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Community Nurses (Mileage Allowance)

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mileage allowances community nurses can claim in rural areas; and if these have been increased since 1997. [136500]

Mr. Denham: Mileage and travelling entitlements for National Health Staff, including community nurses, on national terms are determined by an agreement of the General Whitley Council. These rates were increased with affect from 1 July 2000, under cover of advance letter GC 2 /2000 A copy of this advance letter, setting out the new rates, has been placed in the Library.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the average waiting time in accident and emergency departments by health authority for (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999. [135848]

Ms Stuart [holding answer 1 November 2000]: Although the information requested is not currently collected centrally, the NHS Plan states that by 2004, no patient will wait more than four hours in accident and emergency departments from the time of arrival to admission, discharge or transfer, and that the average wait will be 75 minutes.

6 Nov 2000 : Column: 78W

Operation Cancellations

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what redress will be available to patients when operations are cancelled on the day they are due to take place under the National Plan. [135849]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 1 November 2000]: In the National Health Service Plan we have pledged that from 2002, when a patient's operation is cancelled on the day of surgery for non-clinical reasons, the hospital will have to offer another binding date within a maximum of the next 28 days or fund the patient's treatment at the time and hospital of the patient's choice.

TREASURY

Sickness Absence

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 28 July 2000, Official Report, columns 1023-4, regarding monthly outturns on sickness absence, if directors in his Department submit monthly or other regular reports on sickness absence; what unpublished statistics on sickness absence in his Department he holds; and if he will make a statement. [134829]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Incidences of sickness absence are reported by managers and collated centrally. Procedures for recording, monitoring and tackling sickness absence were reviewed in 1999 in line with the work on reducing absence following the July 1998 report on "Managing Attendance in the Public Sector".

Tax and Benefits Confidential Helpline

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have contacted the confidential telephone line set up on the advice of Lord Grabiner's report on the informal economy; and how much (a) tax has been received and (b) benefit expenditure has been saved as a result. [134553]

Dawn Primarolo: The number of calls received up to the end of October 2000 by the Tax and Benefits Confidential Helpline is 12,633. The amounts of tax recovered and benefits expenditure saved as a result of the line are not available and cannot be estimated. The phone line gives people the opportunity to find out where they stand on a no-names basis, so the numbers that have put their tax and benefits affairs in order as a result of the advice they were given are unknown.

PIA Ombudsman

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many decisions were made by the Personal Investment Authority Ombudsman in each of the last two years; [135275]

(2) how many decisions were made by the Personal Investment Authority Ombudsman in each of the last two years in favour of the complainant. [135274]

Miss Melanie Johnson: This information is published in the annual report for 1999-2000 of the Personal Investment Authority Ombudsman Bureau, a copy of which is in the Library.

6 Nov 2000 : Column: 79W

ICS

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases were referred to the ICS (a) Independent Investigator and (b) Board of Directors in each of the last two years under the ICS Complaints Procedure; and how many of these referrals resulted in an amended decision. [135270]

Miss Melanie Johnson: (a) None between 1 October 1998 to 30 September 1999 and two between 1 October 1999 and 30 September 2000; (b) none between 1 October 1998 and 30 September 1999 and three between 1 October 1999 and 30 September 2000; none of these resulted in an amended decision.

Inland Revenue Officers

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place the technical note on the review of Inland Revenue Officer powers in the Library. [135893]

Dawn Primarolo: Proposals arising from Inland Revenue's review of officer powers were published as chapter 3 of a technical discussion paper entitled "Simplifying National Insurance Contributions for Employers". This was published on 7 June 2000 and is available on the Inland Revenue's website. A copy has also been placed in the Library.

Construction Industry

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times the joint working group on review of the construction industry scheme has met; and if he will place the text of its recommendations and deliberations in the Library. [135895]

Dawn Primarolo: The joint working group met eight times. It discussed a number of the industry's concerns. The group did not set out to produce a text of its recommendations and deliberations.

Intellectual Property Taxation

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish the technical note relating to the review of intellectual property taxation concerning intangibles and good will. [135901]

Dawn Primarolo: A technical note entitled "Reform of the taxation of intellection property, goodwill and other intangible assets" was published by the Inland Revenue on 23 June 2000.

Petrol Prices

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the average cost of petrol was accounted for by VAT and duty in each of the last seven years. [136005]

Mr. Timms: The proportion of the cost of petrol accounted for by duty and VAT is published in the Treasury publication "Tax Benefit Reference Manual", a copy of which is held in the House of Commons Library.

6 Nov 2000 : Column: 80W

FSA Inquiries (Human Rights)

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance is given to Financial Services Authority investigators on procedures to be followed to ensure that inquiries do not breach human rights. [136105]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) currently provides staff, including investigators, to all the main bodies responsible for the regulation of financial services in the UK. All investigators receive training specifically tailored for the types of inquiry they carry out. Such training covers procedures to ensure that inquiries are conducted lawfully, fairly and with sensitivity to those involved.

Departmental Policies

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Manchester, Gorton constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [136173]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Manchester, Gorton parliamentary constituency, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, is benefiting from the long-term action we have taken to build economic stability and secure high and stable levels of growth and employment. Since the general election, claimant unemployment in the constituency has fallen by 1,812, or 37 per cent. youth unemployment is down by three-quarters, and long-term unemployment has been cut by more than half.

Macroeconomic stability is being complemented at the microeconomic level by the Government's policies to ease the transition from welfare into work and to make work pay. To the end of the August 2000, the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds had helped 1,817 young people in the Manchester, Gorton constituency gain valuable skills and experience--755 (42 per cent.) of whom had moved into employment. The working families tax credit (WFTC), introduced in October 1999, is helping to make work pay for low and middle income families. In May 2000, 2,200 families in Manchester, Gorton were benefiting from WFTC.

Mr. Emlyn Wynne

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place a copy of the Financial Services Authority's Complaints Commissioner inquiry into the case of the late Mr. Emlyn Wynne in the Library. [136097]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The report of the FSA's independent Complaints Commissioner on his investigation into the complaint from the family of the late Mr. Emlyn Wynne contains information confidential to the firm and to the family, and has not therefore been made public.

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