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Euro
Mr. Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to allow United Kingdom businesses to make dual currency VAT returns to Customs and Excise where they trade in sterling and euros. [28395]
Ruth Kelly: No. The euro is treated for VAT return purposes as any other foreign currency.
Mr. Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total cost to United Kingdom businesses of additional administrative costs following the introduction of euro notes and coins. [28396]
Ruth Kelly: It is not possible to estimate the administrative costs to United Kingdom businesses of the introduction of the euro in the euro area. This would depend on the approach taken by individual organisations.
"Promoting Sport in the Community"
Mr. Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many copies of his consultation document, "Promoting Sport in the Community", were printed; and how many responses he has received to the consultation. [28603]
Mr. Boateng: 5,000 copies of the "Promoting Sport in the Community" consultation document were printed and it is also available on the Treasury public internet site. A number of responses to the consultation have been received and consultation continues.
Public Sector Money
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons (a) the £162 million payment due on 1 October 2001 to Renewco was classified as public sector money and (b) the £1.2 billion loan to Railtrack administration was not classified as public sector money. [28826]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) determined that Renewco's activities would be classified to the public sector. The decision was based on the application of internationally agreed definitions for national accounts. This means borrowing by Renewco would be public sector borrowing and add to public sector net debt. The borrowed funds are therefore "public sector money". Payments by Government to Renewco would be transfers of public sector money within the public sector and so would have no impact on the consolidation public sector statistics.
Loans to Railtrack's administrator count as lending by the public sector to the private sector. That lending has to be funded from public sector sources such as taxes or
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government borrowing, and so is "public sector money". The lending is expected to be repaid before the end of March 2002 and so would have no impact on the fiscal balances and expenditure measures for the financial year as a whole.
Gift Aid
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the reasons underlying his statement in the pre-Budget report that the generosity of Gift Aid has been increased; and if he will make a statement. [28921]
Ruth Kelly: In his pre-Budget report statement the Chancellor stated that Gift Aid was being more widely used. This is a result of reforms he introduced from April 2000 to improve incentives for giving to charity. A larger number of donors can now use Gift Aid following the abolition of the £250 million minimum limit on Gift Aid donations. This has brought into the scheme the large number of smaller donations, which were previously excluded.
Child Benefit
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 12 December 2001, Official Report, column 891W, on child benefit, what the yield would be for 2002–03 of taxing child benefit payments to (a) recipients paying tax at the higher rate and (b) higher rate tax payers in a couple where one partner receives child benefit, with child benefit rates at £26.25 per week for the first child and £17.60 per week for subsequent children. [27317]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 15 January 2002]: If child benefit were increased to £26.25 per week for the first child and £17.60 per week for subsequent children and made taxable for higher rate taxpayers, it is estimated that it would yield about £0.1 billion of income tax. If it were taxable at the higher rate for any family with a higher rate taxpayer (regardless of who received the benefit) it would yield around £1.0 billion of income tax.
Climate Change Levy
Mr. Bacon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the results of the impact of the introduction of the climate change levy on the priority given to energy efficiency by United Kingdom energy managers; and if he will make a statement. [28013]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 18 January 2002]: The climate change levy is designed to promote greater energy efficiency. Part of the levy revenue is being recycled to provide enhanced advice on energy efficiency to business and to provide support for energy efficiency investments. As the levy package has only been operational since April 2001, it is too early for an assessment to be made of its impact.
Census
Mr. Curry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what he estimates to be the minimum threshold in respect of persons and households compatible with the
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requirements of confidentiality about individuals which will permit effective data to be made available through the 2001 Census; [28863]
- (2) how many parishes in (a) North Yorkshire and (b) England will fall below the minimum threshold of 100 persons/40 households for the purposes of the 2001 Census carried out by the Office for National Statistics. [28862]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from John Kidgell to Mr. David Curry, dated 21 January 2002:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent questions asking:
- (i) what he estimates to be the minimum threshold in respect of persons and households compatible with the requirements of confidentiality about individuals which will permit effective data to be made available through the 2001 Census (28863); and
- (ii) how many parishes in (a) North Yorkshire and (b) England will fall below the minimum threshold of 100 persons/40 households for the purposes of the 2001 Census (28862).
- I am replying in his absence.
- As part of the disclosure control measures being adopted to protect the confidentiality of personal information provided in the 2001 Census, we have recently announced that standard statistical output, other than simple headcounts, will not be released for small areas below a population threshold of 100 resident persons and 40 resident households.
- The design of output areas recognises the need to identify parishes separately in the 2001 Census, but the number of parishes that fall below this threshold will not be known until the processing of data is completed later this year. Using information from the 1991 Census, we would estimate that some 215 parishes in North Yorkshire and 1230 in England would fall below the 2001 Census threshold.
Scottish Bus Group Pension Fund
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has had discussions with Scottish Ministers concerning the Scottish Bus Group pension fund holders. [28797]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Treasury Ministers have held discussions on the matter with Scottish Ministers.
The Scottish Executive are taking forward matters regarding the Scottish Bus Group pension fund, following its announcement in November 2001 on the pension fund surplus.
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has discussed with the Scotland Office the Scottish Bus Group pension fund holders. [28796]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Treasury Ministers have held discussions on the matter with Scotland Office Ministers.
The Scottish Executive are taking forward matters regarding the Scottish Bus Group pension fund, following its announcement in November 2001 on the pension fund surplus.
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Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has received representations from members of the Scottish Parliament about the Scottish Bus Group pension fund holders. [28795]
Mr. Andrew Smith: My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations on this matter.
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has received representations from the Scottish Bus Group pension fund holders. [28794]
Mr. Andrew Smith: My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations on this matter.
HEALTH
Social Services Departments
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 8 November 2001, Official Report, column 351W, on social services departments, if he will set out the amount of unallocated funds within the departmental expenditure limit (a) at the start of the financial year, (b) now and (c) the forecast outturn. [14959]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 15 November 2001]: The information requested is given in the table.
| Plan | Forecast outturn(23) | |
|---|---|---|
| NHS(24) | 350,000 | 0 |
| Personal social services | 82,750 | 2,750 |
| Total | 432,750 | 2,750 |
(23) This is the forecast outturn that will be reported to Parliament shortly in the spring supplementary estimates.
(24) This is the total departmental unallocated provision for the national health service of which £90 million is for revenue expenditure and £260 million for capital expenditure. The planned departmental unallocated provision for PSS was for revenue expenditure only.
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