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Coalition Against Terrorism
Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost to the United Kingdom of the coalition against terrorism; and what estimate has been made of its future and continuing costs. [34818]
Mr. Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
Additional operating costs up to the end of December 2001 were £65.3 million.
As was announced yesterday as part of our presentation of spring Supplementary Estimates to the House, we estimate the total cost of operations in Afghanistan up to the end of March 2002 to be some £261 million. This figure includes the cost of munitions consumed and represents the additional cost of operations over and above the cost of planned activities.
We constantly review our continuing commitment and will inform Parliament of our initial estimate for 2002–03 as early in the financial year as we can. As announced yesterday, my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has already agreed to provide a further £55 million for urgent operational requirements. This is in addition to the £100 million announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his pre-Budget statement on 27 November 2001.
Vehicle Seizures
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vehicles were seized by HM Customs and Excise in the past 12 months; what the comparable figures were in each of the previous three years; and what the total value of the items seized from persons and vehicles at the borders with France in the past 12 months was. [38331]
Dawn Primarolo: For the number of vehicles seized across the whole of the UK in 1997–98, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 18 June 1998, Official Report, column 274. For the number of vehicles seized across the UK in 1998–99 and 1999–2000 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 January 2001, Official Report, column 124W. Figures for the number of vehicles seized by Customs across the UK during 2000–01 are contained in the Government's response to the independent report by John Roques into "The Collection of Excise Duties in HM Customs and Excise" (House of commons command 5329, July 2001), a copy of which was placed in the Library on 19 July 2001.
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Customs do not centrally retain figures on the value of goods and vehicles seized at the borders with France.
Bankruptcy
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will examine what recompense exists for those people who have recently declared bankrupt who have been offered further credit by organisations in the knowledge that they are dealing with bankrupts. [37613]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 26 February 2002]: I have been asked to reply.
No recompense is available to bankrupts simple as a result of being offered credit by organisations in the knowledge that they are dealing with bankrupts. A bankrupt is guilty of an offence if, either alone or jointly with any other person, he obtains credit to the extent of the prescribed amount (currently £250 or more) without informing the person from whom the credit is obtained of his bankrupt status. If credit is obtained after disclosure of the relevant information no offence is committed.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what safeguards exist to protect people in the process of being declared bankrupt from being harassed by money- lending organisations. [37612]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 26 February 2002]: I have been asked to reply.
At any time after a bankruptcy petition has been presented or a bankruptcy order has been made the court can impose a stay on any action or legal process against the property or person of the debtor. After a bankruptcy order has been made no creditor has any remedy against the property or person of the debtor in respect of a debt provable in the bankruptcy. There is nothing to prevent the offering of loans to people in such financial difficulty.
Finance (No. 2 ) Act
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the studies that his Department has undertaken of the efficacy of sections 42 and 48 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1997; and if he will make a statement. [38115]
Dawn Primarolo: Film production benefits comprise two accelerated tax reliefs, section 42 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1992 and section 48 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1997. The Inland Revenue is currently evaluating their efficacy in stimulating additional film production.
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the Exchequer cost of sections 42 and 48 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1997 for the three fiscal years from April 2002; and if he will make a statement. [38114]
Dawn Primarolo: Film production benefits from two accelerated tax reliefs, section 42 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1992 and Section 48 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1997. The estimated tax cost of relief provided to British
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qualifying films under section 48 is £85 million for films produced in 1999–2000. Section 48 was extended for a period of three years in Finance Act 2001 and the tax cost of the relief for films was estimated at an average of £90 million a year to 2004–05. The tax cost of section 42 relief is estimated to be an additional £70 million a year.
Self-assessment
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 31 October 2000, Official Report, column 412W, on tax returns and the internet, for each month since 1 July 2001 how many self-assessment tax returns were (a) issued, (b) received, (c) waiting to be processed and (d) processed; and if he will make a statement. [38308]
Dawn Primarolo: The statistical data requested are as follows:
| Self-assessment income tax returns | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Issued | Received | Processed | Waiting to be processed |
| 1 July 2001 | 8,940,513 | 1,323,115 | 864,497 | 458,618 |
| 29 July 2001 | 8,990,292 | 1,943,901 | 1,350,597 | 593,304 |
| 2 September 2001 | 8,989,043 | 2,798,153 | 1,966,795 | 831,358 |
| 30 September 2001 | 9,152,255 | 4,241,952 | 2,677,145 | 1,564,807 |
| 4 November 2001 | 8,842,560 | 4,682,767 | 3,421,658 | 1,261,109 |
| 2 December 2001 | 9,360,099 | 5,383,846 | 4,436,261 | 947,585 |
| 30 December 2001 | 9,299,623 | 5,745,572 | 4,839,285 | 906,287 |
| 3 February 2002 | 9,552,433 | 8,362,361 | 5,848,319 | 2,514,042 |
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate (a) HM Treasury and (b) Inland Revenue have made of the average time it takes to fill out a self-assessment form; and if he will make a statement. [38264]
Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue does not have information about the average time it takes to fill out a self-assessment return but we carry out usability testing as part of the development process.
Betting Taxation
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a list of the companies that responded to the consultation launched on betting taxation in the 2000 Budget; and if he will make a statement. [38118]
Dawn Primarolo: The Government publication "Our Stake in The Future", which was placed in the Library on 7 March 2001, contains a list of the respondents.
SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Senior Lawyers
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General what percentage of time was spent by senior lawyers in (a) administration and management and (b) considering cases and advocacy in the latest year for which figures are available. [35949]
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The Solicitor-General [holding answer 14 February 2002]: The CPS does not collect data on the time individual senior lawyers spend on administrative and management functions and on file review and advocacy duties.
The CPS is implementing the recommendations of Sir Iain Glidewell in his review of the CPS published in 1998 and is well advanced in setting up a new organisational structure based on Criminal Justice Units and Trial Units. A senior lawyer supported by a business manager heads each of these operational units. This mirrors the relationship at area level between the Chief Crown Prosecutor and the Area Business Manager, and at national level between the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Chief Executive. The role of the business manager is to manage the unit's administrative and business processes, thus releasing the senior lawyer to focus on a personal portfolio of the more serious cases, leadership, criminal justice liaison and line management of the prosecutors in the unit.
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CPS Staff (Training)
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the training programmes available for CPS staff indicating the latest participation rates; which training providers are used; and if they are quality assured. [35945]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 14 February 2002]: The range and providers of training programmes available to CPS staff and the numbers who have attended are shown in the table. The numbers trained are for the current year, from April 2001 to the date of preparation of this answer (26 February 2002).
Where external providers supply training, quality is monitored throughout the duration of the programme by means of evaluation reports and observation of the external providers by CPS Training and Development Managers or internal project managers. Regular meetings are held with the providers to discuss quality issues as they arise and all tutors are required to provide a CV and references prior to being engaged.
(12) Figure unavailable
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