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Employment Tribunals
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will review the appointment of Mrs. J. Upshall as a member of employment tribunals taking account of the operation of Integrate Services in Warrington. [130669]
Mr. Alan Johnson: I am not aware of any grounds for action in relation to Mrs. Upshall's appointment.
TREASURY
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000
Mr. Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the timetable for implementation of each part of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. [126975]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I expect the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to come into force in about one year's time. This will complete the process of the modernisation of financial services regulation announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in May 1997. The timescale provides a framework within which proper preparations can be made for the new regulatory system.
The Government believe that both the financial services industry and consumers will benefit from a single regulator with clear statutory objectives providing a light touch where possible, protection where necessary.
Aggregates
Mr. Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Quarry Products Association was informed of specific legal objections to their proposed preferential purchasing scheme for aggregates from quarry operators meeting certain environmental criteria. [131096]
Mr. Timms: The Quarry Products Association put forward their developed proposals for a preferential purchasing scheme in late 1999. The Government at that time made it clear that this scheme raised concerns in terms of both EU procurement law and on competition grounds.
Mr. Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he discussed the Quarry Products Association's proposed preferential purchasing scheme for aggregates from quarry operators meeting certain environmental criteria with (a) the Office of Fair Trading, (b) the European Commission, (c) the DETR and (d) the Department of Trade and Industry. [131095]
Mr. Timms: Discussions with the relevant Government Departments on the Quarry Products Association's proposed preferential purchasing scheme began as soon as further details of the scheme were brought forward in late autumn 1999.
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Pesticides Tax
Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list (a) the representations the Treasury has received and (b) meetings it has held on the proposed pesticides tax, giving details of meetings held with (i) the British Agrochemicals Association, (ii) UKASTA, (iii) NOAH, (iv) the National Farmers Union, (v) the Country Landowners Association, and (vi) agrochemical companies, indicating which companies; and what the duration of the meetings was in each case. [131103]
Mr. Timms: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 21 June 2000, Official Report, columns 215-16W.
Spending Review (Devolved Administrations)
Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the funding rules for the devolved Administrations applied in the 2000 Spending Review. [131564]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Copies of the updated statement of funding policy, which sets out the funding arrangements for the devolved Administrations, have today been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many written parliamentary questions were tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April; and how many did not receive substantive answers citing disproportionate cost as the reason. [131201]
Mr. Timms: 1,676 written questions were tabled to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the period concerned. Disproportionate cost was cited in 15 instances as the reason why the information requested could not be provided. In a further 28 cases, some of the information sought was provided, but some other information would have been disproportionately costly to obtain.
Tax Returns (Internet)
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individual taxpayers who file self-assessment tax returns have registered for the Inland Revenue service for filing tax returns on the internet in each month since the service became available; and if he will make a statement. [130564]
Dawn Primarolo: Since the registration service became available on 3 April, 63,301 individual taxpayers who file self-assessment tax returns have registered for the Inland Revenue service for filing tax returns on the internet. The number of registrations in each month were as follows:
| Month | Registrations | Cumulative total |
|---|---|---|
| April | 32,937 | 32,937 |
| May | 14,877 | 47,814 |
| June | 10,677 | 58,491 |
| July(1) | 4,530 | 63,021 |
| July(1) | 280 | 63,301 |
(1) Week one
(1) Week two
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Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update the statement on travel on Government business by the Treasury's special advisers deposited in
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the Library on 27 July 1999 to include information about the period after 13 July 1999. [124123]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 5 June 2000]: Details for the period since 13 July 1999 are as follows:
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| Date | Destination | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Ian Austin | ||
| 15-17 September 1999 | New York/Washington, USA | Chancellor's speaking engagement and bilateral meetings |
| Ed Balls | ||
| 15-17 September 1999 | New York/Washington, USA | Chancellor's speaking engagement and bilateral meetings |
| 24-29 September 1999 | Washington, USA | G7 and IMF/World bank Annual Meetings, bilateral meetings |
| 29 November 1999 | Brussels, Belgium | ECOFIN |
| 4-8 December 1999 | Washington, USA | Chancellor's speaking engagement and bilateral meetings |
| 9-10 December 1999 | Helsinki, Finland | European Council |
| 15-16 December 1999 | Berlin, Germany | G20 Finance Ministers Meeting |
| 31 January 2000 | Brussels, Belgium | ECOFIN |
| 21-23 February 2000 | New York, USA | Chancellor's speaking engagement |
| 28 February 2000 | Brussels, Belgium | ECOFIN |
| 13-18 April 2000 | Washington, USA | G7 and IMF/World bank Spring Meetings, bilateral meetings |
| 18-20 June 2000 | Feira, Portugal | European Council |
| 29 June 2000 | Paris, France | Meeting at the Tresor |
| Ed Miliband | ||
| 10-11 September 1999 | Turku, Finland | Informal ECOFIN |
| 15-17 September 2000 | New York, Washington, USA | Chancellor's speaking engagement and bilateral meetings |
| 24-26 September 1999 | Washington, USA | G7 and IMF Meetings |
| 21-23 February 2000 | New York, USA | Chancellor's speaking engagement |
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SOCIAL SECURITY
Average Incomes
Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 22 June 2000, Official Report, column 256W, on average incomes, if he will list the figures requested for single parents and disabled people. [128063]
Mr. Bayley: The information is not available in the format requested. Data are not available for all the years requested. The earliest and latest financial years for which data from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) data are available are 1994-95 and 1998-99 respectively.
Year on year changes in average amounts of State benefits reflect changes in employment status, income from other sources (for income-related benefits), benefit entitlement and caseload mix.
Results are subject to statistical variability. Comparisons of one year with the next should be treated with considerable caution.
For the purposes of these statistics, disabled people have been defined as anyone in receipt of at least one disability benefit, i.e. Disability Living Allowance (care or mobility), Attendance Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance, Disability Working Allowance or Incapacity or Invalidity Benefit.
Their average weekly income from state benefits (including the State Retirement Pension) per individual was £110 in 1994-95. It remained at this level in 1995-96 then rose to £117 in 1996-97, £120 in 1997-98 and £124 in 1998-99. The same figures rebased in constant May 2000 prices to adjust for inflation were £129 in 1994-95, £125 in 1995-96, £129 in 1996-97,
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£128 in 1997-98 and £130 in 1998-99. This represented 34 per cent. of average earnings in 1994-95, 33 per cent. in each of the years 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98, and 32 per cent. in 1998-99.
Results for single parents are sensitive to the proportion of single parents in employment and are presented separately for those in work--defined as working 16 hours or more per week--and those not in work. The proportion of single parents in work, according to the FRS, rose from 37 per cent. in 1994-95 to 43 per cent. in 1998-99. Benefit income is of course much lower for lone parents in work, who therefore have income from earnings, than lone parents not in work. (For recipients of disability benefits the proportion in work, as recorded in the FRS, was stable over this period.)
Average weekly income from State benefits (including the State Retirement Pension) per individual lone parent in work was £64 in 1994-95, £66 in 1995-96, £65 in 1996-97, £68 in 1997-98 and £74 in 1998-99. The same figures rebased in constant May 2000 prices to adjust for inflation were £75 in 1994-95, £75 in 1995-96, £72 in 1996-97, £73 in 1997-98 and £77 in 1998-99. This represented 20 per cent. of average earnings in 1994-95 and 1995-96 and 19 per cent. in each of the years 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99.
Average weekly income from state benefits (including the State Retirement Pension) per individual lone parent not in work was £135 in 1994-95, £142 in 1995-96, £144 in 1996-97, £149 in 1997-98 and £155 in 1998-99. The same figures rebased in constant May 2000 prices to adjust for inflation were £158 in 1994-95, £162 in 1995-96, £160 in 1996-97, £160 in 1997-98 and £161 in 1998-99. This represented 41 per cent. of average earnings in 1994-95, 42 per cent. in 1995-96, 41 per cent. in 1996-97 and 1997-98 and 40 per cent. 1998-99.
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The amounts listed here and used in the calculation of percentages are per individual. Benefits have been assigned to the individual in receipt. For example, if Income Support is paid to a disabled person with a non-disabled partner, the full amount of Income Support is assigned to the disabled person in these tables.
The mean has been used to calculate the average weekly income from State benefits for all individuals in the various different groups.
Real term figures have been calculated by uprating cash term figures to reflect May 2000 prices. The headline Retail Prices Index has been used for this calculation.
Average earnings figures, used as the base for calculation of the percentage figure, are for all full time adult employees and are based on data from the New Earnings Survey (Office for National Statistics) which is conducted in April of each year. As FRS data is for financial years the April in which the FRS financial year begins has been used as the average earnings base.
It should be noted that benefit receipt is based on self- assessment and therefore may be subject to mis-reporting.
All income figures have been rounded to the nearest pound and percentages rounded to the nearest integer.
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