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TREASURY
Newspaper Advertising
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the expenditure of his (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies on newspaper advertising by title in each year since 1997. [26991]
Ruth Kelly: This information is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Sickness Absence
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the levels of sickness absence were in each of the last three years in (a) Customs and Excise as a whole and (b) each division and regional collection of the VAT and Excise sections. [53479]
Mr. Boateng: The average number of working days lost per person due to sickness absence within HM Customs and Excise are detailed in the table.
| Calendar year | Average working days lost |
|---|---|
| 31 December 1999 | 9.6 |
| 31 December 2000 | 9.0 |
The information for the calendar year to 31 December 2001 is due to be published later this year by the Cabinet Office.
The data cannot be provided for VAT or Excise on a divisional or regional basis as it is not available in this format.
8 May 2002 : Column 183W
Rural Awareness
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department will establish rural targets and monitoring as part of overall rural proofing measures as set out in the Countryside Agency's report, Rural Proofing in 2001–02. [54412]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The Treasury has a secondee from the Countryside Agency to advise on the Treasury's role in rural policy and to inform Treasury evaluation of how best to deliver Government objectives for rural areas through the spending review. These objectives and associated targets are set out in the White Paper "Our countryside: the future".
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department will have rural proofing embedded in policy-making procedures as set out in the Countryside Agency's report, Rural Proofing in 2001–02. [54433]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The Treasury is rural proofing policy. It has employed a secondee from the Countryside Agency to work across the Department on the Treasury's role in rural policy as one of a number of cross cutting issues that include sustainability. The result has set the basis for examining the rural dimension of spending review 2002 and for informing future policy development. The Treasury is currently evaluating what further steps are necessary to consolidate this work and to set a framework for the Department to take it forward from 2003 on.
Terrorist Suspects
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 29 April 2002, Official Report, column 541W, on terrorist suspects, if he will identify the individuals and organisations referred to in the assets freeze list published by the G7 Finance Ministers. [54509]
Ruth Kelly: The individuals and organisations listed by the G7 Finance Ministers on 20 April 2002 are:
- Es Sayed, Abdelkader Mahmoud;
Abu Hamza, al-Masri;
Ben Heni, Lased;
Aouadi, Mohamed Ben Belgacem;
Bouchoucha, Mokhtar;
Charaabi, Tarek;
Essid, Sami Ben Khemais;
The Aid Organisation of the Ulema.
Insurance Premiums
Mr. Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will request the OFT to investigate the change in insurance premiums in areas at risk from flooding since autumn 2000. [54427]
Ruth Kelly: The Government have no plans to request the OFT to investigate price changes for insurance in areas at risk of flooding since autumn 2000. The Government are in discussion with the insurance industry with the mutual aim of ensuring that affordable flood cover remains available as widely as possible. It would be for the Director General of Fair Trading to decide whether to investigate if a case were presented.
8 May 2002 : Column 184W
Smuggling
Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the percentage of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine and (c) cannabis that escaped detection and was imported into the United Kingdom in each of the past three years. [54818]
Mr. Boateng: No accurate estimates are currently available.
Money Laundering Terrorist Finance
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what extra expenditure is planned this year, and in which Departments and agencies of Government, to tackle (a) money laundering and (b) the financial supports for terrorism. [45748]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I have been asked to reply.
A full answer is not available in the form requested, partly because expenditure on activities against money laundering and terrorist financing are not always separately identified and partly because budgets for 2002–03 are in some cases not yet finalised. I can however provide the following information. Information about expenditure for the National Criminal Intelligence Service has been included although it is not a Government agency.
The Government have made £18 million available this year and £21 million next year to meet the costs of establishing the Assets Recovery Agency expected to be created by the Proceeds of Crime Bill currently going through Parliament, and related costs. As part of the budget settlement for counter terrorism in 2002–03 £1 million has been provisionally earmarked for tracking terrorist finances. This will provide funding for a multi-agency unit based at the National Criminal Intelligence Service supported by additional investigative capacity at the Metropolitan police service.
The Crown Prosecution Service has obtained £85,000 from the Recovered Assets Fund for a project on the training of prosecutors across the criminal justice system in implementation of the Proceeds of Crime Bill, which includes new money laundering offences.
The Department for International Development is increasing support for anti-money laundering activities in 2002–03, including:
- funding the Executive Secretary post of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (£70,000 per year for three years);
co-funding with the European Union an anti-money laundering technical assistance programme for 10 countries in east and south-east Asia (£700,000 over three years);
funding the Secretariat of the Egmont Group of financial intelligence units (hosted by the United Kingdom National Criminal Intelligence Service) (£75,000 per year for two years). Department for International Development will supplement this support with funds for a training post at the National Criminal Intelligence Service dedicated to developing training materials relevant to developing countries and countries in transition (estimated £150,000 per year for three years).
8 May 2002 : Column 185W
greatest threat to the United Kingdom's financial system. This represents an increase of over 10 per cent. over the previous financial year.
The National Criminal Intelligence Service has increased the staffing of its Economic Crime Unit, which handles (inter alia) reports from financial and other institutions of transactions suspected to represent money laundering, from 44 staff in January 2001 to 66 staff in December 2001 with a further increase of up to 20 staff planned for 2002–03.
Customs and Excise will be implementing the new regulatory regime for money service businesses (bureaux de change, money transmission agents and third party cheque cashiers). This requires all affected businesses to register by 1 June this year. The resourcing levels for this regime are still to be finalised, but it is estimated to be about 40 staff years per annum.
Taxation (Millionaires)
Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many millionaires in the United Kingdom had a nil tax contribution in 2000–01. [54844]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on tax liabilities analysed by the total wealth of living individuals is not available. A declaration of total assets is required only for inheritance tax purposes and the estimate of millionaires given in the reply to my hon. Friend on 29 April 2002, Official Report, column 540W, was based on inheritance tax statistics.
Correspondence
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter to him dated 2 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. I. Hesketh. [55002]
Mr. Andrew Smith: I have done so.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
UK Master Franchise
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 25 March 2002, Official Report, column 695W, on trading scheme exemptions, whether her Department determines that an individual or a company is operating a UK master franchise in a trading scheme via inspection of the contract between (a) the franchisor and the UK master franchise and (b) the UK master franchise and its franchisees; and if she will make a statement. [54507]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 7 May 2002]: The Department does not routinely inspect trading scheme contracts or advise individuals on them.
Schemes will vary but the precise nature of the contractual arrangements concluded between scheme members will be a relevant factor in the application of regulatory controls in any given case.
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