---

Stamp Duty

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will place in the Library in respect of each ward where an exemption from stamp duty will be introduced

12 Dec 2001 : Column: 888W

the (a) average property price and (b) percentage of properties purchased where no stamp duty was paid in the last year for which information is available; [21112]

(2) what impact he expects the exemption from stamp duty to have on the prices of houses valued below £150,000 in wards in which an exemption from stamp duty will apply. [21009]

Mr. Boateng: The ward-based information requested is not available.

The Government intend the exemption to help in the revival of property markets in qualifying areas, which will make investment in these areas more attractive and encourage people to live and do business in them.

Food Supplements

Dr. Fox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are employed in (a) the retail and (b) the manufacture of specialist health food products; and what assessment he has made of the impact on employment in these sectors of the forthcoming EU Directive on food supplements. [21690]

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Liam Fox, dated 12 December 2001:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the number of people employed in (a) the retail and (b) the manufacture of specialist health food products (21690).

There are no separate figures available for retailing specialist health food products as these estimates are combined with other specialist retailing.

In December 1999, the latest date for which estimates from the Annual Business Inquiry are available, there were 900 employee jobs in the manufacture of homogenised food preparations and dietetic food in Great Britain.

I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that the proposed EU directive would not have any immediate effect on employment in these sectors as it would not immediately outlaw any products currently sold in the UK.

Departmental Staff (Home Working)

Mr. Challen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to encourage staff to work from home; and how many staff do so on a regular basis. [21822]

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury has a number of alternative working policies in place such as flexible working hours, working part time, compressed hours as well as working at home. These are available to all staff by agreement with their manager. Details are advertised on the Treasury's Intranet. All staff have the opportunity to work at home occasionally on appropriate work with their manager's agreement. About 30 members of staff regularly work at least one day a week at home with access to the Treasury's IT systems.

Hypothecated NHS Tax

Linda Perham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the public's willingness to pay a hypothecated NHS tax. [22302]

12 Dec 2001 : Column: 889W

Mr. Andrew Smith: The Government have made their commitment to increasing resources over the next three years for the NHS, funded from general taxation and linked to reform. Decisions on taxation will be for future Budgets and spending will be for the Spending Review.

Customs and Excise (Fraud)

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was (a) the total expenditure on HM Customs and Excise and (b) the total expenditure on counter-fraud work within HM Customs and Excise in the last year for which figures are available. [21732]

Mr. Boateng [holding answer 10 December 2001]: Many Customs and Excise activities play an important part in countering fraud, including tax control work, debt collection and publicity. However, since 1 April 2001 the Department's restructured Law Enforcement function has had prime responsibility for tackling indirect tax fraud, drugs smuggling and the range of other criminal matters assigned to Customs and Excise. Many Customs Law Enforcement officers have a multi-functional role, tackling both tax fraud and non-tax criminality.

Because of restructuring, it is not possible to provide equivalent figures for earlier years, but in 2001–02 the Law Enforcement function of Customs and Excise has a budget of some £320 million current, and £40 million capital. The Customs and Excise voted departmental expenditure limit (as amended by the recent Winter Supplementary) is £1,122 million.

Capital Assets

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 3 December 2001, Official Report, column 55W, on capital assets, what record the Office for National Statistics keeps of the advice it gives to Departments regarding the accounting treatment of PPPs. [22289]

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. Matthew Taylor, dated 12 December 2001:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question concerning what record the Office for National Statistics keeps of the advice it gives to Departments regarding the accounting treatment of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). (22289)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) keeps records of all advice given on classification issues. The ONS has not however been asked for advice on the accounting treatment of capital assets under individual PPPs. This is decided by departments on the basis of generally accepted accounting practice, as specified in the Resource Accounting Manual published by HM Treasury. The National Audit Office audits department's decisions. The agreed treatment is reflected in the national accounts.

Social Exclusion

Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many competitive grant schemes administered by his Department and its agencies were open in each of the last 10 years to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion. [22431]

12 Dec 2001 : Column: 890W

Ruth Kelly: No competitive grant schemes are currently administered, or have been administered in each of the last 10 years, by the Chancellor's Departments and agencies.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish a list of the grants made under the competitive grant schemes administered by his Department and its agencies open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion; [22419]

(2) if he will list the competitive grant schemes, administered by the Treasury and its agencies, open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion; and, for each scheme in each year (a) the number of applicants, (b) the number of successful applicants, (c) the total of grants awarded, (d) the number of pages in the application form and (e) if the grant can be used to fund the core costs of the applicant organisation; [22430]

(3) if he will place in the Library a copy of the application form for each of the competitive grant schemes administered by his Department and its agencies open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion. [22414]

Ruth Kelly: No competitive grant schemes are currently administered, or have been administered since 1997, by the Chancellor's Departments and agencies.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has been made of the administrative cost to the (a) state, (b) unsuccessful applicants and (c) successful applicants of the competitive grant schemes, provided by his Department and its agencies open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion. [22406]

Ruth Kelly: No competitive grant schemes are currently provided, or have been provided since 1997, by the Chancellor's Departments and agencies.

Spirits (Taxation)

Ian Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his plans are for consultation on the proposal to introduce a tax stamps system for spirits. [23122]

Mr. Boateng: Following initial discussions with the drinks industry over the summer, customs and Excise published on 11 December 2001 a formal consultation document on this proposal. A copy of the consultation document is available in the Library.

Financial Services Authority

Barbara Follett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to extend the scope of the Financial Services Authority's responsibilities. [23124]

Ruth Kelly: In the light of representations made by the industry and others and taking account of the views of the report and responses to the Banking Services Consumer Codes Review, I have decided to extend the FSA's powers to enable it to regulate mortgage intermediaries and advice. The FSA will also be given responsibility for regulating general insurance intermediaries.

12 Dec 2001 : Column: 891W

Giving the FSA powers to regulate mortgage and insurance intermediaries will streamline regulation. Intermediaries selling a range of products—general insurance, pensions, or mortgages—will all come under the FSA as single regulator, minimising compliance costs.

I intend to consult others on the appropriate transitional arrangements to ensure a smooth handover of responsibility to the FSA.

A regulatory impact assessment of the decision to give the FSA responsibility for regulating mortgage advice and general insurance intermediaries is available in the Library.

---