Previous Section Index Home Page


TREASURY

Child Benefit

Ms Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the average increase in the income of (a) lone parent families and (b) couples with children in each income decile, resulting from an increase of (i) £10, (ii) £20 and (iii) £30 in child benefit and the family premium in income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit for each family in which there is at least one child aged three or under. [1567]

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.

The information requested is not available.

Ms Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the impact on the numbers of children in poverty in (a) lone parent families and (b) couples with children in each income decile, resulting from an increase of (i) £10, (ii) £15 and (iii) £20 in the rate of child benefit and the child allowances in income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit for each child aged three or under. [1571]

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.

It is not possible to measure accurately the impact on child poverty of individual changes to the tax and benefit system. The margins of error surrounding these estimates are too large. Taken as a whole, the personal tax and benefit measures introduced over the last parliament are estimated to lift over 1.2 million children out of relative income poverty.

Ms Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the average increase in the income of (a) lone parent families and (b) couples with children in each income decile, resulting from an increase of (i) £10,

10 Jul 2001 : Column: 498W

(ii) £15 and (iii) £20 in the rate of child benefit and the child allowances in income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit, for each child aged three or under. [1570]

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.

The information requested is not available.

Ms Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the impact on the numbers of children in poverty in (a) lone parent families and (b) couples with children in each income decile, resulting from an increase of (i) £10, (ii) £20 and (iii) £30 in child benefit and the family premium in income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit, for each family in which there is at least one child aged three or under. [1568]

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.

It is not possible to measure accurately the impact on child poverty of individual changes to the tax and benefit system. The margins of error surrounding these estimates are too large. Taken as a whole, the personal tax and benefit measures introduced over the last parliament are estimated to lift over 1.2 million children out of relative income poverty.

Landfill Tax Credit Scheme

Mr. Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from organisations in Derbyshire concerning the proposed changes to the landfill tax credit scheme; and if he will make a statement. [2511]

Mr. Boateng: I have received representations from at least one organisation in Derbyshire about the proposed changes to the landfill tax credit scheme. The Government intend to consult interested parties on how the transition from the current scheme to any replacement regime can be managed to ensure that worthwhile projects continue to receive funding.

Mortality Rates

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the mortality rates are at age 55 to 60 years, broken down by (a) class, (b) sex and (c) socio-economic ranking. [2797]

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Howard Flight, dated 10 July 2001:




10 Jul 2001 : Column: 499W

Death rates by social class for the three year period 1991–93, England and Wales

Social classDeaths per 100,000 male population
I (Professional)2,057
II (Managerial and Technical)2,148
IIIN (Skilled Non-Manual)2,975
IIIM (Skilled Manual)3,521
IV (Partly Skilled)3,491
V (Unskilled)5,534
All classes2,966

Source:

Drever F, Whitehead M (eds). Health Inequalities. Decennial Supplement 15. London: The Stationery Office 1997

The annual age specific mortality rate for all classes in 1999 for males aged 55–59 was 828 and for females, 407.


(b) Social class based on occupation is the only socio-economic classification routinely used for the analysis of mortality.

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average life expectancy is for those aged 60 years, broken down by (a) class, (b) sex and (c) socio- economic classification. [2798]

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Howard Flight, dated 10 July 2001:


10 Jul 2001 : Column: 500W


Life expectancy by social class in the ONS Longitudinal Study, 1992–96, England and Wales

Life expectancy at age 65 (years)
Social ClassMalesFemales
I (Professional)16.820.8
II (Managerial and Technical)15.519.5
IIIN (Skilled Non-Manual15.118.9
IIIM (Skilled Manual)14.217.9
IV (Partly Skilled)13.817.1
V (Unskilled)12.616.4
All LS sample14.618.0

Source:

Hattersley L. Trends in life expectancy by social class—an update. Health Statistics Quarterly No. 2. London: The Stationery Office 1999.



Figures on life expectancy by gender for the years 1997–99 have been produced by the Government Actuary's Department. Life expectancy in England and Wales for men aged 60 was 19.1 years and for women aged 60 it was 22.8 years.
Social class based on occupation is the only socio-economic classification currently used for the analysis of life expectancy.

Treasury Costs

Barbara Follett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on Departments' final running costs outturn against their final running costs limit for 1999–2000. [3531]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The departmental final running costs limit under gross control area for 1999–2000 was set at £14,011,463,000 and Departments reported £13,614,958,000 as their final RC outturn, an underspend of £396,505,000 (2.8 per cent.). More information is given in the table.

£000

Gross control area—Class/DepartmentsFinal RC limitFinal outturnFinal R/C under/over
Class I
Department for Education and Employment1,050,4541,027,01123,443
Financed by the windfall tax163,896125,26938,627
Office of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in England34,22633,497729
Class II
Department of Health280,333275,6004,733
Class III
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions671,812659,64712,165
Health and Safety Executive170,898167,3793,519
Office of Passenger Rail Franchising12,57710,8231,754
Office of Water Services11,59110,860731
Office of the Rail Regulators12,24111,0451,196
Class IV
Home Office2,136,8122,044,83691,976
Financed by the windfall tax16313726
Charity Commission19,97919,531448
Class V
Lord Chancellor's Departments525,370503,69421,676
Northern Ireland Court Service30,63929,5951,044
Public Record Office28,75026,4262,324
Crown Prosecution Service228,121227,0041,117
Serious Fraud Office11,22411,630594
Class VII
Foreign and Commonwealth Office498,354475,22123,133
Class VIII
Department for International Development65,84065,8319
Class IX
Department of Trade and Industry388,600380,9177,683
Office of Electricity Regulation30,00030,191191
Office of Gas Supply13,83013,414416
Office of Telecommunications12,29611,607689
Office of Fair Trading23,78423,156628
Class X
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food367,300356,22011,080
Intervention Board-Executive Agency68,88367,0761,807
Class XI
Department for Culture, Media and Sports33,87432,4261,448
Class XII
Department of Social Security3,042,5023,002,99439,508
Financed by the Windfall Tax11,95910,4131,546
Class XIII
Scotland Office4,2153,519696
Class XIV
Office of Secretary of State for Wales2,0001,139861
Class XV
Northern Ireland Office201,306172,67428,632
Class XVI
HM Treasury68,71365,3543,359
Office for National Statistics106,64591,05815,587
HM Customs and Excise801,116787,50013,616
Registry of Friendly Societies2,4001,928472
Inland Revenue2,174,5032,165,4199,084
National Savings Department174,536166,4638,073
National Investment and Loans Office1,5621,435127
Class XVII
Cabinet Office114,982104,58610,276
Security and Intelligence Services410,982399,20311,779
Privy Council Office2,3152,3132
Total gross running costs limit14,011,46313,614,958396,505

10 Jul 2001 : Column: 501W


Next Section Index Home Page