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EU Stability and Growth Pact
Mr. Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to alter the Government's
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budgetary statement, set out in the Red Book 2000, as it affects public expenditure in the United Kingdom following his discussions with the European Commission and ECOFIN about the Opinion of the Council under Regulation EC No. 1466/97 and Article 99EC. [151117]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Fiscal policy in the UK is designed to deliver sound public finances and to help ensure economic stability and sustainable investment in public services. The Budget statement will be delivered in the normal way on Wednesday 7 March.
National Insurance
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of crediting in those earning between £67 and £72 per week to the national insurance system. [151425]
Dawn Primarolo: I regret a reliable answer cannot be provided because of the difficulty of making a long-term estimate of benefit costs for a relatively small number of people.
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the change in revenue to the Exchequer in the financial year 2001-02 as a result of (a) raising the upper earnings limit on employee national insurance contributions to the threshold of the higher rate of Income tax, (b) removing the upper earnings limit on employee national insurance contributions, (c) extending the 10 per cent. rate of income tax band to £7,272 per year of gross income and implementing it as a restricted allowance, restricted to the basic rate of 22 per cent. and (d) extending the 10 per cent. rate of income tax band to £10,052, and implementing it as a restricted allowance, restricted to the basic rate of 22 per cent. assuming the personal allowance is £7,272. [151427]
Dawn Primarolo: Estimates for the effects of raising and abolishing the upper earnings limit were given to my hon. Friend in my answer to him on 29 November 2000, Official Report, column 591W. Without further details I am unable to provide an answer to the final two parts of my hon. Friend's question.
Endangered Species Smuggling
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been prosecuted for smuggling CITES listed (a) animal species and (b) reptiles into the United Kingdom for each year since 1992. [151130]
Dawn Primarolo: Numbers of persons prosecuted for smuggling offences involving CITES species since 1992 are as follows:
- 1992
- Animals/birds--one person (spiders), one person (parrots and cockatoos)
- Reptiles--nil
- 1993
- Animals/birds--nil
- Reptiles--one person (tortoises)
- 1994
- Animals/birds--one person (parrots)
- Reptiles--one person (chameleons)
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- 1995
- Animals/birds--five persons (parrots--all part of one case)
- Reptiles--one person (snakes)
- 2000
- Animals/birds--one person (macaws and parrots)
- Reptiles--nil.
Stamp Duty
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has received EU permission to introduce lower stamp duty rates in the inner cities, in line with his pre-Budget statement. [151041]
Dawn Primarolo: Further announcements about the stamp duty relief for disadvantaged communities will be made in due course.
Married Couples Allowance
Mr. Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he estimates the Treasury will have saved in the 2000-01 financial year through the withdrawal of the married couples allowance. [151010]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the March 2000 Financial Statement and Budget Report.
EU-Israel Association Agreement
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the time limit set out in the EU-Israel Association Agreement is for responses from the Israeli authorities to requests for documentation of origin as part of the verification exercise being carried out by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise. [151135]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is set out in article 32 of Protocol 4 to the EC-Israel Agreement.
SCOTLAND
Taoiseach
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when her Department was first informed of the projected visit to Scotland of the Irish Taoiseach to unveil a memorial at Carfin on 11 February; [150828]
- (2) when her Department was first informed that the hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw (Mr. Roy) had written to the Irish Consul in Edinburgh to urge the Irish Taoiseach to cancel his visit to Scotland on 11 February; [150824]
(3) what discussions (a) she and (b) her predecessor had with the hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw (Mr. Roy) prior to his writing to the Irish Consul in Edinburgh urging the Irish Taoiseach to cancel his visit to Scotland on 11 February, concerning the contents of that letter; [150825]
(4) when, and by whom, her Department was first informed that the planned visit to Scotland of the Irish Taoiseach due to take place on 11 February had been cancelled; [150823]
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(5) when her Department was first informed of the content and nature of the letter written by the hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw (Mr. Roy) urging the Irish Taoiseach to cancel his visit to Scotland on 11 February; [150826]
(6) what consultations took place between her Department and (a) the Scottish Executive and (b) the Irish Government concerning the planned visit to Scotland of the Irish Taoiseach to unveil a memorial at Carfin on 11 February; and when such consultations first took place. [150827]
Mrs. Liddell: My Department was not involved in preparations for the visit of the Irish Taoiseach planned for 11 February, nor was it consulted by my hon. Friend the Member for Motherwell and Wishaw (Mr. Roy) or by the Irish authorities before the decision was taken to cancel that visit. I received a letter of invitation to the ceremony at Carfin on Friday 2 February, and I learned of the Irish decision to cancel the visit from news reports on Thursday 8 February.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when she will answer the Question from the hon. Member for Glasgow, Shettleston Reference Number 146986 tabled for answer on 22 January. [151164]
Mr. Foulkes: I answered my hon. Friend's Question on Thursday 15 February.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if the special advisers working
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for her will relinquish their posts when the next general election is called. [149314]
Clare Short: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 13 February 2001, Official Report, column 130W.
Earthquake (India)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the material and financial assistance her Department has given to the Government of India for specific use in Gujarat State following the recent earthquake. [149465]
Mr. Mullin: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in the House on 29 January 2001, Official Report, columns 21-22, the Department for International Development has allocated a total of £10 million to support this emergency relief effort without reducing our spending in other parts of India. The table summarises the allocation of funds spent to date.
We dispatched a 69-person search and rescue team who rescued six people and supported the Russian Ministry of Emergency for the provision of 75 search and rescue personnel who rescued 17 people. In addition we arranged for numerous relief items including tents, other shelter items, medical supplies and blankets to be transported to the region.
Our assessment and liaison team continues to work closely with the Indian authorities and the operational agencies to provide invaluable information on the remaining needs to enable appropriate allocation of the remaining funds.
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| £ | ||
|---|---|---|
| UK search and rescue (SAR) | Sixty-nine strong team/equipment | 265,000 |
| Russian Ministry of Emergency | SAR/tents/blankets | 200,000 |
| UK tent lift (Red Cross--IFRC and Save the Children Fund--SCF) | Tents/plastic sheeting | 504,545 |
| UK trauma kit lift (World Health Organisation--(WHO) | Trauma kits/additional items | 429,837 |
| Indian blankets (SCF) | -- | 255,172 |
| IFRC | Tents, blankets and non-food | 750,000 |
| Oxfam | Water and sanitation (watsan) | 1,000,000 |
| UNICEF | Watsan, re-establish schools, school kits | 1,000,000 |
| WHO | Medical, watsan, epidemiological survey | 430,000 |
| UNDP | Transitional recovery work | 450,000 |
| CARE | Shelter and care centres | 500,000 |
| SCF | Shelter, blankets and water containers | 450,000 |
| Christian Aid | Shelter, blankets and essential non-food | 350,000 |
| Help Age International | Medicare units, shelter, blankets and food | 200,000 |
| ADRA UK | Hygiene kits, blankets and linen | 115,000 |
| Food for the hungry | Shelter, blankets, toilets and medicine | 51,950 |
| BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha | Medical supplies, water, food, shelter, clothes | 250,000 |
| Handicap International | Injury treatment, therapy and rehabilitation | 200,000 |
| World Food Programme | Food | 600,000 |
| DFID Local Disbursement | Relief items to cover needs as identified | 500,000 |
| Total | 8,501,504 |
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