| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Complaints
Mr. Breed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints were registered against his Department in (a) 1990 to 1996 and (b) 1997 to 2002; how many are current; and what proportion were (i) taken up and (ii) upheld by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration in those periods. [51222]
Ruth Kelly [holding answer 19 April 2002]: Complaints handling is one of the areas covered by the Six Service Standards for central Government. Standard Five states that each central Government Department and agency "should have a complaints procedure or procedures for services it provides, publicise it, including on the internet, and send the customer information if they ask". Information about the Treasury's complaints procedures is on the Treasury's website at: www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/About/ about_complaints.cfm
The Cabinet Office guidance "How to Deal with Complaints" advises Departments and agencies that they should develop a system to record all complaints about service delivery and policy. The Treasury has yet to do this so the information requested is not collected centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Information on the numbers of complaints taken up and upheld by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration is contained in the parliamentary ombudsman's annual reports covering the periods specified. Copies of the annual reports are available in the Library of the House and for the reports from 1997–98 on the parliamentary ombudsman's website at www.ombudsman.org.uk/pca/par01/index.htm
During 2001–02 the Treasury received two new statutory statements of complaint from the parliamentary ombudsman and have responded to both which have been resolved. Since 1 April 2002 the Treasury has received no new statutory statements of complaint.
The Treasury has one case that is current.
Budget Red Book
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to table 4.4 on page 79 of the 2002 Budget Red Book, if he will provide figures for each column in respect of marginal deduction rates (a) over 50 per cent. and (b) over 40 per cent. [51656]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 22 April 2002]: The table shows estimates of the number of families facing marginal deduction rates (MDRs) in excess of 40 per cent.
1 May 2002 : Column 882W
This analysis does not take into account the way in which the new tax credits will respond to rises in income, described in detail in "The Child and Working Tax Credit". The new tax credits respond only to rises in income in the current year of more than £2,500, disregarding the first £2,500 of any rise. This means that recipients will not see their tax credits reduced as soon as their income rises, so reducing the effective marginal deduction in any one year.The figures in the table, which cover the number of households in receipt of either income related benefits or the working families tax credit (WFTC) or new tax credits from April 2003, where at least one person works 16 hours or more, include the effects of income tax and national insurance contributions, and the withdrawal of housing benefit and council tax benefit.
The effect of tax and benefit changes introduced since Budget 1998, including the WFTC, reduced the number of households facing MDRs in excess of 70 per cent. by around half a million. As WFTC is more generous than the family credit that it replaced, more households benefit from it, hence the larger numbers facing MDRs over 40 and 50 per cent. in 2002–03.
Building on the success of WFTC, the Government will be introducing a new system of tax credits from April 2003. As the new tax credits will be more generous and inclusive than the current system of support, more households will be eligible, and those currently eligible will gain more, hence a greater number will face MDRs over 40 and 50 per cent. from 2003–04.
Corporation Tax
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of companies that will gain in 2002–03 from the exemption from corporation tax of companies with taxable profits of less than £10,000; and what the cost to public funds will be. [52376]
Dawn Primarolo: 150,000 companies with profits of £10,000 or less and with total corporation tax liabilities of £50 million in 2002–03 under a 10 per cent. starting rate of CT will have no liability as a result of the new zero rate band. Further information about changes to the corporation tax rates for small companies is contained in the Budget 2002 report.
Wanless Report Team
Mr. Maples: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of each member of the team listed in the Wanless report on the Future of the NHS, whether they are Treasury officials; and of those that are (a) what grade they hold and (b) what their individual functions in the Treasury are. [52234]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The following members of the Health Trends Review team are Treasury officials: Martin Beck (Range D); Jonathan Black (Range E), Ilona Blue
1 May 2002 : Column 883W
(Range E), Simon Brindle (Range E), Anita Charlesworth (Range F), Marian Fairweather (Range B), Duncan Innes (Range E) and Ian Walker (Range F). Most of these officials worked exclusively for the Health Trends Review team, supporting Derek Wanless in his review of the long-term trends affecting the UK health service. Two also worked part of the time for the Treasury's Productivity and Public Service Delivery Analysis teams.
Recruitment
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many net additional staff his Department has recruited in each month since June 2001 at (a) executive officer level and (b) administrative level. [52438]
Ruth Kelly: The information for HM Treasury is shown in the table:
Source:
HM Treasury's Personnel Database
1 May 2002 : Column 884W
Terrorist Suspects
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he is taking to freeze the assets of a person whose name has been communicated to him consequent on the G7 summit; and if he will make a statement. [53082]
Ruth Kelly: The individuals named at the G7 summit have been listed by the United Nations Security Council under resolution 1390, which imposes sanctions against the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda and their associates. In line with our international obligations the Government instructed the Bank of England to issue an assets freeze on these individuals and organisations.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |