---

Public Expenditure (Scotland)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to conduct a thorough needs assessment

11 Jan 2002 : Column: 1036W

in order to determine the appropriate level of central Government support for public expenditure in Scotland. [26116]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The Government's policy on devolved funding, including the Barnett formula, is set out in the Statement of Funding Policy, published by the Treasury in July 2000.

Capital Expenditure

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide a breakdown by Department of the estimated capital expenditure under the Private Finance Initiative in 2001–02. [26269]

Mr. Andrew Smith: Detailed figures setting out estimates of capital investment by the private sector in support of PFI deals (both signed and those at preferred bidder) and estimated payments made by Government under PFI contracts are published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report each year. Tables C16 and C17 of Budget 2001 include the latest projections of capital expenditure by the private sector under the Private Finance Initiative, broken down by Department, for 2001–02. In line with past practice, I expect to update these figures shortly.

Departmental Reports

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the 2002 departmental reports to be published. [26115]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The 2002 departmental reports are expected to be published in April 2002.

Public Sector Pay

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effective annualised increase in public sector pay for those workers covered by the pay review bodies in each of the last four years. [26334]

Mr. Andrew Smith: I estimate the average cost of the annual pay settlements, from 1 April each year, as follows:

	Percentage
1998	3.9
1999	4.1
2000	3.7
2001	4.0

The figure for 1998 is the full year cost. The first year cost was 2.7 per cent., reflecting the staged implementation of the recommendations of the pay review bodies that year.

National Asset Register

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list central Government disposals from the National Asset Register in each of the last four years specifying the value of each disposal. [26141]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The National Asset Register provides details of all significant disposals of central Government assets by Department for each of the financial years 1997–98 to 1999–2000.

11 Jan 2002 : Column: 1037W

Government Expenditure

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the amount in 2001–02 prices accounted for by general Government expenditure on services from 1979–80 to 2001–02 was, broken down by the current classification of sponsor Department. [26132]

Mr. Andrew Smith: Information about total managed expenditure on services by broad activity of spending, from 1984–85 to 2000–01, is published in table 3.3 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2001–02 (Cm 5101) and is presented in 1999–2000 prices.

Information about spending broken down by Department is published in tables 1.7, 1.8 and 1.9 of PESA 2001–02.

A breakdown of spending from 1979–80 to 2001–02 in 2001–02 prices, by current classification of sponsor Department, is not readily available.

Asset Sales

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the local authority, central Government and public corporation components of sales of public sector land and buildings in each of the last five years. [26339]

Mr. Andrew Smith: Information about the sale of central and local government land and buildings, from 1995–96 to 2000–01, is published in table 3.8 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2001–02 (Cm 5101). Equivalent information for public corporations is not readily available.

Access to Work Scheme

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what goods and services provided by the access to work scheme are considered to be a taxable benefit; whether the receipt of digital hearing aids funded through the Department of Work and Pensions access to work scheme can be considered a taxable benefit; and if he will make a statement. [25367]

Mr. Andrew Smith: Goods and services of whatever nature provided to an employee by reason of the employment are exempt from charge if supplied in order to carry out the duties of the employment and any private use is not significant.

HIPC Debt Initiatives

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the staff report on the implementation of the HIPC debt initiatives referred to on page 5 of his joint statement of 16 November 2001 with the Secretary of State for International Development at the Ottawa meeting of the World bank and IMF. [26499]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The report of the World bank and IMF Development Committee on the status of the implementation of the HIPC Initiative is available on the World bank website at http://www.worldbank.org/hipc/ Status_of_Implem_english.pdf.

11 Jan 2002 : Column: 1038W

PRIME MINISTER

Charities

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to receive the report on charities and the voluntary sector commissioned from the Performance and Innovation Unit. [26500]

The Prime Minister: The Performance and Innovation Unit's review on charities and the voluntary sector is expected to be completed by the spring.

Ministerial Visits

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his visits to Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. [26498]

The Prime Minister: I visited Bangladesh, India and Pakistan from 3–7 January. I had discussions with the leaders of all three countries, and a series of other meetings aimed at further strengthening our bilateral relations. The visit also provided an opportunity for me to discuss key regional issues.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Sub-post Offices

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 10 December 2001, Official Report, column 650W, on sub-post offices, if she will list (a) the initiatives that received payments from the sub-post office start-up capital scheme in 2001–02, with the funding received in each case and (b) those that applied but did not receive funding. [24371]

Mr. Alexander: To date, there have been over 500 requests for further information about the sub-post office start-up subsidy scheme and 118 of these have generated requests for application forms of which 18 have so far been returned. Five applications for support under the scheme have now been approved and other applications are under consideration. One payment of £13,200 has been made in respect of an initiative at Capel-le-Ferne in Kent. No applications have been rejected.

Consignia

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on Consignia's proposed job cuts. [24621]

Mr. Alexander: Consignia's intention to make the cost savings it has announced is an operational issue for the company which is consulting with the unions on the matter. The company has not informed the Government of specific plans of how it intends to achieve these savings.

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) employees and (b) managers there are in each business unit of Consignia, broken down by (i) gender and (ii) ethnic origin. [24452]

Mr. Alexander: Consignia is responsible for the number and location of its employees. I am advised by the company that the information sought is not available in the format requested.

11 Jan 2002 : Column: 1039W

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her latest estimate is of (a) the annual value of Benefits Agency business to Consignia which will be lost as a result of the introduction of automated credit transfer and (b) the expected revenue to be gained by Consignia through the operation of the Universal bank. [25370]

Mr. Alexander: The current value of Benefits Agency business to Consignia is some £400 million a year. The migration of benefit payments to ACT is scheduled to begin in 2003. How that migration affects the revenue of Consignia and the post office network will depend on a number of factors, not least how benefit recipients and other post office customers respond to change.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria are used by Consignia to determine whether a post office is facing unavoidable closure; and if she will make a statement. [25369]

Mr. Alexander: Consignia define an unavoidable closure of a post office as one where no one suitable is prepared to take over from the departing sub-postmaster, where no suitable premises remain available or can be identified or where an associated retail business is no longer commercially viable.

---