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TREASURY

Taxation

Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of married or cohabiting couples with children where neither partner is a higher rate taxpayer whose combined taxable income exceeds the higher rate threshold by (a) less than £7,800 and (b) more than £7,800. [4075]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 16 July 2001]: The number of married or cohabiting couples with children where neither partner is a higher rate taxpayer whose combined taxable income exceeds the higher rate threshold by (a) less than £7,800 is estimated to be 500,000 and (b) more than £7,800 is estimated to be 900,000.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to improve the reliability of the conventions, assumptions and sampling methods used to calculate the (a) direct and (b) indirect tax burden on typical households; and if he will make a statement. [4634]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The conventions and assumptions used to calculate (a) the direct tax burden are reliable and are set out in the Tax and Benefit Reference Manual. On (b), as the Tax and Benefit Reference Manual has made clear, estimates on the indirect tax burden on typical households are not made because spending patterns vary considerably between households of the same type and income.

Equitable Life

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what considerations underlay the policy of the FSA and the Treasury on informing Equitable Life insurance policy holders on the sufficiency of funds within the with-profit fund to cover guaranteed annuity rate liabilities. [7315]

Ruth Kelly: Both Government and regulators are concerned to see that insurance and investment businesses comply with the statutory and regulatory requirements placed on them.

Insurance companies are subject to statutory disclosure requirements under the Insurance Companies Act 1982 and the Companies Acts. Investment firms are also subject to prudential and conduct of business regulation.

National Insurance Contribution Office

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average length of time taken by the contracted- out employment group of the National Insurance Contribution Office to provide figures for contracted out schemes to buy members back into the state system in the last five years; how many cases have taken longer than the average time; and what the length of period involved was. [10411]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 26 October 2001]: The information requested is not available.

Colorectal Cancers

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths there were in (a) absolute numbers and

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(b) per capita of the whole population; and what the five year survival rate was of sufferers of colorectal cancers in each region and nation of the UK in (i) 1998, (ii)1999 and (iii) 2000. [10938]

Ruth Kelly: 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 31 October 2001:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many deaths there were in (a) absolute numbers and (b) per capita of the whole population; and what the

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five year survival rate was of sufferers of colorectal cancers in each region and nation of the UK in (i) 1998, (ii) 1999 and (iii) 2000. (10938).

The latest available information on five year survival from colorectal cancer in the UK and the numbers and age-standards rates ¹ of deaths (person) from colorectal cancer ² for England and its constituent Health Regions, and the other countries of the UK in 1998, 1999 and 2000 ³ are given in the attached tables.

The results for England and its regions, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, are based on cases diagnosed during 1992–94, 1985–89, 1991–95, and 1993–96, respectively; and followed up to the end of 1999, 1994, 1998 and 1999, respectively.

The figures for England and its regions are directly comparable, but because of the differences in coverage and end of follow up, and for other reasons, the figures for the separate countries of the UK are not, and they cannot be made so.

	Number of deaths			Rate(4) per 100,000 population
Country/region(7)	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000
England	13,962	13,613	13,223	20.4	19.8	19.0
Northern and Yorkshire	1,860	1,743	1,815	21.1	19.8	20.5
Trent	1,482	1,497	1,365	20.5	20.7	18.5
Eastern	1,516	1,443	1,391	19.8	18.7	17.6
London	1,554	1,407	1,408	18.8	17.0	16.9
South East	2,468	2,448	2,327	20.0	19.5	18.5
South West	1,549	1,641	1,556	19.3	20.3	18.9
West Midlands	1,565	1,542	1,519	21.7	21.2	20.4
North West	1,968	1,892	1,842	22.0	21.0	20.5
Wales	994	971	990	22.8	21.9	22.3
Scotland	1,660	1,698	1,616	24.5	24.8	23.2
Northern Ireland	443	410	N/A	22.9	20.7	N/A

⁽⁴⁾ Age standardised using the European standard population

⁽⁵⁾ International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes 153 and 154, except for Scotland in 2000: International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, codes C18-C21

⁽⁶⁾ Data for England and Wales based on deaths occurring each year, excluding non-residents. Data for Scotland and Northern Ireland based on deaths registered each year, including non-residents

⁽⁷⁾ Boundaries as at 1 April 1999

Sources:

Office for National Statistics, General Register Office for Scotland, and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

Country/region(12)	Cancer site(13)	Sex(13)	5 year relative survival (%)
England	Colon	Male	42.6
		Females	42.1
Northern and Yorkshire	Colon	Persons	38.3
Trent	Colon	Persons	38.5
Eastern	Colon	Persons	42.7
London	Colon	Persons	41.2
South East	Colon	Persons	45.7
South West	Colon	Persons	46.6
West Midlands	Colon	Persons	42.9
North West	Colon	Persons	38.8

Source:

England: Office for National Statistics. Cancer survival 1992–1999. London: ONS, 31 January 2001

Country/region(12)	Cancer site(13)	Sex(13)	5 year relative survival (%)
Wales	Large bowel	Males	39
		Females	42

Source:

Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit. Cancer Registration and Survival in Wales 1985–1994. Cardiff: WCISU, 1999

Country/region(12)	Cancer site(13)	Sex(13)	5 year relative survival (%)
Scotland	Colon	Males	45.0
		Females	45.1
	Rectum	Males	42.8
		Females	45.0

Source:

Scottish Cancer Intelligence Unit. Trends in Cancer Survival in Scotland 1971–1995. Edinburgh: Information & Statistics Division NHS in Scotland, 2000

Country/region(12)	Cancer site(13)	Sex(13)	5 year relative survival (%)
Northern Ireland	Colon	Males	49
		Females	51
	Rectum	Males	49
		Females	48

⁽⁸⁾ Boundaries as at 1st April 1999.

⁽⁹⁾ Survival rates for cancers of the colon and rectum are closely similar. As survival rates from colorectal cancer for males and females are closely similar (see figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland) the more precise figures for all persons (males and females combined) are given for the regions of England

Source:

Fitzpatrick DA, Gavin AT. Survival of Cancer Patients in Northern Ireland 1993–1996. Belfast: Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, 2001

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Euro

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the proposed date for a referendum on euro entry. [11099]

Ruth Kelly: The Government's policy on the euro remains as set out by the Chancellor in his statement to Parliament in October 1997 and restated by the Prime Minister in February 1999. The Government have said they will complete an assessment of the five tests within two years of the start of this Parliament. Once the assessment has been completed, the Government will make a decision on UK membership of the single currency. If the Government recommend UK entry, it will be put to a vote in Parliament and then to a referendum of the British people.

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