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Annual Report

Ms Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the criminal justice system annual report. [149617]

Mr. Straw: My right hon. and noble Friends the Attorney-General, the Lord Chancellor and I have today published jointly an annual report for the criminal justice system in England and Wales for 1999-2000.

The annual report is a formal report back on the first Criminal Justice System Strategic and Business Plan, which was published in March 1999.

Copies of the report have been placed in the Library.

SCOTLAND

Liquid Petroleum Gas

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will undertake a study of the costs and benefits of large scale conversion from petrol to liquid petroleum gas in remote regions; and if she will make a statement. [149337]

Mr. Foulkes: Liquid petroleum gas is a cleaner fuel that has significant environmental benefits over the use of petrol and diesel. It is for this reason that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the last Budget held duty on road fuel gases to 15p per kilogram. The extension of the use of liquid petroleum gas by motorists in remote areas can also help address higher fuel costs faced in remote parts of Scotland caused by problems of low turnover of fuel sales and lack of competition.

Responsibility in Scotland for the Powershift scheme, which provides grants for the purchase and conversion of vehicles to alternative fuels including LPG, and for the Rural Transport Fund, which provides grants for the installation of LPG tanks in rural petrol stations, lies with the Scottish Executive. From the next financial year the Scottish Executive will provide £990,000 per year for Powershift. Measures to promote LPG supplies in rural areas are funded from the Scottish Executive Rural Transport Fund. Further details of that funding are expected soon. I understand that the Scottish Executive has no plans at this stage to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of large-scale conversion to LPG in remote areas.

Employment (Glasgow)

Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment in (i) the constituency of Glasgow, Pollok and (ii) in Glasgow (A) in May 1997 and (B) on 29 January; and what the percentage change was in each case. [148127]

Mr. Foulkes: The number of people who were in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment in Glasgow City unitary authority in Spring (March to May) 1997 and Autumn (September to November) 2000 are shown in the

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table. No equivalent figures, showing numbers of people, for the parliamentary constituency of Glasgow, Pollok are available.

	Glasgow City
Full-time employment:
Spring 1997	168,000
Autumn 2000	188,000
Percentage change	+12
Part-time employment:
Spring 1997	47,000
Autumn 2000	61,000
Percentage change	+30

Source:

Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics

A75

Mr. Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much Trans-European Network funding has been paid to assist in the upgrading of the A75; how many separate grants have been made; in which year; and for which projects. [148134]

Mr. Foulkes: The Scottish Executive is responsible for trunk roads within Scotland. To be considered for funding under the Trans-European Network (TEN) Multi-annual Indicative Programme (MIP), schemes must be submitted to the Commission as part of an overall UK bid. Trans-European Network (TEN) funding of some £350,000 was received in 1997 as a contribution to the improvement of the A75 at The Glen. The project has since been completed and a further claim for the outstanding amount of £780,000 is being prepared. No other TEN funding has been received for upgrading the A75.

TREASURY

Manufacturing (Job Losses)

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many manufacturing jobs have been lost in (a) the Northern Region and (b) the Jarrow constituency, since 1997; and how many manufacturing jobs have been created in (a) the Northern Region and (b) the Jarrow constituency, since 1997. [148610]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Stephen Hepburn, dated 7 February 2001:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of manufacturing jobs that have been lost and created in the Northern Region and Jarrow since 1997 (148610).

Information is not available separately for job losses and job gains, but the net effect is measured in the Annual Employment Survey (AES) in September of each year. Between September 1997 and September 1998 (the latest year for which figures are available), the AES shows net increases in the number of employee jobs in manufacturing of 5,200 in the Northern Region and 1,800 in the Jarrow Constituency.

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Tax Returns

Mr. Willis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how income received as a result of fines levied on individuals for non-completion of tax returns is (a) accounted for and (b) allocated. [148985]

Dawn Primarolo: Taxpayers who do not complete tax returns under the self-assessment system render themselves liable for penalties. When penalties are paid they are allocated to the taxpayer's account, and brought to account as SA penalties. The income received from such penalty receipts is paid over as a CFER (consolidated fund extra receipt). These receipts are paid over to the Treasury and are reported within the Appropriation Account (Class XVI Vote 4).

Capital Gains Tax

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of beneficiaries of (a) taper relief and (b) exemption from capital gains accrued but unrealised at death in (i) 2000-01 and (ii) 2001-02; and if he will make a statement. [146042]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 18 January 2001]: About 90 per cent. of the 190,000 CGT taxpayers for 2000-01 are expected to realise some gains to which the applicable taper rate will be less than 100 per cent.

It is estimated that, for 2000-01, 55,000 estates might benefit from the exemption for capital gains accrued but unrealised at death.

Corresponding information for 2001-02 is not available.

Departmental Policies

(Staffordshire, Moorlands)

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Staffordshire, Moorlands constituency, the effects on Staffordshire, Moorlands of his Department's policies and actions (a) since 2 May 1997 and (b) in the 12 months ending on 1 May 1997. [149137]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Staffordshire, Moorlands constituency, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, is benefiting from the long-term action we have taken to build economic stability and secure high and stable levels of growth and employment. In April 1997, claimant unemployment in the constituency stood at 1,385. By December 2000 it had fallen 41 per cent. to 822. Over the same period, youth unemployment in Staffordshire, Moorlands has fallen by 90 per cent., and long-term unemployment has dropped by 73 per cent.

Macroeconomic stability is being complemented at the microeconomic level by the Government's policies to ease the transition from welfare into work and to make work pay. To the end of November 2000, the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds had helped 454 young people in Staffordshire, Moorlands gain valuable skills and experience--254 (56 per cent.) of whom had moved into employment. The Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC), introduced in October 1999, is helping to make work pay for low and middle income families. In August 2000, 1,800 families in Staffordshire, Moorlands constituency were benefiting from WFTC.

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The Government are also committed to developing policies which enable all pensioners to share in the country's rising prosperity. As a result of the recent pre-Budget report, all pensioners, including 17,300 in Staffordshire, Moorlands constituency, will receive an above-inflation increase in the basic state pension from April 2001. Single pensioners will receive an extra £5 a week, and couples will receive an extra £8 a week. All pensioners aged 75 or over have also been entitled to a free TV licence since November 2000--including around 10,500 in Staffordshire, Moorlands.

Departmental Policies

(Morecambe and Lunesdale)

Miss Geraldine Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency, the effects of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [149088]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Morecambe and Lunesdale, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, is benefiting from the long-term action we have taken to build economic stability and secure high and stable levels of growth and employment. Since the general election, claimant unemployment in the constituency has fallen by 935, or 33 per cent., youth unemployment is down by 88 per cent., and long-term unemployment has fallen by 66 per cent.

Macroeconomic stability is being complemented at the microeconomic level by the Government's policies to ease the transition from welfare into work and to make work pay. To the end of November 2000, the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds had helped 1,080 young people in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency gain valuable skills and experience--564 (52 per cent.) of whom had moved into employment. The Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC), introduced in October 1999, is helping to make work pay for low and middle income families. In August 2000, 2,100 families in the constituency were benefiting from WFTC.

The Government are also committed to developing policies which enable all pensioners to share in the country's rising prosperity. As a result of the recent pre-Budget report, all pensioners, including 18,600 in Morecambe and Lunesdale, will receive an above- inflation increase in the basic state pension from April 2001. Single pensioners will receive an extra £5 a week, and couples will receive an extra £8 a week. All pensioners aged 75 or over have also been entitled to a free TV licence since November 2000--including around 12,000 in Morecambe and Lunesdale.

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