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Higher Rate Taxpayers

Mr. Challen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many higher rate taxpayers there were in (a) Leeds, (b) Yorkshire and Humber and (c) London expressed as a percentage of the total population of each area in each of the past 10 years; [69950]

(2) what percentage of the population of (a) Leeds, (b) Yorkshire and Humber and (c) London have an income (i) twice, (ii) three times, (iii) four times, (iv) five times and (v) more than five times the national average in each of the past 10 years. [69951]

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Dawn Primarolo: Available estimates are in the tables.

Number of higher rate taxpayers⁽¹²⁾ as a percentage of the total population⁽¹³⁾ for the respective geographical areas

	Leeds	Yorkshire and Humber(14)	London	UK
1995–96	3.0	2.5	5.3	3.6
1996–97	2.8	2.5	5.2	3.5
1997–98	2.7	2.4	5.3	3.6
1998–99	3.2	2.7	6.0	4.0
1999–2000	3.7	2.8	6.4	4.2

⁽¹²⁾ Number of higher rate taxpayers based on the Survey of Personal Incomes.

⁽¹³⁾ Source for population estimates: Office for National Statistics, General Register Office for Scotland, and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

⁽¹⁴⁾ Government Office Region of Yorkshire and the Humber.

Number of individuals⁽¹⁵⁾ with total income over twice GB average earnings⁽¹⁶⁾ as a percentage of the total population⁽¹⁷⁾ for the respective geographical areas

	Leeds	Yorkshire and Humber(18)	London	UK
1995–96	1.8	1.5	4.1	2.5
1996–97	1.7	1.4	3.9	2.4
1997–98	1.7	1.4	3.6	2.2
1998–99	1.8	1.4	3.5	2.2
1999–2000	1.6	1.4	3.3	2.1

Number of individuals⁽¹⁵⁾ with total income over three times GB average earnings⁽¹⁶⁾ as a percentage of the total population⁽¹⁷⁾ for the respective geographical areas

	Leeds	Yorkshire and Humber(18)	London	UK
1995–96	0.7	0.6	1.9	1.0
1996–97	0.7	0.6	2.0	1.0
1997–98	0.6	0.6	1.8	0.9
1998–99	0.7	0.5	1.6	0.8
1999–2000	0.6	0.5	1.6	0.8

Number of individuals⁽¹⁵⁾ with total income over four times GB average earnings⁽¹⁶⁾ as a percentage of the total population⁽¹⁷⁾ for the respective geographical areas

	Leeds	Yorkshire and Humber(18)	London	UK
1995–96	0.4	0.3	1.2	0.6
1996–97	0.4	0.3	1.2	0.6
1997–98	0.3	0.3	1.1	0.5
1998–99	0.3	0.3	1.0	0.5
1999–2000	0.2	0.2	1.0	0.4

Number of individuals⁽¹⁵⁾ with total income over five times GB average earnings⁽¹⁶⁾ as a percentage of the total population⁽¹⁷⁾ for the respective geographical areas

	Leeds	Yorkshire and Humber(18)	London	UK
1995–96	0.2	0.2	0.9	0.4
1996–97	0.3	0.2	0.9	0.4
1997–98	0.2	0.2	0.8	0.3
1998–99	0.2	0.2	0.7	0.3
1999–2000	0.2	0.1	0.7	0.3

⁽¹⁵⁾ Number of individuals based on the Survey of Personal Incomes.

⁽¹⁶⁾ Average earnings based on the New Earnings Survey.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Source for population estimates: Office for National Statistics, General Register Office for Scotland, and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

⁽¹⁸⁾ Government Office Region of Yorkshire and the Humber.

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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her oral answer of 26 June 2002, Official Report, column 866, what the result is of her inquiries into the use of landmines by Afghan cultivators to protect poppy crops; and if she will make a statement. [66746]

Clare Short: Inquiries into the use of land mines by poppy cultivators in Afghanistan indicate that this was predominantly a case of rumour to disrupt the crop eradication programme. There has been only one reported incident since the start of the eradication campaign: on 22 April 2002 25 people were injured, seven seriously when a land mine was detonated in a poppy field in Uruzgan. Two deaths were reported but these were not verified. Casualties included people undertaking the crop eradication.

Both the Afghan Transitional Administration and the international community remain committed to the eradication of the opium poppy and the development of alternative livelihoods for all poor people in Afghanistan.

World Summit on Sustainable Development

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if the UK Government with other EU member states will encourage other Governments to join the 'Everything But Arms' proposal at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. [69479]

Clare Short: The European Union's 'Everything But Arms' initiative provides all Least Developed Countries with duty and quota free access. As of 1 January 2003, the Government of Canada will extend duty free and quota free access to all imports except dairy products, poultry and eggs from the Least Developed Countries. The European Union is committed to pressing other OECD countries to also provide the Least Developed Countries with duty and quota free access. The World Summit on Sustainable Development will provide another opportunity for the EU to press for this.

Education for All

Mr. Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources to support the Education for All programme were agreed at the G8 Summit. [69252]

Clare Short: At Kananaskis, G8 leaders undertook to significantly increase the support provided by their bilateral aid agencies to basic education for countries with a strong policy and financial commitment to the sector, particularly in Africa; but no specific sums were pledged. Leaders agreed that each G8 donor will make public the steps it will take to fulfil this commitment. And they

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viewed the World bank's Fast Track proposal as a welcome first step in mobilising financial resources for countries committed to Education for All and demonstrating credible performance.

G8 Leaders also called upon the World bank and the Regional Development banks to provide additional support to countries that have made a strong commitment to education and gender equality, and have a proven track record of strong management or are demonstrating strong management progress.

Mr. Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that qualified teachers in developing countries are encouraged to contribute to the Education for All initiative in their own countries. [69253]

Clare Short: Attaining universal primary education by 2015 will require a major increase in the supply and retention of trained teachers. National governments will need to determine appropriate policies and strategies for achieving this. Teachers' salaries absorb a very large share of education expenditure and in many countries national resources will need to be supplemented by external financing. We believe the international community should provide recurrent expenditure support for basic education to countries that are clearly committed to Education for All and are demonstrating strong management of their resources. The World bank's Fast Track initiative provides an opportunity for accelerating such support and we are working closely with the bank on taking this forward.

Mr. Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution her Department is making to the Education for All initiative. [69251]

Clare Short: The Government believe that education is a basic human right which enables people to transform their own lives and the society in which they live. Education also has a vital role to play in enabling developing countries to achieve the levels of economic growth that are necessary for tackling poverty and achieving sustainable development. We are strongly committed to the Millennium Development Goals on education: achieving universal primary education by 2015 and eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary schooling by 2005. We believe that these goals are achievable if the governments of poor countries implement effective policies and receive the right assistance from the international community.

Since May 1997, DFID has committed over £700 million to support primary education for poor people. We are using these funds to support national education policies which form part of developing country governments' broader poverty reduction strategies. We want to see an end to the fees and other costs which have prevented many poor children from attending school in the past. We also seek a commitment from developing country governments to prioritise primary education, especially of girls, in their own spending plans.

The Government are also working to mobilise the international community in support of Education for All. Our aim is to achieve consensus by the end of 2002 on well co-ordinated international action for mobilising new resources and better co-ordinated programmes designed to

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meet this goal. We are working with the World bank to develop its new Action Plan for accelerating progress towards Education for All. We believe the Action Plan's fast-track initiative marks an opportunity to try to ensure that no country genuinely committed to economic development, poverty reduction and good governance is denied the chance to achieve universal primary education through lack of resources.

DFID is committed to further increasing UK support for basic education, particularly in Africa. We will continue to work with the World bank to support their fast-track proposals. Our target Strategy Paper "The challenge of universal primary education" and Issues Paper "Children Out of School" provide further details of DFID's policy and proposals.

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