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Student Support
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the support that will be available to students in England and Wales in the academic year 2000-01. [103368]
Mr. Wicks: The total level of support available to students in 2000-01 will be 2½ per cent. higher than for 1999-2000, in line with forecast price increases. I am today placing a memorandum in the Library giving details of the new loan, grant and fee rates for 2000-01. These rates will be incorporated in the Education (Student Support) Regulations, which cover support for eligible students under the current arrangements, and in the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations and Education (Student Loans) Amendment Regulations, which cover students who are still eligible for support under the previous arrangements. These Regulations will all be laid before Parliament in due course.
Job Creation (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises)
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has for publishing the White Paper on the instrument adopted at the 86 session of the International Labour Conference concerning general conditions to stimulate job creation in small and medium-sized enterprises. [103370]
Ms Jowell: I have today published a White Paper entitled "International Labour Conference", copies of which have been placed in the Library.
TREASURY
Economic Imbalances (Regions)
16. Mr. MacShane:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to address regional economic imbalances in the United Kingdom. [101780]
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Miss Melanie Johnson:
The Government are well aware of the importance of balanced economic growth across all the regions of the UK. We are working to diminish regional imbalances and so enhance the UK's economic performance, release economic potential and ensure that all our people share in steadily rising prosperity.
17. Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the additional tax that will be paid between 1997 and 2001 as a result of his Budget measures since 1997. [101781]
20. Mr. Luff:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the net addition is to the amount of tax that will be paid in the next financial year as a result of his Budget measures since 1997. [101784]
Mr. Stephen O'Brien:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the (a) total increase in tax due as a result of increases in taxes and (b) reduction in tax due as a result of reductions in taxes, aggregated over the measures in his three Budgets to date. [101790]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
Details of the Budget measures can be found in tables 2.2, 1.3 and 1.3 of the July 1997, March 1998 and March 1999 Budget Reports. As a result of these Budgets, the direct tax rate on an average family with children will fall below 20 per cent. for the first time since 1979, and be at its lowest level since 1972.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent appraisals he has commissioned into changes in the system of taxation. [101786]
Dawn Primarolo:
The Government are committed to the thorough review of all tax measures.
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18. Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce Public Service Agreements with regional performance targets. [101782]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
The new Public Service Agreements will be drawn up as part of next year's spending review, and will include some cross- departmental targets. The regional and local impact of Government programmes will be carefully considered in the course of the review.
19. Dr. Naysmith:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effect the recently announced reduced rate of tax on savings will have on pensioner incomes in the south-west; and if he will make a statement. [101783]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
Approximately 170,000 pensioners in the South West will benefit, by an average of about £70 a year, from the extension of the 10p starting rate of tax to savings income.
21. Mr. Quinn:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the effect of the reduced rate of tax on savings announced in the Pre-Budget report on pensioner incomes in Yorkshire and the Humber. [101785]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
Approximately 120,000 pensioners in Yorkshire and the Humber will benefit, by an average of about £70 a year, from the extension of the 10p starting rate of tax to savings income.
30. Mr. Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the impact of the reduction in tax on savings on pensioner incomes in London. [101795]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
Approximately 130,000 pensioners in London will benefit, by an average of about £60 a year, from the extension of the 10p starting rate of tax to savings income.
34. Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of his economic policies on pensioner poverty. [101799]
36. Mr. Patrick Hall:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the Government's economic policies on relieving pensioner poverty. [101801]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
The Government have introduced a series of measures to combat pensioner poverty:
The Minimum Income Guarantee for the poorest pensioners, which was introduced in April 1999, will be uprated by earnings over time and as resources allow. The Government have already pledged to uprate the Minimum Income Guarantee by earnings every year until the end of this Parliament. This will benefit the 1.6 million MIG recipients. The effect of earnings uprating is that, from April 2000, for a younger single pensioner, the MIG will be almost £500 per year higher than it was in April 1997. For a pensioner couple, the MIG will be £800 higher.
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The Winter Allowance--introduced by this Government in 1998 and increased to £100 for every pensioner household from winter 1999--is a major part of the Government's strategy to combat fuel poverty, along with the cut in the rate of VAT on fuel from 8 per cent. to 5 per cent.
Free TV licences for pensioners aged 75 and over will be introduced from autumn 2000. This measure is an important income boost for some of the poorest pensioner households.
On taxation, this Government have introduced the 10p and 22p tax bands, increased personal allowances for pensioners and ensured that the 10p rate applies to savings income. These changes benefit pensioners particularly and mean that two thirds of pensioners now pay no income tax at all.
Taken together, the average pensioner household will be £300 per year better off as a result of these measures. In addition, the Government's success in delivering low inflation is particularly important for pensioners who may be relying on savings for their income.
24. Dr. Godman:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to modify the regulations governing the give-as-you-earn scheme. [101788]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
Changes to the legislation giving tax relief for charitable donations through the Payroll Giving scheme will be brought forward in next year's Finance Bill and by amendment of The Charitable Deductions (Approved Schemes) Regulations 1986.
The changes, which were announced in the Pre-Budget Report, will: remove the ceiling on the annual amount which may be donated under the Payroll Giving scheme; provide a time-limited 10 per cent. supplement on all Payroll Giving donations for three years from 6 April 2000, and tighten the rules for the time within which Payroll Giving agencies must distribute donations to the charities nominated by donors.
25. Mr. Bradshaw:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made towards meeting his economic tests for UK membership of the euro. [101789]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
The assessment of the five economic tests published by the Treasury in October 1997 concluded that we need a period of stability and settled convergence before membership of the single currency can be considered.
Mr. Ian Stewart:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of his macroeconomic policies on levels of employment and unemployment in the north-west region. [101791]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
In the North West region, as in the rest of the UK, we have created a sound and credible platform of economic stability that will help us attain our objective of high and stable levels of growth
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and employment. Since the election, employment in the North West has risen by 71,000 and unemployment has fallen by 34,000, both broadly in line with UK trends.
39. Mr. Clapham:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his assessment is of the impact of his macroeconomic policies on levels of employment and unemployment in Yorkshire and the Humber region. [101804]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
In Yorkshire and Humberside, as in the rest of the UK, we have created a sound and credible platform of economic stability that will help us attain our objective of high and stable levels of growth and employment. Since the election, employment in Yorkshire and Humberside has risen by 88,000, and unemployment has fallen by 44,000, both broadly in line with UK trends.
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