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Manufacturing and Service Sectors
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the population was employed in the (a) manufacturing sector and (b) service sector for each of the last five years. [10086]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
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Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 30 October 2001:
- As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the proportion of the population employed in (a) the manufacturing sector and (b) the service sector for each of the last five years (10086).
- The table below shows the number of workforce jobs in the manufacturing and service sectors in June for each year from 1997 to 2001.
(32) 'Other industries' include agriculture, fishing, mining and quarrying, utilities and construction (sections A, B, C, E and F of SIC(92)).
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These estimates are based on the results of regular sample surveys of employers which count the number of employee jobs. Data on self-employment are obtained from the Labour Force Survey. An individual with two jobs would count twice in these figures: in order to avoid double-counting, the percentages are related to total workforce jobs rather than the UK population.
Job Losses
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs were lost in the (a) tourism, (b) agriculture, (c) fishing and (d) defence-related industries in Devon and Cornwall in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [10395]
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. Adrian Sanders, dated 30 October 2001:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of jobs that were lost in tourism, agriculture, fishing and defence related industries in Devon and Cornwall in the last 12 months. I am replying in his absence. (10395)
- Information is not available for job losses.
Census
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what national allowance he will make for unreturned census forms; and how this allowance will be calculated; [11145]
- (2) if he will list Government and non-government departments that depend on census information for the distribution of Government funds. [11144]
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. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, dated October 2001:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent questions concerning the government departments and non- government departments that depend on Census information for the distribution of government funds and what national allowance will be made for unreturned Census forms; and how this allowance will be calculated. I am replying in his absence. (11144,11145)
- In answer to the first question, extensive consultation was carried out among government departments, public authorities and private sector organisations on the needs and requirements for information to be collected from the 2001 Census. The purposes for which information from each census question is required were set out in the Government's White paper The 2001 Census of Population (Cm 4253), published in March 1999.
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- The Government needs information that must be authoritative, accurate and comparable for all parts of the country in order to form policy, to plan services for specific groups of people and, in particular, to distribute resources effectively to local and health authorities to enable them to direct resources to where they are needed.
- Those Government Departments that primarily depend on census information for the purposes of the distribution of public funds include the Departments for Health; Work and Pensions; Education and Skills; Transport, Local Government and the Regions; the Home Office; and the National Assembly for Wales.
- Extensive use is also made of census information by each local government authority and health authority in the distribution of funds and resources at the more local area level.
- With regard to the second question, the extent and nature of any under-enumeration in the 2001 Census will be more accurately assessed than in any previous census by the extensive, separate, follow-up Census Coverage Survey carried out by interviewing around 300,000 households shortly after the Census enumeration was completed.
- Once the interview responses and all the Census returns have been analysed, we will have a definitive picture of how well we have done at both the national and local authority area level. Information from the Census Coverage Survey will thus enable the extent of any under-coverage to be assessed and the characteristics of the population missed in the Census to be estimated. This information will be used to supplement the counts from the Census itself to provide a more complete base of the population for statistical purposes.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the reasons for changes in the percentage of households that failed to return Census forms in the last 10 years. [11143]
Ruth Kelly: The information falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, dated 30 October 2001:
- The National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales has been asked to reply to your recent question on what assessment has been made for the reasons for changes in the percentage of households that failed to return Census forms in the last 10 years (11143). I am replying in his absence.
- Evidence from the 2001 Census does not yet give a clear indication of the percentage of households that failed to make a return. Early indications suggest that the overall level of response should be at least as good as that to the 1991 Census.
- The extent and nature of any under-enumeration will be more accurately assessed than ever before by the extensive and separate follow-up Census Coverage Survey carried out by interviewing around 300,000 households shortly after the Census enumeration was complete.
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- Results form the Census Coverage Survey will be used together with information from the Census itself, to provide the best estimate of the extent of any under-enumeration in the Census and the characteristics of the population missed.
Commercial Banks
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will investigate the role of collections units of the commercial banks, with particular reference to their policies towards pensioners and those soon to become pensioners. [10636]
Ruth Kelly: The Banking Code sets standards of banking practice for banks and building societies when they are dealing with all personal customers, including pensioners. The Chancellor set up the independent Banking Services Consumer Codes Review Group last year. As part of its work the group examined how banks treat individuals in financial difficulties. The group reported in May 2001 and recommended revisions to the Code to ensure consumers in financial difficulty are dealt with appropriately. The financial services industry is already taking forward work to revise this part of the Code.
Debt collecting is also a licensable activity under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. The licensing system is administered by the Director General of Fair Trading who has the power to revoke a licence if he believes that a business is not fit to engage in the activities covered by it. In reaching his decision, he will take account of any business practices which appear to him to be deceitful or oppressive, or otherwise unfair or improper.
Exchange Rate Policy
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his exchange rate policy. [10508]
Ruth Kelly: The Government do not have a target for sterling, but a stable and competitive rate is sought over the medium term, consistent with the objective of price stability. The way to ensure long-term exchange rate stability is through the pursuit of sound macroeconomic policies aimed at achieving sustained growth and low inflation.
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