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Tax Evasion
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Department has spent on encouraging members of the public to report tax evasion in each of the last 10 years. [53750]
Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue puts considerable resource into tackling non-compliance but does not generally hold financial information in a way that allows them to isolate spending over the last 10 years solely and specifically on encouraging members of the public to report tax evasion.
Energy Efficiency
Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to develop economic instruments which may be used to improve household energy efficiency; and if he will make a statement. [53717]
Mr. Boateng: The Government are considering ways in which economic instruments may be used to improve household energy efficiency, consistent with their objective of eliminating fuel poverty and not introducing new taxes on household energy. This work is being taken forward in
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the context of the Government's work to develop a White Paper on energy, following the publication of the Cabinet Office performance and innovation unit's report "The Energy Review" in February.
Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the total cost to the Treasury (a) has been at the outset of its introduction and (b) is projected to be in the next three years of the enhanced capital allowances for investments in energy saving technologies introduced in April 2001; [53736]
- (2) what the total cost to the Treasury (a) has been at the outset of its introduction and (b) is projected in the next three years of the enhanced capital allowances for investments in (i) heat pumps, (ii) radiant and warm air heaters, (iii) solar heaters, (iv) energy efficient refrigerator equipment, (v) compressor equipment and (vi) energy-saving technology investments in assets for leasing. [53715]
Mr. Boateng: Actual costs of the enhanced capital allowances scheme introduced in April 2001 are not yet available. Estimates were published in the FSBR 2001, Appendix A2, p150. Estimates of the annual costs of extending the scheme to include the further energy-saving technologies from April 2002 are, from 2002–03, £5 million, £15 million, £20 million, with the majority of these costs attributed to refrigeration cabinets, heat pumps, and compressor equipment. These figures exclude the costs of extending the entire scheme to assets for leasing from April 2002: these are estimated to be, from 2002–03, £15 million, £20 million, £15 million. All costs are rounded to the nearest £5 million.
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2002, Official Report, columns 127–28W, if he will make a statement on (a) the management and (b) the funding of the targeted programme of support measures for business investing in energy-saving technologies and practices. [53067]
Mr. Meacher: I have been asked to reply.
(a) The Carbon Trust, an independent body grant funded by my Department and the devolved Administrations, will recycle climate change levy funds to industry through a range of programme activity designed to accelerate the take up of cost-effective low-carbon technologies and measures to the non-domestic sector.
The Carbon Trust will shortly take over the management of the enhanced capital allowance scheme, which enables businesses to claim 100 per cent. first year capital allowances on investments in energy saving equipment.
In addition, the Carbon Trust is developing a Low Carbon Innovation Programme that will support new and emerging low-carbon technologies. The Carbon Trust will also take over management of the non-domestic part of the Government's Energy Efficiency Best Practice programme, which provides energy-efficiency advice and information to organisations in the public and private sectors.
(b) The Carbon Trust is funded by my Department and the devolved Administrations from recycled climate change levy receipts and the Government's Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme. This is expected to be up to £50 million a year for this year and next, subject to relevant parliamentary approvals.
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The enhanced capital allowance scheme is funded from recycled climate change levy receipts and is worth an estimated £200 million in its first two years (2001–02 and 2002–03), depending on take-up.
Vehicle Emissions
Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of changes announced in Budget 2002 in relation to (a) fuel duty, (b) vehicle excise duty, (c) enhanced capital allowances relating to transport and (d) changes relating to income tax and NICs free mileage, on individual and total vehicle emissions; and if he will make a statement. [53725]
Mr. Boateng: The assessment of the impact on vehicle emissions of measures announced in Budget 2002 can be found in Table 7.2 of the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report. The impacts of these measures are quantified where possible.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Salter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much income tax would have to rise if all local government expenditure currently funded via council tax and business rates was transferred to income tax. [53608]
Dawn Primarolo: Projected receipts from business rates and council tax in 2002–03 are shown in Table C7 of the April 2002 Financial Statement and Budget report (HC 592). The direct effects of illustrative changes in income tax are given in table 4 of the "Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs" published in November 2001, a copy of which is held in the Library of the House. This table will be updated in the statistics area of the Inland Revenue website on 31 May.
DEFENCE
Colchester Garrison
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the modifications to the Colchester Garrison are on schedule; if they have remained within his Department's estimated budget; and if he will make a statement. [46866]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 9 April 2002]: Financial Close, originally planned for December 2000, is now planned for late 2004. This is due to a number of issues, including planning considerations and problems associated with necessary diversions of footpaths. Consequently the completion of construction work has also been delayed from 1st quarter 2004 to Autumn 2008. The financial impact of this delay is under review but I have every reasonable expectation that the project will remain within budget.
Essential work in many areas of the Project Agreement is nearly complete. We are now in the process of negotiating a risk and cost sharing plan to take the project forward, to ensure that these new timescales are not
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delayed further. Part of these negotiations will review the current proposed construction programme to ascertain if it is possible to reconfigure the programme to minimise the impact of delay on the provision of Single Living Accommodation.
Armed Forces (Deployment)
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Army, (b) navy and (c) RAF personnel are (i) assigned to operations but not deployed and (ii) are assigned to or deployed on public duties. [53527]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 23 April 2002 (Official Report, column 195W).
Around 1,200 Army and 115 RAF personnel are assigned to public duties, mainly in the London Area.
Manning Control
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many soldiers subject to manning control were subsequently offered short-term (S-type) engagements in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement; [54232]
- (2) how many soldiers in (a) the Army and (b) the 3 Battalion, the Parachute Regiment have been subject to manning control in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [54231]
Mr. Ingram: The number of soldiers in the (a) Army and (b) the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, who have been discharged in each of the last five calendar years following a Manning and Control Point review, is shown in the following table.
| Year | Army | 3rd Battalion parachute regiment | S-type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 231 | 2 | 2 |
| 1998 | 175 | 0 | 1 |
| 1999 | 93 | 0 | 1 |
| 2000 | 66 | 0 | 2 |
| 2001 | 47 | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 615 | 3 | 7 |
The number of such soldiers subsequently offered S-type engagements is not recorded. However, the number who re-engaged on an S-type engagement is also shown separately in the final column above.
Foreign Personnel
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many foreign military personnel, and from which countries, have been involved in military training in the United Kingdom in the last 12 months. [54630]
Mr. Ingram: During the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, 3,925 overseas military personnel were trained at United Kingdom military establishments. A full breakdown of the numbers trained by country is shown in the table.
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