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TREASURY
Office for National Statistics
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide a disaggregated analysis of how the Office for National Statistics intends to spend the money granted by supplementary estimate for the various purposes listed on page 57 of HC 636. [44085]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Mr. Len Cook to Mr. David Liddington dated 20 March 2002:
- As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how the Office for National Statistics intends to spend the money granted by supplementary estimate for the various purposes listed on page 57 of HC 636. (44085)
- The requested information is on page 4 of the "Office for National Statistics, Spring Supplementary Estimate 2001–02" (Cm 5399), a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Stolen Equipment
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2002, Official Report, column 704W, on stolen equipment, whether the computer equipment stolen from his Department was (a) new and unused and (b) used; and what was the nature of the data stored on such items in each case. [42651]
(b) All. None of the items capable of storing data will have contained anything but unclassified material.
Public Sector Pay
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the payment of salaries to public sector workers which reflect the cost of living in London and the south-east. [44313]
Mr. Andrew Smith [holding answer 19 March 2002]: We are carefully considering pay issues, among others, in the Spending Review now under way with close regard to achievement of the Government's objectives for public services.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the pay structures in building societies to assist his consideration of public sector pay rates. [44318]
Mr. Andrew Smith [holding answer 19 March 2002]: We have no plans for any specific detailed assessment of pay structures in building societies. However, the Treasury keeps abreast of pay structures in the economy so as to ensure policy remains well informed.
Informers' Reward
Mr. Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions, prior to 31 March 2001, the Treasury has withheld consent to an informers' reward awarded by the Inland Revenue under section 32 of the Inland Revenue Act 1890; and on what grounds and statutory authority. [43905]
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Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 18 March 2002]: The Inland Revenue is not aware of any case in which the Treasury has withheld consent for it to make a reward payment.
Contributions Agency (Bills)
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the sending out of bills to people below the small earnings threshold by the Contributions Agency; and if he will make a statement. [43457]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 15 March 2002]: The Department does not normally issue bills to people whose earnings are below the small earnings threshold.
Aggregates Tax
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made on the definition of a green quarry for the purposes of an aggregates tax. [37470]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 26 February 2002]: As announced in the pre-Budget report, the Government have decided not to pursue a differential rate scheme for so-called "green quarries" at the present time, because of difficulties in assessing environmental performance accurately and the prospect of setting up perverse incentives.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the timetable for the introduction of an aggregates tax; and if he will postpone its introduction. [37472]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 26 February 2002]: As announced in Budget 2000, the aggregates levy will be introduced on 1 April 2002. The General Regulations will be made and laid this week. The draft Finance Bill clauses will be published very shortly.
The following technical amendments that the Government propose to make in this year's Finance Bill to facilitate the smooth functioning of the aggregates levy, and which were announced in the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stevenage (Barbara Follett) on 12 March 2002, will be effective immediately from the introduction of the levy:
- To amend the definition of aggregate to include rock that has not been subject to an industrial crushing process
To clarify the definition of dimension stone
To extend the exemption for processing waste arising from the extraction of coal to the processing waste of all industrial minerals
To clarify that for all mineral extraction, any aggregate contained in the overburden is taxable
To extend the exemption for aggregate won from forest or farm land and used in adjacent land, to its use in land occupied with that forest or farm
To extend the exemption for drill cuttings to include onshore drill cuttings
To introduce a number of minor technical amendments which clarify policy intention, close a potential loophole or bring the legislation into line with other taxes. These were detailed in Customs and Excise Business Brief number 17/2001 issued on 28 November 2001.
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Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to introduce a deminimis level for those affected by the aggregates tax. [37471]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 26 February 2002]: The Government have no such plans.
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Invest to Save Budget
Barbara Follett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made on the Government's Invest to Save Budget. [45392]
Mr. Andrew Smith: I am pleased to announce that 75 bids from across the public sector have been successful in round 4 of the Invest to Save Budget, at a cost of £47 million in 2002–03, including consequential funding for the devolved Administrations, and £79 million in total over both years to 2002–04. The table describes the winners of this round.
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