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Public Appointments
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public appointments she has made and to what position in the last 12 months. [17200]
Tessa Jowell: In the last 12 months, my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Chris Smith) and I made 107 public appointments to public bodies as detailed. This does not include appointments to bodies sponsored by my Department where my role is to advise on appointments made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, or through him, by Her Majesty the Queen.
- Chair and one Member: Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites
Chair and four Members: Arts Council of England
Chair and three Members: British Library
Chair and one Commissioner: Broadcasting Standards Commission
Three Commissioners: Commission for Architecture and Built Environment
10 Members: The Community Fund
Deputy Chair and four Commissioners: English Heritage
Five Members: Film Council
Chair and four Members: Football Licensing Authority
Chair and one Member: Gaming Board of Great Britain
One Trustee: Geffrye Museum
Deputy Chair and three Members: Historic Royal Palaces
One Trustee: Horniman Museum
One Member: Horserace Betting Levy Appeals Tribunal for England and Wales
Chair: Horserace Betting Levy Board
Deputy Chair and three Members: Independent Television Commission
Chair: Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester
Six Trustees: National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside
26 Nov 2001 : Column: 632W
One Commissioner: National Lottery Commission
Chair and nine Members: NESTA
Chair and 10 Members: New Opportunities Fund
One Member: Public Lending Right Advisory Committee
Registrar: Public Lending Right Registrar
Two Members: Radio Authority
Two Members: Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
One Member: Royal Armouries
Two Members: S4C
Two Members: Sport England
Chair and three Trustees: Theatres Trust
One Member: TOTE
Chair and four Members: Treasure Valuation Committee
Chair: UK Sport
Chair: Yorkshire and Humber Regional Cultural Consortium.
TREASURY
Railtrack
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Financial Services Authority is undertaking investigations into potential insider dealing regarding Railtrack shares in the period immediately before the suspension of shares in Railtrack; and if he will make a statement. [16687]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Until midnight on 30 November, the Financial Services Authority has no power to investigate or prosecute insider dealing. Until then the primary responsibility for investigating and prosecuting insider dealing rests with the Department of Trade and Industry.
Private Finance Initiative
Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total current gross liabilities are of the public sector under PFI and PPP scheme, (a) set up since 1996–97 and (b) that are planned. [17130]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Table C18 of the 2001 Financial Statement and Budget Report shows the total estimated payments for services under all signed PFI contracts to be made by the public sector from 2000–01 to 2025–26, based on information provided by Departments. However, the collation of detailed information apportioning estimated payments by year of contract signature could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Compliance Costs
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies he has commissioned since April 2000 on the compliance costs imposed on businesses by the tax system; and when these studies will be published. [17211]
Dawn Primarolo: Studies have been commissioned into the compliance costs of VAT, Corporation Tax, Customs procedures for international trade, and excise gambling duties. Ministers will consider the results at the completion of each study.
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Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the administrative cost to British business of the UK tax system; and if he will make a statement. [17212]
Dawn Primarolo: It is precisely to address this question that we have asked the Inland Revenue and Customs to carry out a four year research programme into the compliance costs of the tax system.
Cigarette Imports
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 141W, on cigarette imports, on what basis the minimum indicative level of 800 was calculated. [17749]
Mr. Boateng: The indicative levels for importations of excise goods for own use were agreed unanimously by the Finance Ministers of the EU member states at the ECOFIN meeting of 24 June 1991 and incorporated into Council Directive 92/12/EEC. 800 cigarettes were considered a reasonable indicator, with other factors laid down in Directive 92/12, to help distinguish between smuggling and legitimate imports for own use.
VAT (Sixth-form Colleges)
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to re-assess the charging of value added tax on purchases made by sixth-form colleges; and if he will make a statement. [17675]
Mr. Boateng: There are no such plans. The funding of sixth-form colleges takes into account the VAT they incur on their purchases.
Smuggling
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vehicles were seized for illegally importing alcohol or tobacco in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001; and how many were destined for (i) the north-east and (ii) south Tyneside. [17403]
Mr. Boateng: Customs' records of the number of vehicles seized do not disaggregate between either the nature of the offences or the destination of the vehicles involved in each case.
For the number of vehicles seized by Customs I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) on 30 October 2001, Official Report, column 625W.
VAT (Medical Equipment)
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is regarding the recovery of VAT by (a) doctors' surgeries and (b) local patients' participation groups on the purchase of medical equipment. [17386]
Mr. Boateng: Under longstanding agreements governing EC and UK VAT law VAT can only be recovered to the extent that it relates to taxable activities. Purchases of medical equipment by doctors for use in their surgeries, including through local patient participation groups, are not connected with the making of taxable supplies and cannot therefore be recovered.
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Gambling Review
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on tax revenue if recommendation 75 of the gambling review is initiated. [17352]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 23 November 2001]: As recommendation 75, if implemented, would not apply to pubs that already had more than two machines when the gambling review was published, the Government believe there would be a negligible effect upon tax revenues.
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made, following the publication of the Budd report into gambling, of the impact on Government revenue if (a) all the recommendations, (b) those concerning the National Lottery, (c) those concerning gaming machines in social clubs, (d) those concerning gaming machines in public houses and (e) those concerning small stake gaming machines and amusement-with-prize machines in seaside arcades will be accepted. [17370]
Ruth Kelly: It is not possible to give accurate estimates of the revenue effects of individual elements of the package.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the loss of income to the Treasury that would ensue if all local authorities used their powers under Recommendation 43 of the Gambling Review report to ban all types of gambling in their locality. [18073]
Ruth Kelly: The Government have made no such estimate.
Pensions
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he collates on the proportion of assets in funded public sector pension schemes represented by companies subject to regulation as utilities. [18024]
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the value of the tax relief given in respect of individual pension accounts in the current financial year. [18028]
Ruth Kelly: Claims for tax relief from pension providers for individual pension accounts are not recorded separately from those for personal and stakeholder pensions in general, the information from administrative sources is therefore not available.
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) of the members of the post-1989 private occupational pension schemes, if he will estimate the numbers of members earning (a) up to £25,000 per annum, (b) £26,000 to £35,000, (c) £36,000 to £45,000, (d) £46,000 to £55,000 (e) £56,000 to £65,000, (f) £66,000 to £75,000, (g) £76,000 to £85,000 and (h) £86,000 to £95,000 in the last year for which he has data; [17811]
- (2) if he will estimate the number of members in pre-1987 private sector occupational pension schemes earning (a) £10,000 to £20,000 per annum, (b) £21,000 to £30,000, (c) £31,000 to £40,000, (d) £41,000 to £50,000, (e) £51,000 to £60,000, (f) £61,000 to £70,000, (g) £71,000
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- to £80,000, (h) £81,000 to £90,000, (i) £91,000 to £100,000 and (j) £101,000 and above in the last year for which he has data; [17820]
(3) if he will estimate the number of members of a private occupational pensions scheme established on or after 14 March 1989, or who became members of a previously established scheme on or after 1 June 1989; [17810]
(4) if he will estimate the numbers contributing to AVC and FSAVC schemes earning up to £95,400 in 2001–02; [17818]
(5) if he will estimate the number of members who joined private sector occupational pension schemes before 14 March 1989 earning between, (a) £10,000 to £20,000 per annum, (b) £21,000 to £30,000, (c) £31,000 to £40,000, (d) £41,000 to £50,000, (e) £51,000 to £60,000, (f) £61,000 to £70,000, (g) £71,000 to £80,000 (h) £81,000 to £90,000, (i) £91,000 to £100,000 and (j) £101,000 and above in the last year for which he has data. [17819]
Ruth Kelly: Administrative data on these are not held centrally and estimates are therefore not available.
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