| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Departmental Policies (Edinburgh, South)
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Edinburgh, South constituency, the effects on Edinburgh of the Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [155341]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Edinburgh, 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 983, or 48 per cent., youth unemployment is down by 83 per cent. and long-term unemployment has fallen by 70 per cent.
Macro-economic stability is being complemented at the micro-economic level by the Government's policies to ease the transition from welfare into work and to make work pay. To the end of December 2000, the New Deal for 18-24 year olds had helped 586 young people in Edinburgh, South constituency gain valuable skills and experience--298 (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, 900 families in the constituency were benefiting from WFTC.
The Government are also committed to policies that enable pensioners to share in the country's rising prosperity. All pensioners, including 13,300 in Edinburgh, South, will receive an above-inflation increase in the basic state pensions from April 2001. Single pensioners will receive an extra £5 a week, and couples will receive an
26 Mar 2001 : Column: 461W
extra £8 a week. All pensioners aged 75 or over have also been entitled to a free TV licence since November 2000--including around 9,000 in Edinburgh, South.
NHS (Wales)
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the funding announced in the Budget for the NHS will be allocated to Wales. [155042]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The Government announced in the Budget an additional £100 million over three years for Wales. This represented the share for Wales of the overall increases in spending announced in the Budget, including as a consequence of the increases announced for England for health and other spending. It is for the National Assembly for Wales to decide how to allocate the increase in its budget according to its priorities.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets have been given to the Valuation Office for the time scale within which appeals against the 2000 rating list must be determined. [155038]
Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency's targets for 2001-02 will be published shortly.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is the policy of the Government that small businesses should have priority in the determination of their appeals against the 2000 rating list; and if he will make a statement. [155036]
Dawn Primarolo: Appeals are programmed so that properties of a similar type are considered together but the Valuation Office will give priority to appeals where the ratepayer would otherwise suffer hardship.
Foot and Mouth
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will undertake to make resources available to the
26 Mar 2001 : Column: 462W
National Assembly for Wales, in addition to funding under the Barnett formula, to enable financial support to be given to tourism and agriculture-related businesses that have suffered losses as a result of the effects of foot and mouth disease. [154841]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The Government reported on the work of the Rural Task Force provisionally on 20 March. The funding arrangements for the devolved Administrations were set out in the Statement of Funding Policy published in July 2000.
Utilities Regulators
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 6 March 2001, Official Report, column 163W, how many members or former members of staff of Offer, Ofgas and Ofgem will receive redundancy and severance payments which form part of the total £4.4 million. [152968]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Sixty-eight.
Educational Qualifications
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the highest qualification achieved in each region and nation of the UK was using Labour Force Survey data for summer 2000, broken down (a) into the (i) 16 to 49 and (ii) over 50 age groups and (b) by gender. [154816]
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. Jim Cousins, dated 22 March 2001:
- As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the highest qualifications achieved in each region and nation of the UK from Labour Force Survey data (154816).
- The Labour Force Survey collects information on qualification levels. The table overleaf shows the number of people of working age by sex, region and age in the UK for Summer (June to August) 2000, according to their level of highest qualification.
26 Mar 2001 : Column: 461W
(11) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59.
(12) Includes people who did not state their highest qualification.
(13) Figure too small for reliable estimate.
26 Mar 2001 : Column: 465W
26 Mar 2001 : Column: 467W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |