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Bilateral Concordat (Scotland)
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects to publish the bilateral concordat between the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Scottish Executive. [102478]
Jane Kennedy:
I am pleased to announce that my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor and the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice have agreed the text of the Concordat between the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Scottish Executive. Copies of the
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Concordat have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses, and the text is available on the Lord Chancellor's Department website (www.open.gov.uk/lcd--see 'What's New?').
I hope that the Concordat will mark the beginning of a fruitful and co-operative working relationship between the Department and the Executive.
Rural Economies
Mr. Woolas: To ask the Prime Minister when he will publish the Performance and Innovation Unit's report on rural economies. [102550]
The Prime Minister: The Performance and Innovation Unit report "Rural Economies" will be published tomorrow and copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
CABINET OFFICE
Task Forces
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what rules apply to the selection and conduct of appointees to Government Task Forces. [100893]
Mr. Stringer: Task Forces are set up to report on a specific issue within a specified timescale. There are no formal rules relating to the selection and conduct of appointees. Members are drawn from the public and private sectors, and are appointed for their particular knowledge, hands-on experience and/or expertise.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what has been the cost of setting up and servicing the Task Forces established by the Government since 2 May 1997. [100895]
Mr. Stringer: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Individual Ministers are responsible for decisions to establish Task Forces within their area of responsibility. In most cases, members of Task Forces are unpaid with Departments meeting out-of-pocket expenses only.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many Task Forces have been set up since 2 May 1997; [100896]
- (2) if she will list by department the names of people appointed to sit on Task Forces established since 2 May 1997. [100894]
Mr. Stringer:
Details of Task Forces established since May 1997 have been deposited in the Library. Those Task Forces which are classified as Non-Departmental Public Bodies are excluded from the table as information on them is published in the annual "Public Bodies" publication. The table provides the name of the Chairman of individual Task Forces as well as a breakdown of membership between the private, public and voluntary sectors. More detailed information on the individuals appointed to each Task Force is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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Financial Services (Self-regulation)
Mr. Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many financial services company staff have been disciplined by the regulator in each of the last 10 years; how many of those staff lost their employment as a result; and if he will make a statement. [99640]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The number of individuals disciplined by the self-regulatory organisations since 1990 are as follows:
| Calendar year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 3 |
| 1991 | 5 |
| 1992 | 13 |
| 1993 | 10 |
| 1994 | 34 |
| 1995 | 22 |
| 1996 | 38 |
| 1997 | 35 |
| 1998 | 24 |
| 1999 (to date) | 17 |
| Total | 201 |
Formal disciplinary action against individuals by the self-regulatory organisations can take several forms. These include public reprimand, fine, imposition of conditions on employment or termination or suspension of an individual's personal registration.
These numbers do not include instances of shortcomings among other staff which have been dealt with by other internal corrective procedures within their employer firms. Such action can, for instance, include retraining or even dismissal. The regulators do not monitor the number of staff dismissed as a result of their disciplinary action.
Mr. Jim Murphy:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the impact on tax revenues of the national minimum wage. [101304]
Dawn Primarolo
[holding answer 6 December 1999]: The Government have provided evidence to the Low Pay Commission, which is due to report by the end of the year on the initial impact of the National Minimum Wage. A copy of this evidence is available in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Jim Murphy:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people he estimates have benefited from the national minimum wage in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Bristol, (d) Greater London, (e) Cornwall, (f) the West Country and (g) Cumbria; [101302]
(3) how many unskilled workers he estimates have benefited from the national minimum wage. [101306]
(4) how many families he estimates have benefited from the national minimum wage. [101305]
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Miss Melanie Johnson
[holding answers 6 December 1999]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Jim Murphy, dated 9 December 1999:
Mr. O'Hara:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to regulate the pre-payment of funerals. [102122]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
The Treasury is still considering the responses to the consultation it held earlier this year and will announce its decision in due course.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many public interest immunity certificates each Treasury Minister has signed since May 1997 (a) in respect of and (b) at the request of, which Department, board and agency; and on what dates. [101812]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
Treasury Ministers have signed no public interest immunity certificates since May 1997.
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many top rate taxpayers will be eligible to receive the Working Families Tax Credit in the next financial year; [101810]
Dawn Primarolo:
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 5 July 1999, Official Report, column 419W.
Mr. Sayeed:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the administration costs associated with collecting VAT in each of the last five years. [101906]
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Dawn Primarolo:
The administrative costs of collecting VAT are shown in the published Annual Report of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, at Table B, and are described as the "Cost of Collection of VAT". The costs given include running and non running costs and are net of Appropriations in Aid.
The figures for 1994-95 are shown in the Annual Report for the year ending March 1996. 1995-96 and 1996-97 figures are shown in the Annual Report for the year ending March 1997. 1997-98 and 1998-99 figures are shown in the Annual Report for the year ending March 1999.
Mr. Sayeed:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the administration costs to the Inland Revenue, incurred in assessing eligibility for each (a) income tax and (b) corporation tax (i) relief, (ii) threshold and (iii) allowance in each of the last five years. [101907]
Dawn Primarolo:
Breakdowns of the administrative costs are not readily available in the detail requested.
(2) how many public sector workers have benefited from the national minimum wage. [101303]
The Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been asked to reply to your four recent parliamentary questions about people who have benefited from the national minimum wage. I am replying in Dr. Holt's absence.
Definitive estimates on the number of people that have benefited from the national minimum wage are not yet available. Currently available estimates for assessing the effect take data from both the New Earnings Survey and the Labour Force Survey and adjust them for known limitations in each. However, the latest adjusted estimates are based on data for the spring (March--May) 1999 Labour Force Survey and this period spans the introduction date for the national minimum wage legislation. As a result, the adjusted estimates may be giving a misleading picture of the effect of the minimum wage legislation since employees might legitimately have been earning below the minimum wage rates in March 1999.
The currently available estimates were published in an ONS First Release on 14 October and show that the number of people earning below the minimum wage rates fell significantly between 1998 and 1999. A copy of this first release will be available in the House of Commons Library.
(2) how many households with an income of over £25,000 will be eligible to receive the Working Families Tax Credit in the next financial year. [101813]
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