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VAT (Sports and Leisure)
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce further relief from value added tax for local authority sport and leisure facilities; and if he will make a statement. [30018]
Mr. Boateng: Decisions on taxation are considered on an annual basis as part of the Chancellor's overall Budget judgment.
Aggregates Tax
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has discussed with the Scotland Office the implementation of the aggregates tax in Scotland. [31009]
Mr. Boateng: The Government have received a large number of representations regarding the aggregates levy, and have held discussions regarding its implementation with a wide range of organisations both within and outside Government.
Budget Statement
Barbara Follett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to deliver his Budget Statement. [31612]
Mr. Gordon Brown: On Wednesday 17 April.
Unemployment Benefits
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are claiming benefits relating to unemployment; and if he will make a statement. [28641]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter to Miss Anne McIntosh from Len Cook, dated 28 January 2002:
- As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question regarding the number of people claiming benefits relating to unemployment. (28641)
- The claimant count consists of all people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or National Insurance credits at Employment Service local offices. They must declare that they are out of work, capable of, available for and actively seeking work during the week in which their claim is made.
- The latest available figure relates to December 2001, when the seasonally adjusted claimant count for the United Kingdom was 963,500.
Drug Smuggling
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent action he has taken to prevent and deter drug smuggling from Jamaica to the United Kingdom. [26529]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 15 January 2002]: In partnership with police and immigration, Customs closely target flights, including those from Jamaica, identified as having a high risk of drug trafficking. Customs also work
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closely with Jamaican colleagues to help identify and arrest couriers before they board their flight to the UK. Customs are in discussion with the Jamaican authorities and others to improve the overall effectiveness of action to tackle cocaine supply from Jamaica. The UK also supports interdiction activity in the Caribbean area to stop bulk consignments of cocaine reaching Jamaica for onward shipment to the UK.
Accidental Deaths (Children)
Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children died in accidents away from home, other than road deaths, in each of the last five years for which figures are available in the age groups (a) zero to seven, (b) eight to 13 and (c) 14 to 18 years; and if he will classify them in terms of (i) holiday or adventure related, (ii) work or work related and (iii) other. [29743]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter to Bob Russell from Len Cook, dated 28 January 2002:
- As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question concerning the number of children dying of accidents away from home, other than road deaths, in the last five years in the age groups (a) zero to seven, (b) eight to 13, and (c) 14 to 18 years, and if these can be classified into (i) holiday or adventure related, (ii) work or work related, and (iii) other. (29743)
- The answer to parts (a) to (c) are given in the table below:
| Age group | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 years(2) | 20 | 18 | 11 | 23 | 12 |
| 8–13 years | 24 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 19 |
| 14–18 years | 40 | 33 | 31 | 26 | 31 |
(1) International Classification of Diseases. Ninth Revision, codes E850-E869, E880-E928, E929.2-E929.9
(2) Excludes deaths under 28 days
Note:
Data are for occurrences of death per calendar year. Latest year's data are for 2000.
It is not possible to provide figures for whether these deaths were (i) holiday or adventure related,(ii) work or work related, or (iii) other.
Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children died in accidents in the home, other than fire, in each of the last five years for which figures are available in the age groups (a) zero to seven, (b) eight to 13 and (c) 14 to 18 years. [29742]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter to Bob Russell from Len Cook, dated 28 January 2002:
- As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question concerning the number of children dying of accidents in the home, other than fire related, in the last five years in the age groups (a) zero to seven, (b) eight to 13, and (c) 14 to 18 years. (29742)
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- The answer is given in the table below:
| Age group | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 years(5) | 8–13 years | 14–18 years | |
| 1996 | 67 | 8 | 37 |
| 1997 | 50 | 16 | 50 |
| 1998 | 55 | 17 | 42 |
| 1999 | 75 | 18 | 37 |
| 2000 | 63 | 11 | 38 |
(3) Includes the category 'Residential institution'. Deaths are only coded for place of occurrence of accident for selected ICD9 codes where there was an inquest.
(4) International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, (ICD9) codes E850-E869, E880-E888, E900-E928, E929.2-E929.9 (excluding E929.4).
(5) Excludes deaths under 28 days.
Note:
Data are for occurrences of death per calendar year. Latest year's data are for 2000
Tax Evasion
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) individuals and (b) businesses were investigated for tax evasion in the constituency of Buckingham in each year since 1997. [30064]
Dawn Primarolo: Inland Revenue records show the number of inquiries made into tax returns by its offices. However, the geographical ranges of Inland Revenue offices, particularly specialist offices, do not correspond to parliamentary constituencies.
So while there is a record of the number of inquiries undertaken by offices located within parliamentary constituencies, it will not follow that those inquiries relate to individuals and businesses resident or operating within those constituencies. Similarly, offices outside constituency boundaries will undertake inquiries into the returns of individuals and businesses within those boundaries.
Consequently, no meaningful figures are available of the number of inquiries into the returns of individuals and businesses within the constituency of Buckingham.
Public Works Loan Board
Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Public Works Loan Board's interest rate on new loans is and what the rate has been in each of the last five years. [30351]
Ruth Kelly: The interest rate applied to a new PWLB loan is dependent on the maturity of the loan, the method of repayment the authority has chosen and the underlying gilt yield curve. It is also affected by the progress a local authority has made in applying its provisions set aside to meet credit liabilities.
The range of PWLB interest rates applicable at 22 January in each of the last five years was:
- 1998: 6 1 / 8 to 7 9 / 1 6 per cent.
1999: 4 3 / 8 to 5 1 3 / 1 6 per cent.
2000: 5 1 / 4 to 6 3 / 4 per cent.
2001: 4 3 / 4 to 5 1 / 2 per cent.
2002: 4 1 / 1 6 to 5 1 / 4 per cent.
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Terrorism
Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide a list of organisations whose assets have been frozen under powers taken following 11 September with the reason for the action in each case; and if he will make a statement. [29445]
Ruth Kelly [holding answer 24 January 2002]: The Government are committed to the fight against terrorism and since the events of 11 September 2001 have led by example in issuing asset freeze lists against individuals and organisations. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373, issued on 28 September 2001, calls on states to freeze the funds and financial assets of persons or entities involved in terrorism.
The resolution is implemented in the UK by an Order in Council (SI 3365/2001) and where there are "reasonable grounds to suspect" that an organisation is involved in the financing of terrorism the Government will not hesitate to meet their international obligations by freezing their assets.
Listed are the 34 organisations subject to an assets freeze under the UN order:
- 1. Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO)
2. Afghan Support Committee (ASC)
3. Aum Shinrikyo
4. Babbar Khalsa
5. Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
6. Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA)
7. Gama'a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group)
8. Hamas-Izz al-Din al-Quassem
9. Hizballah External Security Organisation
10. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development
11. International Sikh Youth Federation
12. Kahane Chai (Kach)
13. Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Chairman Abdullah Ocalan
14. Lashkar e Tayyaba
15. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
16. Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF)
17. Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO)
18. National Liberation Army (ELN)
19. Orange Volunteers (OV)
20. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
21. Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)
22. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
23. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command
24. Real IRA
25. Red Hand Defenders (RHD)
26. Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS)
27. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
28. Revoluntionary Nuclei (formerly ELA)
29. Revolutionary Organisation 17 November
30. Revolutionary People's Liberation Army/Front/Party (DHKP/C)
31. Shining Path
32. Ulster Defence Association/Ulster Freedom Fighters (UDA/ UFF)
33. Ummah Tameer E-Nau (UTN)
34. United Self-Defense Forces/Group of Colombia (AUC).
Ruth Kelly [holding answer 24 January 2002]: A charitable organisation in Leyton has had its assets frozen by the Charity Commission under the Charities Act 1993.
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