement, public sector receipts and net contributions for the period 1973-74 to 1999-2000 can be obtained from various Departmental Reports of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments--or, previously, Government Expenditure Plans.