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Departmental Policies

(Blackpool, North and Fleetwood)

Mrs. Humble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, including statistical information, the effect on the Blackpool, North and Fleetwood constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [150721]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Blackpool, North and Fleetwood, 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 660, or 24 per cent., youth unemployment is down by 77 per cent., and long-term unemployment has fallen by 75 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 833 young people in

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Blackpool, North and Fleetwood constituency gain valuable skills and experience--419 (50 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, 2,400 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 23,600 in Blackpool, North and Fleetwood, 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 14,500 in Blackpool, North and Fleetwood.

Departmental Policies (Clwyd, South)

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Clwyd, South constituency, the effects on Clwyd, South of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [150910]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Clwyd, South, 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 397, or 28 per cent., youth unemployment is down by 80 per cent., and long-term unemployment has fallen by 64 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 546 young people in Clwyd, South constituency gain valuable skills and experience--289 (53 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, 1,900 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 around 13,000 in Clwyd, South, 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.

Departmental Policies (North-East Derbyshire)

Mr. Barnes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the North-East Derbyshire constituency, the effect on North-East Derbyshire of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [150881]

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Miss Melanie Johnson: North-East Derbyshire, 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 440, or 18 per cent., youth unemployment is down by 67 per cent., and long-term unemployment has fallen by 62 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 952 young people in North-East Derbyshire constituency gain valuable skills and experience--484 (51 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, 1,700 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 18,100 in North-East Derbyshire, 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 11,500 in North-East Derbyshire.

Self-Employment

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been received from self-employed people in national insurance contributions whose contributions were inadequate to qualify them for contributory benefits in each of the last 10 years. [150453]

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.

Aggregates Tax

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received (1) about the impact of the proposed tax on aggregates on prices to (a) the primary producer and (b) the purchaser from the primary producer; [150893]

(2) on the increase in the cost of a cubic metre of concrete which will result from the imposition of the aggregates tax; [150892]

(3) on the increased cost of producing 1,000 aggregate/cement (a) bricks and (b) other building blocks normally used in house construction as a consequence of the imposition of the proposed tax on aggregates; and by how much he estimates the cost of the average sized dwelling constructed of such materials will increase. [150896]

Mr. Timms: The Chancellor has received numerous representations regarding taxation, including the planned aggregates levy. Decisions regarding taxation are made as part of the Budget process. Budget 2000 announced that the aggregates levy would be introduced from April 2002.

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Mr. William Ross: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much aggregate, broken down by type, was (a) imported to and (b) exported from the United Kingdom by (i) land transport and (ii) sea transport, indicating his estimates of the value of such materials, in the current year and each of the previous three years. [150917]

Mr. Timms: Data on exports and imports of aggregate are published annually in the British Geological Survey's United Kingdom Minerals Yearbook. It is not possible to break this down between land transport and sea transport.

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the impact on prices of the imposition of the proposed aggregates tax in road building. [150894]

Mr. Timms: Budget 2000 announced that the Government have decided to introduce an aggregates levy with effect from April 2002. The impact on prices will be dependent on the commercial decisions of aggregates suppliers and purchasers.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the implications for the United Kingdom of the policies and proposed policies of each EU state in relation to the taxation of aggregates. [150855]

Mr. Timms: Policies relating to the extraction of aggregates vary between member states outside the UK. These do not have a direct impact on the price of aggregates in the UK.

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what his estimate is of the quantities of material which arise each year from (a) the UK as a whole, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) England, which are suitable for recycling to produce aggregates; and how much under each of these headings is actually recycled; [150935]

(2) what (a) tonnage and (b) value of aggregates were produced, broken down by type, in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland in the current financial year and in the previous three financial years. [150920]

Mr. Timms: Data on the production of aggregate are published annually in the British Geological Survey's United Kingdom Minerals Yearbook. Data on the scope for increased use of recycled aggregate are contained in a report for the Environment Agency by Symonds Group Ltd., "Construction and Demolition Waste Survey: National Survey of the Production, Recycling and Disposal of Construction and Demolition Waste In England and Wales, 1999-2000, Environment Agency R&D Technical Report P402". A summary of this report has been published through the DETR.

Mr. Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes he has made in public procurement policy to encourage a greater use of recycled aggregates; and if he will make a statement. [150681]

Mr. Timms: The joint Treasury/DETR note on Environmental Issues in Purchasing explains that purchasers can specify their requirements in green terms and should award their contracts on the basis of whole life costs and quality, consistent with this policy. The procurement of aggregates--recycled or otherwise--can

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be undertaken within this framework, by appropriate specifications where justified and technically possible. It is for the purchasing Department to make these decisions in the specific circumstances.

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