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National Insurance Contributions
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate additional revenues that would arise in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Scotland from a policy of (i) abolishing the upper limit on employees' national insurance contributions, (ii) raising the limit to ÿ50,000, (iii) raising the limit to ÿ100,000 and (iv) charging a rate of (A) 5 per cent., (B) 10 per cent., and (C) 15 per cent. on income between the current upper limit and (X) ÿ50,000, (Y) ÿ100,000 and (Z) ÿ250,000. [39328]
Dawn Primarolo [ holding answer 28 February 2002]: This information is not readily available for Scotland and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Available estimates for the UK, provided by the Government's Actuary's Department (GAD), are shown in the table.
| 2002–03 (ÿ billion) | |
|---|---|
| Abolishing the Upper Earnings Limit (UEL) for employees | +3.35 |
| Raising the UEL to ÿ50,000 per year | +2.05 |
| Raising the UEL to ÿ100,000 per year | +3.00 |
| AX 5 per cent. between UEL and ÿ50,000 per year1 | +1.75 |
| AY 5 per cent. between UEL and ÿ100,000 per year1 | +2.55 |
| AZ 5 per cent. between UEL and ÿ250,000 per year1 | +2.75 |
| BX 10 per cent. between UEL and ÿ50,000 per year1 | +3.50 |
| BY 10 per cent. between UEL and ÿ100,000 per year1 | +5.10 |
| BZ 10 per cent. between UEL and ÿ250,000 per year1 | +5.55 |
| CX 15 per cent. between UEL and ÿ250,000 per year1 | +5.25 |
| CY 15 per cent. between UEL and ÿ250,000 per year1 | +7.65 |
| CZ 15 per cent. between UEL and ÿ250,000 per year1 | +8.30 |
Note 1: Assuming UEL for contracted-out rebates will remain unchanged, with a rate of 5/10/15 per cent. being charged on earnings (whether or not the person is contracted-out) between the UEL and the specified limit.
Corporate Venturing
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of the tax relief granted in respect of corporate venturing; and what assessment he has made of the economic impact on the tax relief for corporate venturing. [38511]
Dawn Primarolo [ holding answer 28 February 2002]: The cost of tax relief for corporate venturing is expected to be about ÿ50 million in a full year. The corporate venturing scheme was only introduced on 1 April 2000. It is too early in the life of the scheme for any reliable economic impact assessment to be undertaken.
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Pension Rules
Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rules apply to a bereaved partner in relation to the payment of (a) the state pension an (b) SERPS in cases where both partners have contributed fully to national insurance throughout their working lives. [28550]
Mr. McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
The rules governing state pensions for widows and widowers depend on the individual circumstances of the people concerned.
Generally, where both the contributor and the surviving spouse are over state pension age when the contributor dies, and both have full national insurance records, the survivor can combine their own pension with a pension based on their spouse's national insurance record.
However, the maximum amount of basic pension and additional (SERPS) pension cannot exceed the amount of a single person could get based on their own National Insurance record.
The hon. Gentleman may wish to know that:
- from 6 April, the introduction of the State Second Pension will provide a better additional pension that SERPS for the low paid, and certain carers and long term disabled. The maximum amount of State Second Pension a surviving spouse can inherit will be 50 per cent.; and
- the inherited SERPS regulations, which come into force on 6 October, will gradually begin to reduce the maximum percentage of SERPS a surviving spouse may inherit to up to 50 per cent. The maximum amount a surviving spouse may inherit will depend on the contributor's state pension age, with most protection—up to 90 per cent.—going to the spouses of people whose state pension age falls between 6 October 2002 and 5 October 2003.
Newspaper Advertising
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the expenditure of her (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies on newspaper advertising by title in each year since 1997. [26978]
Ms Hewitt: Expenditure on press advertising through COI is as follows:
All figures exclude VAT.
British Trade International, which brings together international trade and investment support previously led by DTI and FCO, has spent ÿ911,530 through COI on press advertising for Trade Partners UK in 2000–01.
Each campaign may use national and regional media. The target audience and information to be conveyed influences the choice of media used. For national campaigns a mix of broadsheets and tabloids is frequently used. For regional advertising, space has been taken in many prominent regional newspapers as well as hundreds of more local papers and the specialist press.
A breakdown of expenditure by title could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Information of this kind on NDPBs is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
I have asked each of the Chief Executives of the Agencies to reply to the hon. Member.
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Letter from Alison Brimelow to Mr. John Bercow, dated 1 March 2002:
- I am replying to this parliamentary question, tabled on 10 January 2001, about expenditure on newspaper advertising each year since 1997.
- Patent Office expenditure on newspaper advertising during this period relates mainly to annual recruitment exercises for patent examiners. The total expenditure by year is as follows:
- 1997–98: ÿ32,604
- 1998–99: ÿ46,482
- 1999–2000: ÿ12,880
- 2000–01: ÿ37,543
- A full breakdown by newspaper title is attached.
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Letter from Desmond Flynn to Mr. John Bercow, dated 1 March 2002:
- The Secretary of State has asked me to reply in relation to the Insolvency Service Agency to your question about expenditure on newspaper advertising by title for each year since 1997.
- The vast bulk of expenditure by the Insolvency Service on newspaper advertising relates to staff recruitment with the cost of such advertising being aggregated with other recruitment costs. An analysis of expenditure so far this financial year shows that the Service has spent a total of ÿ15,868 on recruitment advertising but it would not be possible to break that figure down by title other than at disproportionate cost. Similarly, an analysis of earlier years to produce such aggregated information could, again, only be produced at disproportionate cost.
- In addition to recruitment advertising I can tell you that, in October 2001, the Insolvency Service placed advertisements in The Lawyer and the Solicitor's Journal seeking expressions of interest for the provision of legal services. The cost of that advertising was ÿ1,380 and ÿ260 respectively.
Letter from David Hendon to Mr. John Bercow, dated 1 March 2002:
- The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to your two Questions about expenditure on newspaper advertising, and on opinion polling, focus groups and other forms of market research. The information for the Radiocommunications Agency for the periods in question is as follows:
| 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newspaper Advertising | n/a | 108,997 | 84,948 | 253,058 |
| Opinion polling | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Focus groups | 0 | 1,500 | 2,500 | 2,500 |
| Market research | 29,023 | 0 | 0 | 282,719 |
We do not have readily available figures for our newspaper advertising costs on 1997–98. However I would estimate these to be in line with the two following years.
You also asked for details on surveys we have commissioned. The market research expenditure in 1997–98 concerned a survey of the views of our customers. The expenditure in 2000–01 concerned a survey on external communications, and a series of surveys to determine the value of the radio spectrum.
Job No: 713438 Folios: 2006
Leter from John Holden to Mr. John Bercow, dated 1 March 2002:
- I have been asked to reply to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in respect of Companies House Executive Agency. Figures for newspaper advertising for year-to-date 2001/2, for 2000/1 and 1999/2000 are respectively ÿ63k, ÿ126k and ÿ122k. Figures for earlier years could only be segregated at disproportionate cost. However, our response to Parliamentary Question 2000/939 gave aggregate figures for earlier years for newspaper advertising and other promotional campaigns.
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Letter from Roger Heathcote to Mr. John Bercow, dated 1 March 2002:
- You tabled a Parliamentary Question on 10 January 2002 to Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, concerning what expenditure had been incurred on newspaper advertising, by title, for each year since 1997 in the department and executive agencies. I have been asked to reply in respect of the Employment Tribunals Service (ETS), which is an executive agency of the DTI.
- The ETS have incurred no expenditure on promotional newspaper advertising in the period under examination. Expenditure has been incurred in advertising local job vacancies around Great Britain as well as occasional notices in relation to individual or test tribunal cases, but individual records of such expenditure are not kept.
Letter from Mr. Iain MacGregor to Mr. John Bercow, dated 1 March 2002:
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of NWML to your question regarding expenditure on newspaper advertising by DTI and its Agencies, for each year since 1997.
The figures for NWML are as follows:
Letter from David Irwin to Mr. John Bercow, dated 1 March 2002:
- Further to your Parliamentary Question 2001/2115 about the expenditure on newspaper advertising, I can report as follows:
2000–1: ÿ548,878—excluding VAT
2001–2: ÿ284,393—excluding VAT
The Small Business Service only came into existence at the beginning of April 2000 so previous years are not applicable.
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