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Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has issued to other Departments about the rights to receive windfall profits as part of Private Finance Initiative deals; and how many Departments have agreed such deals (a) in accordance and (b) not in accordance with such guidance. [146839]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Guidance on the refinancing of PFI projects is contained in the Standardisation of PFI Contracts publication produced by the Treasury Taskforce in 1999. This was supplemented by Treasury guidance in July 2000 which alerted Departments to emerging issues in this area; and by guidance from the Office of Government Commerce in November, which proposed that Departments seek an equitable share of refinancing benefits where their consent was required, and where the contract did not cover the terms of that consent. The OGC expects to publish further guidance shortly. Detailed contractual information is not held centrally.
23 Jan 2001 : Column: 570W
Children's Tax Credit
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the Inland Revenue did not access the child benefit records held by the Benefits Agency before issuing claim forms for the children's tax credit. [146108]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 22 January 2001]: Existing data on taxpayers were more likely to produce a better match to those eligible to claim the Children's Tax Credit. A large proportion of Child Benefit recipients are non-taxpayers.
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 8 January 2001, Official Report, column 458W, on the children's tax credit if he will make a statement on the publicity which has been undertaken; how much it cost; how much he proposes to spend by the end of February on further publicity; and what form that further publicity will take. [146321]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 22 January 2001]: To date, the publicity campaign for the Children's Tax Credit has consisted of radio and press advertising. It has been conducted over two phases and cost £3 million.
A further phase of publicity is planned in February which includes TV, as well as radio and press. It is estimated that this will cost just under £4.7 million.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many completed children's tax credit forms have been returned from each region of the United Kingdom. [146355]
Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available.
Child Benefit
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the revenue yield of taxing child benefit (a) for upper rate tax payers and (b) at the marginal rate for all tax payers. [146252]
Dawn Primarolo: The estimated yield of taxing child benefit in 2000-01 is published in "Inland Revenue Statistics 2000", a copy of which is held in the House of Commons Library. The full year yield of taxing child benefit for higher rate taxpayers in 2000-01 is estimated to be £60 million.
Capital Gains Tax
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 9 November 2000, Official Report, column 343W, concerning capital gains tax indexation, what estimate he has made of the behavioural effects arising from re-introducing indexation and abolishing taper relief, while reintroducing retirement relief on the revenue yield. [146153]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 22 January 2001]: The Government remain committed to the system of taper relief within capital gains taxation so no detailed analyses of the behavioural effects of abolishing taper relief while reintroducing indexation and retirement relief have been made.
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of capital gains tax is paid by income tax payers with a taxable income below (a) £10,000, (b) £20,000 and (c) £30,000 per year. [146260]
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Dawn Primarolo: For 1997-98, the latest available year, the distribution of capital gains tax (CGT) liabilities of individual CGT taxpayers, by range of their taxable income, is as follows:
| Taxable income: Lower limit | Proportion of total capital gains tax (Per cent.) |
|---|---|
| £0 | 10.6 |
| £10,000 | 6.3 |
| £20,000 | 6.4 |
| £30,000 | 76.8 |
| All ranges | 100 |
Note:
For 1997-98, 140 thousand individual taxpayers had total CGT liabilities of £1,637 million.
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average benefit of (a) the exemption of capital gains tax on first homes and (b) the annual exempt amount of capital gains tax and the number of people who will benefit from each in 2001-02. [146258]
Dawn Primarolo: Tentative estimates of the total cost of these exemptions for 2000-01 are given in the Tax Ready Reckoner, November 2000, which is available in the House of Commons Library. Estimates for 2001-02 are not yet available.
Mapeley Ltd.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the STEPS contract between his Department and Mapeley Ltd. for the transfer to Mapeley Ltd. of the ownership and management of the combined estate of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise has yet been finalised; and when the planned starting date is. [147030]
Dawn Primarolo: The two Departments and Mapeley are finalising a few technical details.
The implementation programme is on schedule for the contract to start as planned.
Pensions
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the revenue yield of restricting the value of the (a) employee pension contributions and (b) employer pension contributions to (i) the basic rate of taxation and (ii) 10 per cent. [146257]
Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the full year yield for 2000-01 of restricting income tax relief for employees' and employers' contributions to occupational and personal pensions (including additional voluntary contributions) are given in the table. They do not take account of any behavioural effects which are likely to result from such changes.
| Yield from restricting income tax relief to: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Relief for pension contributions | 22 per cent. | 10 per cent. |
| Employees(16) | 1.3 | 3.3 |
| Employers(17) | 1.9 | 5.3 |
(16) Based on a projection, consistent with pre-Budget Report 2000, of the 1998-99 Survey of Personal Incomes and other survey and administrative data
(17) Based on a projection, consistent with pre-Budget Report 2000, of figures compiled by the Office for National Statistics from a variety of sources
23 Jan 2001 : Column: 572W
Termination of Employment Payment
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the revenue yield of reducing the exemption of the first £30,000 of payments on the termination of employment to (a) £15,000, (b) £10,000 and (c) nil. [146256]
Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the income tax yield in a full-year from reducing the exemption on the first £30,000 of payments on the termination of employment are shown in the table. These estimates do not allow for possible behavioural effects.
| Reducing exemption to: | Tax yield (£ million) |
|---|---|
| £15,000 | 350 |
| £10,000 | 500 |
| Nil | 1,100 |
Plant and Machinery (Capital Allowances)
Mr. Page: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the estimates and outturns for the allowances for plant and machinery in the Budgets for the years (a) 1998-99 and (b) 1999-2000 and the estimated outturn for 2000-2001. [146851]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the published Financial Statement and Budget Reports for the estimated revenue effects of the Budget changes made to capital allowances for plant and machinery.
Outturn figures are not available.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Saville Inquiry
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost from 30 September to 30 December 2000 of the Saville Inquiry was; if he will break down the costs by (a) salaries of staff, (b) travel and subsistence, (c) accommodation, (d) hearing/witness costs, (e) fees to solicitors representing those killed, (f) solicitors representing others, (g) barristers representing those killed, (h) barristers representing others, (i) IT/communications and (j) miscellaneous, including general office expenditure; and if he will provide the totals of each heading and the total costs since this inquiry began. [145525]
Mr. Ingram: My Department's expenditure on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry for the period 1 October to 31 December 2000 is summarised in the table. The figures for moneys paid to solicitors and barristers cannot be readily provided separately, nor can the payments for their professional services be separated from other expenses. However these payments have been split between those to lawyers representing families and those to other lawyers, including Counsel to the Inquiry.
23 Jan 2001 : Column: 573W
23 Jan 2001 : Column: 573W
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