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Anglo-Irish Relations

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions the joint Steering Group co-chaired by the Irish Department of the Taoiseach and the Cabinet Office has met since 10 November 1997; on what date the most recent progress report on East/West co-operation was drawn up; and if she will place a copy in the Library. [142273]

Mr. Ian McCartney: The Good Friday Agreement established a British-Irish Inter-governmental Conference to promote bilateral co-operation. Progress was reviewed at the BIIGC Summit on 17 December 1999, after which a communique was issued. Officials have maintained contact with the Taoiseach's Office to review progress since.

14 Dec 2000 : Column: 244W

New Deal (Young People)

Mr. Alexander: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people have been employed in the civil service under the New Deal for the Young Unemployed to date. [142161]

Mr. Stringer: As at 1 October 2000, the information on all Civil Service Departments (including their agencies) participating in the New Deal is as follows:

New Deal starts as a 1 October 2000

Main Department (including agencies)	Number
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	58
Intervention Board	3
Cabinet Office	13
Privy Council Office	1
Charity Commission	25
Culture, Media and Sport	4
Ministry of Defence	118
Education and Employment	2,182
Office for Standards in Education	1
Environment, Transport and the Regions	63
Export Credits Guarantee Department	4
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	8
Government Communications Headquarters	1
Government Offices for the Regions	8
Health	39
Home Office	89
International Development	7
Law Officers' Departments	15
Lord Chancellor's Department	38
National Assembly for Wales	36
Northern Ireland Office	11
Scottish Executive	54
Registers of Scotland	1
Social Security	603
Trade and Industry	51
HM Treasury	3
Office of Government Commerce	1
HM Customs and Excise	73
Inland Revenue	317
Office for National Statistics	10
Royal Mint	3
Total	3,840

Equal Opportunities

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps she has taken to ensure that Government Departments promote equality between (a) older people, (b) disabled people, (c) ethnic minorities, (d) religious minorities, (e) women and (f) gay and lesbian people, and the rest of the population in each case, in service provision, employment, drafting of legislation and other activities; and if she will make a statement. [142517]

Marjorie Mowlam: As an equal opportunities employer, the Civil Service is committed to fairness and equality of opportunity for all in employment and advancement on the basis of suitability for the work.

A central commitment of the Civil Service reform programme is to achieve a dramatic increase in diversity. The aim is to develop a service that values the diversity of its staff and enables all to realise their potential by recognising the contribution of all and the positive benefits that difference can bring.

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In respect of the services that Government Departments provide, all Departments aim to ensure that all the Government's activities, including policies, programmes, legislation and services are taken forward in line with the joint-departmental guidelines "Policy Appraisal for Equal Treatment" issued in 1998.

TREASURY

Children's Tax Credit

11. Mr. Geraint Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the introduction of the new children's tax credit. [141843]

Dawn Primarolo: The new children's tax credit is a tax cut for hard-working families. It will be worth up to £442 a year or £8.50 a week when it is introduced from April next year. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his recent pre-Budget Report that it was his aim to increase this to £520 or £10 per week in his next Budget.

31. Joan Ruddock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on his plans to introduce a new children's tax credit. [141866]

Dawn Primarolo: We have received a number of representations on this along with all other aspects of the tax system. The new children's tax credit is a tax cut for hard-working families. It will be worth up to £442 a year or £8.50 a week when it is introduced from April next year. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his recent pre-Budget Report that it was his aim to increase this to £520 or £10 per week in his next Budget.

36. Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what impact he estimates the new children's tax credit will have on the incomes of working families. [141871]

Dawn Primarolo: The new children's tax credit will be worth up to £442 a year or £8.50 a week for hard-working families when it is introduced from April next year. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his recent pre-Budget Report that it was his aim to increase this to £520 or £10 per week in his next Budget.

Child Poverty

13. Dr. Palmer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the fiscal measures he plans to introduce to relieve child poverty. [141847]

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are committed to tackling child poverty. That is why we have set a long-term commitment to halve it within 10 years and to abolish it within a generation.

The Government's tax and benefit reforms are already providing extra support for all families with children, and targeting help on those who need it most. It is estimated that the measures introduced in this Parliament will lift more than one million children out of poverty.

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EU Structural Funds

16. Mr. Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the efficiency of delivering EU structural funds to the United Kingdom's four objective 1 regions. [141850]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The Single Programming Document (SPD), drawn up at the start of the Objective 1 period, forms the basis of ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed Objective 1 programme. I am pleased that the European Commission is promoting the Cornish document to the rest of Europe as a model of good practice.

We are concerned continually to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Structural Funds.

Working Families Tax Credit

17. Angela Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the operation of the Working Families Tax Credit. [141851]

Dawn Primarolo: We have received representations about the operation of the Working Families Tax Credit from a number of sources including applicants. Within its first year of operation, Working Families Tax Credit already helps over 1.1 million families with average awards of £73 per week.

Cleaner Vehicles

18. Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what incentives he has introduced for motorists to convert their vehicles to run on low emission fuels; and if he will make a statement. [141852]

Mr. Timms: The cleaner vehicles programme offers grants of up to 75 per cent. of the cost of converting vehicles to natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas and electricity. Its funding has been almost tripled for this year, to £10 million. We have introduced a sharply reduced rate of duty on liquid petroleum gas, and the new graduated VED system for new cars being introduced in March will offer new reductions for cars using low emission fuels.

In the pre-Budget report, the Chancellor set a challenge to British industry to develop proposals for practical alternative fuels. Our intention is to be in a position to announce significant duty reductions for the most promising alternative fuels at the time of the Budget.

Public Services

19. Ms Rosie Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his plans for capital investment in public services over the next four years. [141854]

Mr. Andrew Smith: Public sector net investment is set to double over the period 2000-01 to 2003-04. Detailed plans on how this additional spending will be delivered are set out in recently published Departmental Investment Strategies.

Pensioners

20. Mr. Prosser: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his proposals to help the poorest pensioners. [141855]

14 Dec 2000 : Column: 247W

Dawn Primarolo: We are significantly increasing the Minimum Income Guarantee next year for two million of the country's poorest pensioners. The new, aligned rates will be £92.15 a week for single pensioners and £140.55 for couples. These will then be raised in line with average earnings, reaching £100 and £154 a week by 2003. In addition, we are consulting on a new Pension Credit which will benefit 5.5 million pensioners with low and moderate incomes.

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