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Women Entrepreneurs

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that more women are provided with start-up finance by financial institutions, and that potential women entrepreneurs are not discriminated against by financial institutions in the provision of such finance. [6651]

15 Oct 2001 : Column: 853W

Ruth Kelly: The latest version of the Banking Code, which came into force on 1 January 2001, includes a key commitment that explicitly states that the banks will make sure that their products and services meet the relevant laws and regulations that relate to discrimination.

Women will also benefit from all of the 96 projects supported through the Development Fund element of the DTI's Phoenix Fund. Some 16 of these projects specifically single out women for help in setting up or developing their own businesses.

Foster Carers (Allowances)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Inland Revenue's future plans for the taxation of the different types of allowances payable to foster carers. [6619]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue is working with the Department of Health and a number of organisations representing foster carers to design a fair and simple method by which foster carers can calculate their reward element by reference to standard, agreed, expenses. Alternatively, carers would be able to claim actual expenses. The Revenue hopes to be able to introduce the new arrangements for the tax year commencing 6 April 2002.

Capital Gains Tax Receipts

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact the present decline in market values will have on his forecast revenue from Capital Gains Tax receipts in financial year 2001–02. [7649]

Mr. Andrew Smith: Current levels and prospects for all relevant economic indicators are kept under continual review and will be taken into account in the next published forecast of Capital Gains Tax which will be published in the pre-Budget report.

Departmental Spending

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the key objectives listed in the Treasury guidance for the forthcoming spending round; and what incentives his Department has put in place to ensure that departmental spending bids promote sustainable development. [7664]

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Mr. Andrew Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mrs. Lawrence) on 25 June 2001, Official Report, columns 38–39W. My right hon. Friend the Financial Secretary will be conducting discussions with colleagues on the integration of the full range of sustainable development issues into departmental programmes over the course of the Spending Review.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total annual running costs for buildings used, owned or rented by his Department for each nation and region of the UK, and estimate the average cost per square metre for properties used by his Department as a whole, and by region and nation of the UK. [6873]

Ruth Kelly: The table lists the total running costs and average cost per square metre for buildings used, owned or rented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Treasury Departments. The data are set out in a format that highlights figures by nation and region for the Department.

Nation/region	Total running costs (£)	Area in square metres	Average cost per square metre
Scotland	30,759,058	185,996.5	165.37
Wales	14,391,570	35,446.0	86.80
N. Ireland	3,991,458	35,446.0	112.61
England
Central	39,335,883	423,197.3	92.95
London	72,924,395	347,701.5	209.73
North	70,361,402	522,702.3	134.61
South	53,518,207	320,275.0	167.10

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total amount of spending by his Department was in each nation and region of the UK, in the last year for which figures are available; what proportion of his Department's total spending this constitutes; and if he will make a statement. [6875]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The table provides the information requested, for all Departments, based on departmental responsibilities prior to the machinery of Government changes announced in June 2001. The figures relate to total managed expenditure on services that is identifiable for the benefit of a particular population and are for 1999–2000. More information on public spending by country and region is available in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2001–02 (Cm 5101), from which the underlying data for this answer have been taken.

Total managed expenditure on services by country, 1999–2000

						£ million
	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland	Total identifiable	Non— identifiable
Department for Education, Employment and Ofsted	13,116.8	137.9	148.7	0.2	13,403.6	8.1
Department of Health	41,666.5	0.5	0.2	0.2	41,667.4	170.9
DETR	6,913.6	259.2	116.3	10.8	7,299.9	7.6
Home Office	3,300.1	49.2	194.7	16.1	3,560.1	20.8
Lord Chancellor's Departments	1,866.9	0.0	131.3	57.4	2,055.6	19.1
The Law Officers' Departments	312.8	0.0	21.8	0.4	334.9	—
Ministry of Defence	—	—	—	—	—	22,507.2
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	—	—	—	—	—	1,149.8
Department for International Development	—	—	—	—	—	2,240.8
Department of Trade and Industry	1,561.7	113.8	66.1	20.3	1,762.0	2,433.4
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	2,654.2	120.2	59.0	44.3	2,877.7	331.0
Department for Culture, Media and Sport	2,272.7	156.0	309.6	48.1	2,786.4	75.2
Department of Social Security	73,780.4	8,494.9	5,298.7	33.3	87,607.3	753.6
Scotland(9)	—	9,671.2	—	—	9,671.2	—
Wales(9)	—	—	4,285.0	—	4,285.0	4.1
Northern Ireland(9)	—	—	—	9,538.0	9,538.0	—
Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments	4.1	0.1	0.1	0.0	4.3	6,852.8
Cabinet Office, Central Office of Information and Privy Council Office	—	—	—	—	—	973.2
Forestry Commission	50.8	27.6	11.7	0.0	90.1	—
Parliament and National Audit Office	—	—	—	—	—	359.0
Total	147,500	19,031	10,643	9,769	186,943	37,907

⁽⁹⁾ Include the Scottish Office, Welsh Office, Northern Ireland Office and all devolved expenditure

The £147.5 billion of identifiable expenditure for England breaks down as follows:

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Total managed expenditure on services by region, 1999–2000

										£ million
	North East	North West	Yorkshire and Humberside	East Midlands	West Midlands	South West	Eastern	London	South East	England
Department for Education, Employment and Ofsted	755.0	1,910.8	1,340.7	1,119.0	1,467.6	1,332.3	1,514.2	2,107.2	1,570.2	13,116.9
Department of Health	2,265.8	5,960.8	4,311.5	3,227.5	4,276.9	3,997.8	4,447.3	7,175.1	6,003.7	41,666.5
DETR	303.7	909.7	530.5	510.8	629.2	496.3	639.9	1,825.5	1,067.9	6,913.6
Home Office	170.6	495.2	360.5	342.1	327.8	336.5	323.1	384.2	560.1	3,300.1
Lord Chancellor's Departments	104.9	240.8	162.6	143.7	163.5	169.1	134.8	493.1	254.4	1,866.9
The Law Officers' Departments	17.7	56.1	32.0	22.6	26.8	24.4	27.4	64.1	41.6	312.8
Department of Trade and Industry	64.2	209.2	144.2	121.6	166.3	147.2	172.6	259.4	277.2	1,561.8
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	137.7	367.1	269.2	223.6	284.6	263.3	289.1	388.6	430.9	2,654.2
Department for Culture, Media and Sport	171.3	238.5	183.8	129.2	180.2	184.4	158.6	823.9	202.9	2,272.7
Department of Social Security	4,890.3	12,048.5	7,999.6	6,109.4	8,201.3	7,431.5	7,401.5	9,425.3	10,273.0	73,780.4
Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments	0.3	0.5	0.4	0.3	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.6	0.7	4.1
Forestry Commission	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.6	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.6	50.8
Total	8,887	22,443	15,341	11,955	15,730	14,389	15,114	22,953	20,688	147,501

Petrol Smuggling

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the amount of petrol that was smuggled into (1) north-west England from the Irish Republic in each of the last five years; [7453]

(2) North Ireland from the Irish Republic in each of the last five years. [7454]

Mr. Boateng: Customs have no such estimates.

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