5 Apr 2001 : Column: 239W

Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 5 April 2001

TREASURY

IR35

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the additional costs of benefit entitlements by contractors deemed to be employees under IR35. [157110]

Dawn Primarolo: IR35 does not affect the employment rights of any worker employed through a personal service company in any way.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revisions he plans to make to the Inland Revenue rules consequent upon the judgment of the IR35 case. [157099]

Dawn Primarolo: The court dismissed the challenge to the legislation on service provision by intermediaries. The Inland Revenue will review the guidance material used by its staff regarding the interpretation of the law.

Foster Carers

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what response the Inland Revenue has made to the representations from foster carers' organisations and the Department of Health regarding its proposals for taxing payments to foster carers. [157067]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue is working with the Department of Health and a number of organisations representing foster carers to design a simple method by which foster carers can choose to calculate the income tax due on the reward element of their payments using standard, agreed, costs. Alternatively, foster carers would be able to rely upon actual costs. The Inland Revenue plans to introduce the new arrangements as soon as practicable. In the interim, the Inland Revenue will maintain existing agreements for calculating the reward element of payments, in accordance with representations made by care organisations.

Foot and Mouth

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) maximum and (b) minimum total cost to public funds of the foot and mouth outbreak. [157007]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The Treasury, MAFF and other interested Departments are keeping a range of possible outcomes under review. At this stage it is not possible to estimate the final cost of the outbreak with any reliability.

Customs and Excise

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time with HM Customs and Excise in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. [155305]

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Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 23 March 2001]: Staff in post figures for Customs and Excise are published in the Cabinet Office's "Civil Service Staff in Post" summaries, copies of which are in the Library.

In 1999-2000 there were an average of 1,322 full-time and 80 part-time staff employed in Scotland by HM Customs and Excise. The equivalent figures for the UK were 21,522 full-time and 2,029 part-time.

For 2000-01, Scotland had an average of 1,206 full-time and 87 part-time staff. In the UK as a whole 20,965 full-time and 2,133 part-time staff were employed.

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) personal computers, (b) printers, (c) fax machines, (d) servers and (e) vehicles were based in HM Customs and Excise in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK in the years 1999-2000 and 2000-01. [155306]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 23 March 2001]: The information is as follows:

Year ending March 2000 Year ending March 2001
UKof which ScotlandUKof which Scotland
Faxes77512380180
Personal Computers18,5331,08419,6151,097
Printers4,7922254,536168
Servers5333438932
Vehicles:
Cars1,595651,78079
Commercial575775

Note:

The reduction in the number of printers and servers recorded in March 2001 are as a result of the efficiency savings implemented by ICL.


Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff were employed as HM Customs and Excise officers in British (a) airports and (b) ports in each of the last 10 years. [157033]

Dawn Primarolo: The information in the form requested is not available for previous years.

Currently (April 2000), there are approximately 2,113 Customs and Excise staff working in British airports and 2,109 staff working in British ports.

However, many staff working in customs and anti- smuggling areas are not based at a port or airport, or in the UK. They are excluded from the figures.

Working Families Tax Credit

Mr. Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what data he collects on the income distribution of recipients of the Working Families Tax Credit with incomes over £250 per week. [157048]

Dawn Primarolo: The Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) application form requires applicants to report their earnings, and those of their partner (if any). Statistical analyses of WFTC awards are based on a 5 per cent. sample of awards in Great Britain. Subject to sampling error, this sample can be used to generate information on the number of WFTC recipients according to bands of gross weekly earnings of the main earner.

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Mr. Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) with respect to Table 5.3 of the Working Families Tax Credit Statistics, Quarterly Inquiry, August 2000, what assessment he has made of the factors underlying the average tax credit awards payable to (a) managers and administrators and (b) taxi drivers; [156833]

Dawn Primarolo: The table shows the average gross weekly earnings of the main earner in families receiving Working Families Tax Credit at August 2000 and who fall into each of the occupation types listed in the table referred to.

The average gross weekly earnings of main earners who are managers and administrators and included in the table is higher than the overall average, and the average gross weekly earnings of main earners who are taxi drivers is lower.

Average gross weekly earnings of the main earner in families receiving Working Families Tax Credit at August 2000, by occupation of the main earner

£
All occupations158
Managers and administrators174
Professional occupations188
Associated professional and technical occupations190
of which:
Scientific technicians205
Health and social welfare associate professionals184
Clerical and secretarial occupations174
of which:
Administrative officers below EO grades in Civil Service/ Local Government208
Clerks and cashiers163
Receptionists and telephonists157
Secretaries and typists181
Other clerical occupations183
Craft and related occupations (non-managerial workers)172
of which:
Construction trades, skilled workers171
Metal working, skilled workers178
Food preparation trades146
Personal and protective services131
of which:
Chefs and cooks124
Hotel porters, kitchen porters, catering assistants, counter hands etc.118
Health and childcare occupations143
Domestic staff131
Cleaners, domestics, window cleaners and road sweepers112
Sales occupations134
of which:
Sales assistants127
Sales occupations145
Plant and machine operatives169
of which:
Assemblers/lineworkers on electrical/electronic goods, cars, packers, bottlers, graders, sorters etc.178
Transport and machinery operatives203
Taxi-drivers100
Other occupations179


5 Apr 2001 : Column: 242W

Mr. Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the waiting time is for receipt of Working Families Tax Credit application forms following an initial request. [156971]

Dawn Primarolo: The Working Families Tax Credit helpline aims to send out application packs to callers within 48 hours of a request being made to it. It sends out application packs by first-class post, and is currently up to date processing such requests.

Fiscal Intervention

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (Sir T. Taylor) of 7 December 2000, Official Report, column 2W, on fiscal intervention, what the average price per ounce was of gold at each phase of the gold sell-off; what quantity was sold at each phase; and what quantity of euros were bought. [157028]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The results of the 11 bimonthly gold auctions held since July 1999, including the allotment price per ounce and the amount of gold allotted, are published in Bank of England Press Notices issued on the day of each auction. Copies of the Press Notices have been placed in the House of Commons Library and can be found on the Bank of England's website (www.bankofengland.co.uk).


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