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CABINET OFFICE

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to her answer of 13 June 2000, Official Report, column 614W, how many cars have been

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purchased by the Government Car and Despatch Agency since May 1997 other than through the Government Car Service. [126867]

Mr. Ian McCartney: Since May 1997, the Government Car and Despatch Agency has purchased four cars other than through the Government Car Service.

Staff Secondments

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list the employees from private industry seconded to the Cabinet Office, indicating the names of their employers and the terms and length of their secondment. [124791]

Marjorie Mowlam: The Cabinet Office has a long standing practice of taking a small number of secondees from the private sector. This important activity underpins the Government's commitment to developing a modern, flexible, outward focused Civil Service.

There are currently seven secondees from private industry to the Cabinet Office. There are four two-year secondees, one each from Carillion and PricewaterhouseCoopers, and two from Unilever. There are two one-year secondees, one each from Oracle and British Airways, and one secondee from Microsoft who is with us for eight months.

In all cases agreements are reached with the external organisation to ensure that the salary reimbursed by the Cabinet Office falls within the Civil Service pay range appropriate to the post.

TREASURY

Tax Relief (Small Companies)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the existing tax relief for small companies investing in research and development excludes (a) sole practitioners, (b) partnerships and (c) companies which are not incorporated under the Companies Acts. [126587]

Mr. Timms: Research and Development (R&D) tax credits are targeted on companies because the vast bulk of R&D activity is carried on by incorporated businesses. This limitation also keeps the scheme simple and straightforward.

Knowledge Economy

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition is used in the Review of the Knowledge Economy of the goal of universal access to the internet; and if he will make a statement. [126024]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The Prime Minister has set the goal of achieving universal access to the internet for all who want it by 2005. Access is defined as including access in the home through a personal computer or other form of appliance (for example a digital TV or games console), or on the move through a mobile appliance, or at a public access point.

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Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received concerning the cross-departmental review on the Knowledge Economy; and if he will make a statement. [126051]

Mr. Andrew Smith [holding answer 15 June 2000]: Representations were made by a range of external organisations and individuals during the course of the review. The outcome of the review will be announced as part of the Government's new spending plans for 2001-02 to 2003-04.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will answer the written question reference No. 121789 tabled by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead on 9 May. [126563]

Mr. Andrew Smith: Shortly.

NIRS2 Computer System

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of (a) the current total cost to the Exchequer and (b) the final total cost to the Exchequer of the problems associated with the NIRS2 computer system. [125632]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 13 June 2000]: The problems associated with the delayed implementation of the NIRS2 system during 1997-98 have resulted in compensation payments being made by the Inland Revenue and DSS to pension providers and benefit recipients. The total paid so far by the Revenue to pension providers is £46.2 million. The total paid by the DSS to benefit recipients is £2.6 million.

It is not possible at this stage to estimate the total amounts that will become payable. All costs relating to the correcting of problems with the NIRS2 system itself have been met by Andersen Consulting.

National Insurance

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total of (a) interest so far accrued by the National Insurance Fund as a result of the late disbursement of the age-related rebates on contracted-out money purchase pension schemes and (b) interest so far owing to providers of COMP schemes as compensation for late disbursement of rebates. [125631]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 13 June 2000]: In relation to 1997-98, additional interest so far paid to pension providers as a result of late national insurance rebates is some £46.2 million. On the assumption of a 6 per cent. rate of return on gilts, an equivalent amount of interest has accrued to the National Insurance Fund. The amount of interest accrued and the compensation to money purchase schemes specifically cannot be calculated.

Mr. St. Aubyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue implications of levying employer national insurance contributions on (a) private medical insurance offered to employees, (b) employee Christmas parties, (c) rape alarms for employees, (d) sports facilities for employees and (e) nursery facilities for employees. [126183]

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Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 9 February 2000 Official Report, column 216W.

Limited Liability Partnerships

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the reduction in tax paid by a limited company with a revenue of £50 million per year by converting into a limited liability partnership under the Government's Limited Liability Partnerships Bill. [125344]

Dawn Primarolo: The answer to this question will depend on the particular facts, for example the number of members of the limited liability partnership.

Company Taxation

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes to publish his proposals for bringing taxation of partnerships into line with company taxation. [126048]

Dawn Primarolo: There are no proposals to bring the taxation of partnerships into line with company taxation.

Windfall Tax

Mr. Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money has been raised by the windfall tax in (a) 1999 and (b) 2000 to date. [126279]

Mr. Andrew Smith: Windfall tax receipts were £2,610 million in December 1997 and £2,614 million in December 1998. There have been no subsequent receipts.

Taxation (EU)

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which EU tax proposals currently under consideration could be agreed under qualified majority voting if the current draft of the Treaty of Nice is accepted. [126794]

Dawn Primarolo: As the Government's White Paper on the IGC clearly states, the Government are committed to retaining unanimity on tax issues.

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition the Government use of unfair tax competition in their work in the EU on that issue. [126795]

Dawn Primarolo: The conclusions of the ECOFIN Council meeting on 1 December 1997 concerning taxation policy state that there is a

need for coordinated action at European level to tackle harmful tax competition in order to help achieve certain objectives such as reducing the continuing distortions in the single market, preventing excessive losses of tax revenue or getting tax structures to develop in a more employment friendly way.

Tax Credits

Mr. St. Aubyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for undertaking publicity campaigns ahead of the introduction of integrated child credit and employment credit; and if he will make a statement. [126182]

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Dawn Primarolo: The Integrated Child Credit will bring together the different strands of support for children in the Working Families Tax Credit, Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance and the Children's Tax Credit, to create a seamless system of financial support for children to be paid to the main carer. The adult credit element of WFTC will, along with the Disabled Person's Tax Credit and the Employment Credit component of the New Deal 50 plus, form the foundation of a new employment tax credit which will extend the principle of WFTC to people without children. Paid through the wage packet the employment tax credit will form a single visible instrument, underpinned by the national minimum wage, to make work pay. The new credits will begin to be introduced from 2003.

The Budget paper "Tackling Poverty and Making Work Pay--Tax Credits for the 21st Century" sets out this next stage of reform in more detail.

Every effort will be made to publicise and raise awareness of the new credits.

Mr. St. Aubyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost implications to public funds of phasing out the working families tax credit and replacing it with integrated child credit and employment credit. [126181]

Dawn Primarolo: The cost of introducing the new tax credits will depend on the detailed design parameters. These have yet to be finalised. However an illustrative example of the cost of extending an employment tax credit to people without children is set out in paragraph 3.24 of the Treasury paper "Tackling poverty and Making Work Pay--Tax Credits for the 21st Century".

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