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Capital Gains Tax
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the capital gains tax payable when companies formed by residents of blocks of flats extend the leases of those residents who are the shareholders of the company. [99216]
Dawn Primarolo: Inland Revenue Extra Statutory Concession D39 allows relief from capital gains tax in this sort of situation. Inland Revenue Tax Bulletin 41, published in June this year, provides details.
Working Families Tax Credit
Jackie Ballard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average spending on child care per week being claimed via the working families tax credit. [98670]
Dawn Primarolo: The average child care cost per week for recipients of the Working Families Tax Credit claiming child care costs up to the end of October is provisionally estimated to be £45 per week.
Mr. Lepper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) inquiries have been received by the Working Families Tax Credit Inquiry Line and (b) successful claims for working families tax credit have been made by residents of (i) Brighton Pavilion constituency and (ii) Brighton and Hove Unitary Authority area. [98826]
Dawn Primarolo: The response line for the Working Families Tax Credit and the Disabled Person's Tax Credit had handled 750,000 inquiries up to the 18 November. Reliable estimates for the numbers in receipt of the Working Families Tax Credit in Brighton Pavilion and Brighton and Hove Unitary Authority are not yet available.
Construction Industry Scheme
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received regarding the Contractors Helpline for the construction industry scheme. [98624]
Dawn Primarolo: The contractors' helpline was set up to provide a single point of contact for any contractor who needed more information about the scheme. In response to a very high level of inquiries, the Revenue have now substantially increased the capacity of the helpline to take 25 calls simultaneously. The vast majority of calls are now being answered promptly.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish definitive and complete rules for the transitional arrangements involved with the new construction industry scheme rules. [98623]
Dawn Primarolo: Transitional arrangements included measures for both subcontractors and contractors and were agreed in order to provide a breathing space for the industry at the start of the scheme.
The arrangements for subcontractors were announced in an Inland Revenue Press issued on 7 July. The arrangements for contractors were announced in a Press Release on 15 July. Further information about the arrangements was included in a Press Release issued on 30 July.
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The Inland Revenue also issued a letter to every known contractor to tell them about the arrangements. Those contractors who applied for a transitional dispensation were given the additional information that they needed to operate the dispensation rules correctly when the dispensation was granted.
All transitional arrangements ended on 5 November 1999. There are no plans to issue further information to the public on these arrangements now that they have come to an end.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost and number of beneficiaries of reintroducing the dependent relative's tax allowance. [98460]
Dawn Primarolo:
The dependent relative allowance was abolished in 1988. In 1987-88 there were around 320,000 benefiting from it at a cost to the Exchequer of £10 million.
Mr. Love:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Private Finance Initiative contracts have been agreed in each year since its inception; how much was spent on such contracts in each of these years; what is the latest estimate of expenditure under the Private Finance Initiative in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [99639]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
The Treasury is currently updating the information sought as part of its normal bi-yearly reporting of information on PFI contracts. I expect this information to be published in the first half of December.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations have been made to HM Customs and Excise regarding alleged sales of anti-personnel mines at the Defence Systems and Equipment International exhibition in Chertsey, Surrey; and if he will make a statement. [99509]
Dawn Primarolo:
The Commissioners of Customs and Excise are responsible for investigating breaches of the Landmines Act 1998 which involve the movement, or the proposed or attempted movement, into or out of any country of objects prohibited by the Act. It is not the normal practice of the Commissioners to disclose publicly information provided to them in connection with their enforcement and investigation responsibilities.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the costs of introducing the free television licence for those persons aged over 75 years in each of the next 10 years. [98510]
Janet Anderson:
I have been asked to reply.
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The estimated cost of the concession in the first full year is around £290 million. Costs in future years will depend on the number of households with a person aged 75 years or over and the level of the television licence fee, which is not fixed for the next ten years.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been spent by his Department on external consultants and advisers since May 1997 funded from (i) his Department's programme provision and (ii) his Department's running costs. [99491]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10 November 1999, Official Report, columns 647-48. No expenditure has been incurred on external consultants and advisers from programme provision since May 1997.
Mr. Loughton:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the change in the figures for carbon emission savings from fuel duties, set out in the pre-Budget report, relies on (i) reduced mileage travelled by vehicles and (ii) reduced emissions resulting from technological improvements in car engines. [99187]
Mr. Timms
[holding answer 22 November 1999]: The Pre-Budget Report set out that the fuel duty escalator from 1996 to 1999 is estimated to produce carbon savings of 1 to 2.5 million tonnes of carbon by 2010.
6. Sir Teddy Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements are being made for the provision of the finances of the proposed devolved Assembly for Northern Ireland. [98769]
Mr. Mandelson:
The funding arrangements for devolved administrations are set out in "Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly--A Statement of Funding Policy" published by HM Treasury on 31 March 1999. Provision for the cost of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the local Departments will be found from within the resources transferred on devolution.
7. Mr. Donaldson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on the decommissioning of illegal terrorist weapons in Northern Ireland. [98770]
Mr. Ingram:
Following the completion of the Mitchell review, the basis now exists for devolution to occur, for the institutions to be established, and for decommissioning to take place as soon as possible. We intend that on 2 December devolution will take effect, the Executive will meet and then the paramilitary groups will appoint their authorised representatives, all on the same day, in that order.
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8. Mr. Fabricant:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to promote the introduction of high-technology manufacturing in Northern Ireland. [98771]
Mr. McFall:
The Industrial Development Board for Northern Ireland (IDB), the agency charged with attracting inward investment, continues its aggressive marketing and sales campaigns world-wide with particular emphasis on high-technology sectors such as telecommunications, electronics and E-commerce. They are following up on last year's successful promotional tour in North America, a year in which I am delighted to say they achieved a record number of new investments. The Industrial Development Board is also working actively with local companies to encourage high added value investments and sustainable employment in these sectors.
9. Mr. Goggins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of prospects for employment in Northern Ireland. [98773]
Mr. McFall:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster, Central (Ms Winterton).
22. Ms Blears:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he is proposing to increase the prospects for employment of young people. [98786]
Mr. McFall:
The Training and Employment Agency has introduced a number of measures to increase the prospects for employment of young people namely, New Deal, Graduate Development Programme and other management development programmes. In addition Government have given a guarantee of training places to all young people under 18 in Northern Ireland. This is delivered through Jobskills and the Modern Apprenticeship Programme.
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