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Mr. Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's plans are for dealing with the sterling coin types that will be withdrawn in the next five years. [69783]
Ruth Kelly: There are no current plans to withdraw any UK coins.
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to raise investor confidence in the stock market. [69751]
Ruth Kelly: The Government are committed to securing macroeconomic and financial stability. This is the best long-term basis for promoting investor and business confidence.
The Government have also reformed the regulation of the financial sector by establishing the Financial Services Authority (FSA) as the single, independent regulator, and introduced a new framework which brings together the FSA, the Bank of England, and the Treasury, to pursue financial stability.
The Government have established a joint DTI-Treasury chaired group to co-ordinate the analysis of and response to the auditing and accounting issues raised by recent US corporate failures.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of his reply to the letter from the FSA Consumer Panel on their report into basic bank accounts. [70266]
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Ruth Kelly: Colin Brown, chairman of the Financial Services Consumer Panel, wrote to me on the subject of basic bank accounts and enclosed the panel's research on 23 April this year. I have placed a copy of my reply, dated 16 May, in the Commons Library.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which private companies received grants over £1 million from his Department in each of the last three years, indicating the (a) amount and (b) purpose. [70262]
Ruth Kelly: HM Treasury has not made any grants to private companies in the last three years.
Barbara Follett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the funding rules for the devolved administrations applied in the 2002 Spending Review. [70607]
Mr. Boateng: Copies of the updated Statement of Funding Policy, which sets out the funding arrangements for the devolved administrations, have today been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the EU Committee on the Financial Instrument for the Environment is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement. [68561]
Mr. Meacher: I have been asked to reply.
The Financial Instrument for the Environment, commonly known as the "LIFE Instrument", provides co-financing for actions both in nature conservation (LIFE-Nature) and in other fields of the environment (LIFE-Environment), as well as specific environmental actions outside the EU (LIFE Third Countries).
Decisions on funding of projects submitted under the LIFE Nature component are made by the European Commission with the assistance of the Habitats Committee. The Habitats Committee is next due to meet at a date to be arranged in November 2002. UK representation ordinarily consists of an official from my Department together with a scientific adviser from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. However, wider representation on the Committee depends on the agenda items under discussion. Officials from the Scottish Executive attend as necessary in accordance with their interests and have attended all recent Habitats Committee meetings. The Scottish Executive is kept fully informed of developments and has the opportunity to make an assessment of all projects involving Scottish participation.
Decisions on funding of projects submitted under the LIFE-Environment and LIFE Third Countries components are made by the European Commission with the assistance of the LIFE Committee. This Committee is next due to meet at a date to be arranged in early 2003. UK representation ordinarily consists of an official from my Department. However, officials from the Scottish
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Executive have attended as necessary in accordance with their interests, most recently in February 2002. The Scottish Executive is kept fully informed of developments and has the opportunity to make an assessment of all projects involving Scottish participation.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the custom houses in the south of England; on what date each opened; and how many staff are based in each; [67624]
(3) if he will list the custom houses in the south of England which have closed since 1997; when each (a) opened and (b) closed; and how many staff were based in each in that year. [67625]
John Healey [holding answer 8 July 2002]: Only a small proportion of existing Customs and Excise properties are known as Custom Houses. The name is usually an historical one and does not relate to the specific functions carried out in the buildings.
Custom Houses in the South of England are located at Avonmouth, Falmouth, Gravesend, Heathrow, Isles of Scilly, London, Newhaven, Plymouth and Shoreham.
I regret that information on the dates they opened, and on buildings that have been closed in the last five years, is not readily available.
Customs and Excise keep their accommodation under constant review to ensure that it continues to meet their operational needs and is organised in the most cost- effective way. Of the Custom Houses listed above the only ones where plans for change are under active consideration are Falmouth, where the lease is due to expire, and the Isles of Scilly, following the proposed withdrawal of the Customs permanent presence there in September.
We do not provide information on staffing levels at specific locations for the reasons given in my reply to the hon. Member of 10 June 2002, Official Report, column 837W.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) conceptions, (b) maternities and (c) abortions have been recorded for girls (i) over 16 and (ii) in each age cohort under 16. [69004]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Andrew Turner, dated 15 July 2002:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many (a) conceptions (b) maternities and (c) abortions have been recorded in each year since 1992 for girls (i) under 16 and (ii) in each age cohort under 16. (69004)
Figures based on conceptions occurring in 19922000 to girls aged under 16 are shown in the attached table.
(14) Figures for 2000 are provisional.
(15) Any conceptions at ages 16 or over are excluded from the figures presented.
(16) Figure suppressed to prevent disclosure of counts of three or less.
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