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Community Court Order Warrants

Simon Hughes: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which agency has responsibility for the enforcement of warrants following the breach of a community court order; and if he will make a statement. [13830]

Mr. Wills: According to the Greater London Magistrates Courts Authority and other magistrates courts committees, the numbers of community penalty breach warrants issued between 1 April 2001 and 31 August 2001, which were not executed or withdrawn before 28 September 2001, are:

(a) London—907

(b) West Midlands—494

(c) Greater Manchester—613.

Simon Hughes: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many warrants for breach of a community court order issued after 1 April remain unexecuted in (a) the London probation area, (b) the West Midlands probation area and (c) the Greater Manchester probation area; and if he will make a statement. [13833]

Mr. Wills: Warrants are usually addressed to both police constables and persons authorised by the court to deal with enforcement.

Lead responsibility for execution of community penalty breach warrants was transferred from the police to magistrates courts committees on 1 April 2001. Each magistrates courts committee decides its own enforcement strategy. Some committees have elected to employ civilian enforcement officers or approved enforcement agencies to execute warrants; others have contracted this work back to the local police force.

TREASURY

EU Prospectus Directive

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the Government's policy is on the proposed EC prospectus directive; and if he will make a statement; [12978]

(2) what representations he has received about the proposed EC Prospectus Directive; and if he will make a statement; [12977]

(3) what estimate he has made of the total cost to business of the proposed EC Prospectus Directive; and if he will make a statement; [12979]

(4) pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2001, Official Report, column 798W, on the EC Prospectus Directive, if he will quantify the likely increase in the disclosure costs of small and medium sized companies. [13218]

Ruth Kelly: An effective single passport for issuers was identified as a priority for completion of the single European market in financial services at the Lisbon Council in spring 2000. The UK Government's policy is that the prospectus directive should achieve this goal; and that it meets the aim of reducing the cost of raising capital for EU companies, especially SMEs.

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The directive, as currently drafted, could lead to an increase in the disclosure costs of issuers, and an increase in the cost to UK businesses of accessing capital by issuing securities. However, negotiations are at an early stage, and there are a number of issues that are as yet unclear, such as the directive's relationship with other existing directives, and the way that its provisions will be used. As the negotiations continue, the likely impact of the directive will be kept under close review.

HM Treasury has actively sought the views of interested parties, has received a significant number of submissions from the UK financial services industry, and is engaging with industry practitioners on an ongoing basis through round-table consultation meetings.

Rating Appeals

Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps are being taken by the Valuation Office to reduce delays in rating appeals; [13233]

(2) what the average delay is in valuation officers considering rating appeals (a) in each Valuation Office area and (b) nationally; [13232]

(3) if he will make a statement on the time taken before rating appeals are considered by the Valuation Office. [13234]

Ruth Kelly: So far during the current financial year, a total of 132,847 appeals against the 2000 rating lists have been settled and they took an average of 314 days to settle. The average for each group valuation office area is not readily available.

Rating appeals received by the Valuation Office Agency are considered immediately and categorised accordingly. Where there is a question of hardship (including foot and mouth related appeals) they are given priority. Others are allocated to published programmes, whereby they are dealt with by category and chronology.

The position is continually under review to ensure that appeals are considered as quickly as possible.

Financial Services Authority

Mr. Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what action he took in (a) 1999 and (b) 2000 to assess whether the Financial Services Authority was in compliance with the service level agreement concluded on 18 December 1998; [12818]

(2) how many people in the Treasury are involved in supervising the service level agreement with the Financial Services Authority, dated 18 December 1998. [12819]

Ruth Kelly: Until the implementation of the provisions of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, interim arrangements have been in place. These are designed to create the benefits of the new regime as far as possible under existing legislation. Under these arrangements, the Treasury has contracted out to the FSA the prudential supervision of insurance companies.

Staff in both the financial regulation industry and corporate services directorates are involved in the service level agreement. Formal quarterly meetings are held to discuss insurance issues. In addition, Treasury and FSA officials meet frequently, either with other colleagues, or

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bilaterally, to discuss a wide range of issues about the stability and competitiveness of insurance and other markets, and relevant regulation and legislation.

Golden Jubilee

Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if her Majesty's Government plan to issue a gold sovereign of new design in celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen. [14307]

Mr. Gordon Brown: Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to approve my recommendation that next year a design showing the Royal Arms within a wreath of laurel should appear on the reverse of the gold sovereign.

The design is inspired by that on sovereigns struck during the first 50 years of the reign of Queen Victoria and for numismatists there will accordingly be a pleasing link between Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee of 1887 and next year's Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen. The new design, whose use will be extended to half- sovereigns, double-sovereigns and five-pound pieces, will be adopted only for the Jubilee year, after which the regular design of St. George and the Dragon will be restored.

It is expected that coins with the new design will be available for sale from early next year.

Treasury Supervision (Money Outlets)

Barbara Follett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to supervise the regulation of (a) bureaux de change, (b) cheque cashers and (c) money transmission agents. [14473]

Ruth Kelly: Regulations are today being laid before Parliament to implement a regulatory regime for bureaux de change, cheque cashers and money transmission agents as recommended in the June 2000 PIU report "Recovering the Proceeds of Crime". The regime will come into force on 12 November.

Job Vacancies

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when, and for what reason, he suspended the publication of job vacancy statistics; and when he expects to resume publication of such statistics. [12656]

Ruth Kelly [holding answer 5 November 2001]: 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 9 November 2001:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question relating to the publication of job vacancy statistics. (12656)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) issued a press release at 9.30am on 11 September 2001 announcing the deferral of Jobcentre vacancy statistics from 12 September 2001. This was due to discontinuities which arose from changes in the Employment Services's methods for recording job vacancies.

'Employer Direct' is being gradually introduced across Great Britain to modernise and enhance the way the Employment Service deals with vacancies to provide a more flexible and convenient service for employers. It involves transferring the vacancy taking

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process from local Jobcentres to regional customer service centres. Research by the Employment Service shows that it has the following effects on the Jobcentre vacancy data from May 2001:

A temporary reduction in the recorded level of outflows and placings owing to some delays in following up vacancies with employers associated with the introduction of the new arrangements.

An increase in the recorded level of newly notified vacancies.

Both the above effects lead to an increase in the recorded stock of unfilled vacancies.

ONS and the Employment Service are continuing to monitor and review the data with the aim of resuming publication as soon as it is possible to produce consistent statistics.

Mr. Miliband: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many job vacancies there are in (a) South Shields, (b) Tyne and Wear and (c) the north-east; how many there were 12 months ago; and what is the national vacancy rate per 1,000 of population. [13263]

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. David Miliband, dated 9 November 2001:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking for the number of job vacancies in South Shields, Tyne and Wear and the North East 12 months ago; and the national vacancy rate per 1,000 of population. (13263)

Statistics on Jobcentre vacancies are available up to April 2001. Later statistics have been deferred due to discontinuities which arose from changes in the Employment Service's methods for recording job vacancies.

The table below shows the number of unfilled Jobcentre vacancies (not seasonally adjusted) for April 2000 and April 2001 in the South Shields and Tyne and Wear Jobcentre areas, the North East region and Great Britain.

Jobcentre vacancies represent only a proportion of all vacancies in the economy—just those vacancies notified to the Employment Service. The proportion is likely to vary over time, across geographical areas and between different skills and occupations. Expression of such figures as a rate per 1000 population is therefore not appropriate.

Unfilled Jobcentre vacancies

Jobcentres	April 2000	April 2001
South Shields	618	1,032
Tyne and Wear	8,153	11,662
North East Region	17,654	23,586
Great Britain	332,511	362,504

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