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Sex Offenders

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average number of convicted sex offenders held in custody at any one time during the financial years (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99, (d) 1999-2000 and (e) the period since 1 April. [142441]

Mr. Boateng: Information on the number of sex offenders in custody in England and Wales on 30 June for 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999 is given in the table.

Date Number of offenders
30 June 19964,043
30 June 19974,180
30 June 19984,937
30 June 19995,098

This information is also published in successive volumes of "Prison Statistics England and Wales" (tables 1.7 and 2.8 of the 1996 edition, CM 3732, and tables 1.5 and 2.8 of the 1997 CM 4017, 1998 CM 4430 and 1999 CM 4805 editions), copies of which are in the Library.

Provisional information for the year 2000 shows that there were 5,251 sex offenders in custody in England and Wales on 30 April 2000, and 5,190 sex offenders in custody in England and Wales on 30 October 2000.

12 Dec 2000 : Column: 114W

Rehabilitation Programmes

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have completed (a) a programme accredited as being effective in reducing re-offending and (b) a sex offender treatment programme in the period since 1 April. [142442]

Mr. Boateng: In the period 1 April to 30 November 2000, a total of 2,981 prisoners completed accredited offending behaviour programmes, of which 216 were sex offender treatment programmes.

Primary Purpose Arrangements

Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement clarifying the comments made by a senior official of the Joint Entry Clearance Unit to the JECU user panel on 29 November on the primary purpose arrangements. [142243]

Mr. Vaz: I have been asked to reply.

A member of the Joint Entry Clearance Unit inadvertently used the words "primary purpose" when explaining that visit visa applicants qualified for the right of appeal if the main reason that they were coming to the United Kingdom was to visit a close family member here. She immediately corrected herself and apologised for any misunderstanding.

TREASURY

VAT

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue he estimates was received in VAT from (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in (i) 1997-98, (ii) 1998-99 and (ii) 1999-2000; and how much he estimates will be raised from each of these territories, in (A) 2000-01, (B) 2001-02 and (C) 2002-03. [141364]

Dawn Primarolo: VAT is a centrally collected tax and figures for receipts are available only for the UK as a whole (HM Customs and Excise Annual Report, Table A1). Similarly, projected receipts are available only on a UK basis (pre-Budget Report, Table B11).

Objective 1

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the cost to the Treasury of the halving of the rate of employer's national insurance contributions in Objective 1 areas of the UK. [141371]

Dawn Primarolo: I regret that it is not possible to provide a reliable estimate for Objective 1 areas.

Income Tax and National Insurance

Caroline Flint: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people in Don Valley constituency paying less in income tax and national insurance than in May 1997. [142057]

Dawn Primarolo: I regret that it is not possible to provide a reliable estimate.

12 Dec 2000 : Column: 115W

IR35

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent in legal costs defending the recent judicial review permission hearing of IR35; and what estimate he has made of the final cost of defending the judicial review if the case is concluded at (a) the High Court, (b) the House of Lords and (c) the European Court of Justice. [141663]

Dawn Primarolo: I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady) on 24 November 2000, Official Report, column 340W.

Climate Change Levy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what conclusion he has reached on the net impact of the climate change levy on the quarrying and aggregates industry; [142056]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 11 December 2000]: The climate change levy will raise an estimated £1 billion in its first year, all of which will be recycled back to business via a 0.3 percentage point cut in employers' National Insurance Contributions and £150 million of spending on energy efficiency. We expect the levy to be broadly neutral between services and manufacturing. The effect on any specific business, sector or region will depend on a number of factors, including their future energy consumption, the level of employment, eligibility for discounts, use of renewable or combined heat and power energy, and take up of enhanced capital allowances.

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what relief from the climate change levy is available for energy intensive businesses subject to international competition but not covered by the integrated pollution prevention and control directive. [141438]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 11 December 2000]: The definitions within the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations as the basis to determine eligibility for a Climate Change Levy Negotiated Agreement allow rebates to be targeted at energy intensive sectors exposed

12 Dec 2000 : Column: 116W

to international competition. Sectors covered by IPPC have to operate in an energy efficient manner, a requirement to which other sites are not subject. IPPC also provides legal certainty and administrative simplicity and is compatible with EU state aids rules.

All businesses, regardless of energy intensity, will benefit from the 0.3 percentage point cut in employers' National Insurance Contributions, the energy efficiency funding and the enhanced capital allowances for energy saving investments. They may also choose to benefit from the exemptions for renewable or combined heat and power energy.

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in obtaining EU state aid clearance for (a) 100 per cent. capital allowances for energy saving investments and (b) his proposals for relief for business in respect of the climate change levy. [141436]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 11 December 2000]: Several aspects of the climate change levy package require state aids clearance and the appropriate applications have been made. The most recent draft of the new EU state aid guidelines for environmental measures was published in October. We are continuing to work with the Commission to ensure a timely approval of applications.

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list (a) the agreements granting relief from the climate change levy which he has entered into with energy intensive business sectors subject to international competition and (b) the extent of the discount in each case; [141427]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 11 December 2000]: Energy intensive sectors exposed to international competition--as defined by the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations Part A--will be entitled to an 80 per cent. rebate on the climate change levy in return for entering into climate change agreements which will deliver demanding improvements in their energy efficiency.

These agreements are entered into with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The process of agreement signing is ongoing. To date 1,541 applications for agreements have been received from companies of which around half are estimated to be from small and medium sized enterprises. No analysis by region has been undertaken.

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