House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 22 Jan 2002 (pt 2)

Afghan Refugees

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on Government plans to aid Afghan refugees in Quetta in south-west Pakistan. [28509]

Hilary Benn: Pakistan has been shouldering the burden of some two million refugees from Afghanistan for many years; this is in addition to over 100,000 refugees who have moved into Pakistan from Afghanistan since September 2001. We will continue to do all we can to ensure that all refugees are properly cared for and to give neighbouring countries support to cope with the burden of refugees, for whom they have generously provided for so long.

DFID has provided £3 million to UNHCR's operations, in response to the current crisis, to support its operations for refugees in the region, including in Quetta city and Balochistan province. This has included technical personnel, material and financial support. At the request of UNHCR, we have provided three relief flights to Iran and Pakistan transporting tents, shelter material and communications equipment. We have also provided a specialist site planner to UNHCR in Pakistan to assist with the setting up of new refugee camp sites. In addition we have provided £6 million to NGOs, much of which has been directed towards Afghans in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, and £11 million to support communities in Pakistan most affected by the influx of refugees.

As the situation stabilises inside Afghanistan, we hope that Afghan refuges will be able to return home voluntarily and, indeed, many have returned already.

Ethiopia

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to help street children living in Ethiopia. [28602]

Hilary Benn: We are currently supporting a project through the non-governmental organisation GOAL. The project aims to rehabilitate 700 street children back into the community and to raise awareness of the needs of street children through education and advocacy. The project started in April 2001 and is due to last for three years, with a contribution of £187,553 from DFID.

Public Relations Consultants

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by (a) her Department and (b) bodies for which it is responsible on external public relations consultants in each of the last four years. [27390]

Hilary Benn: DFID provided £120,000 in 1998 for work by a public relations consultancy to raise awareness of malaria as part of the Roll Back Malaria initiative led by the World Health Organisation. The Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) spent £80,000 on external communications consultancy in 1998 and 1999, preparing for its transformation to a public limited company. Both DFID and CDC have separately used communications consultants for specific development

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activities in particular countries but the figures are not held centrally and it would require disproportionate cost to obtain them.

Stolen Equipment

Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what equipment has been stolen from her Department since 1 May 1997; and what the approximate value of each item was. [26824]

Clare Short: Since 1 April 1997 the following equipment has been stolen from DFID in the UK and overseas:

14 laptop computers with a total value of £15,732. The value of each piece of equipment ranges from £730 to £1,642;

Computer chips: £1,100;

One video camera: value unknown;

One calculator: £108;

One notebook computer: £1,880; and

Two mobile telephones: £250.

SCOTLAND

Stolen Equipment

Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what equipment has been stolen from her Department since 1 May 1997; and what the approximate value of each item was. [26825]

Mrs. Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. Since this date one laptop computer has been stolen, with an approximate value of £2,200 at the time of purchase.

Ministerial Staff (Overseas Visits)

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff paid out of public funds will be accompanying her on her forthcoming visit to Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Malaysia; and from which departmental budget they are paid. [29513]

Mr. Foulkes: Two members of the Scotland Office staff are accompanying the Secretary of State on this visit.

Scotland Office Staff

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of the staff in Dover house on loan to the Scotland Office from the Scottish Executive are of civil service grade. [29515]

Mr. Foulkes: All of the staff on loan from the Scottish Executive are civil servants.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many civil servants there are in her Department apart from (a) staff on loan to the Scotland Office from the Scottish Executive, (b) the member of staff on secondment from the House of Lords and (c) three temporary staff. [29514]

Mr. Foulkes: Apart from the categories of staff mentioned, the Department has two special advisers.

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Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the job descriptions of each of the staff members in Dover house (a) on loan to the Scotland Office from the Scottish Executive and (b) that are other staff, indicating which staff members are paid from the Scotland Office budget and which from the Scottish Executive budget. [29523]

Mr. Foulkes: All of the Scotland Office staff in Dover house work in support of Ministers in carrying out the functions of the Department, and their costs are met from the Scotland Office budget.

TREASURY

National Asset Register

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list central Government acquisitions to the National Asset Register in each of the last four years, specifying the value of each acquisition. [28715]

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

Infrastructure Projects (Mid-Sussex)

Mr. Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will undertake an audit into the level of public spending on infrastructure projects in Mid-Sussex. [28857]

Mr. Andrew Smith [holding answer 21 January 2002]: No. Public spending on infrastructure projects is divided between local, regional and national bodies. It is not possible to identify without disproportionate cost what proportion of central Government infrastructure funding is spent in a particular local authority area or parliamentary constituency. However, the Treasury seeks to ensure value for money in all public spending and works with other Government Departments to ensure that a rigorous evaluation framework is in place to assess the costs and benefits of particular projects. While the Treasury delegates authority to Departments to spend regular budgets, it nevertheless scrutinises particularly large, novel or contentious proposals individually to ensure they offer good value.

Incomes

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have no income declared for tax purposes, other than unearned income; and in 2001–02 how many people are paying tax at (a) 40 per cent. and (b) the basic rate who derive (i) 100 per cent., (ii) 90 to 100 per cent., (iii) 75 to 100 per cent., and (iv) 50 to 100 per cent., of their income from unearned income. [26206]

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is in the table.

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Thousand

2001–02

Investment income as a percentage of total income Number of higher rate⁽²⁾ taxpayers Number of basic rate⁽³⁾ taxpayers Number of 'savers' rate⁽⁴⁾ taxpayers

100 per cent. 10 30 60

90 to less than 100 per cent. 20 10 20

75 to less than 90 per cent. 50 30 50

50 to less than 75 per cent. 80 210 80

	2001–02
Investment income as a percentage of total income	Number of higher rate⁽²⁾ taxpayers	Number of basic rate⁽³⁾ taxpayers	Number of 'savers' rate⁽⁴⁾ taxpayers
100 per cent.	10	30	60
90 to less than 100 per cent.	20	10	20
75 to less than 90 per cent.	50	30	50
50 to less than 75 per cent.	80	210	80

⁽²⁾ Taxpayers with a taxable income above the higher rate threshold.

⁽³⁾ Taxpayers with a marginal rate at the basic rate from an extra £1 of earnings.

⁽⁴⁾ Taxpayers with a marginal rate at the 20 per cent. lower rate for savings income or the 10 per cent. ordinary dividend rate from an extra £1 of earnings. Before 1999–2000 these people would have been classified as lower rate taxpayers.

Note:

There are around 130,000 taxpayers with no taxable income other than investment income.

The estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes and are consistent with the November 2001 pre-Budget report.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total income before and after tax was at constant prices in each of the last four years for the top (a) one per cent., (b) five per cent., and (c) 10 per cent. and (d) each 10 per cent., thereafter down to the bottom 10 per cent., including both working and non-working households, in figures and as a percentage of income before and after tax accruing to each group. [26312]

Dawn Primarolo: It would be possible to provide an answer only at disproportionate cost.

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