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Parliamentary Answers
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his policy to ensure that documents referred to in parliamentary answers are available via his Department's website. [72277]
Ruth Kelly: When answering parliamentary questions, Treasury Ministers refer to a wide range of documents published by the Treasury, the other Chancellor's Departments and by other organisations, such as National Statistics.
Where a document is specifically referred to in a parliamentary answer as being on the Treasury website, it will be found there, as well as in the House of Commons Library. Other documents referred to in a parliamentary answer will be available in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how long he retains documents referred to in parliamentary answers on his Department's website. [72287]
Ruth Kelly: Website documents which have been referred to in answers to parliamentary questions, will be on the Treasury's website for at least the next year and will be available on request thereafter.
Pharmaceutical Companies
John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2002, Official Report, column 336W, on pharmaceutical companies, what steps he is taking to ensure such tax incentives are not exploited by UK-based pharmaceutical companies, for the clearance of expired or nearly expired medicines to developing countries. [72432]
Dawn Primarolo: Donors will be encouraged to comply with the World Health Organisation's Guidelines for Drug Donations. Reference will be made to them in the guidance that the Inland Revenue issues to its inspectors which is published on the Inland Revenue website and is widely used by taxpayers and businesses in determining their tax liability.
Where a company makes a gift from its trading stock it would normally be required to bring the market value of the gift into its tax computation in order to reflect the sales proceeds foregone. The relief in Clause 55 of the Finance Bill 2002 works by removing this charge, subject to certain conditions. If stock is unsaleable because it is time expired or nearly so, there would be little or no tax charge to add back—therefore the tax relief would be of little or no value to the donor company.
Incomes
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people's annual gross income increased by more than £2,500 in each of the last two financial years for which such figures are available. [72416]
Dawn Primarolo: I regret that this information is not available.
24 Jul 2002 : Column 1187W
Scotland Office Budget
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the budget of the Scotland Office is determined. [72553]
Mr. Boateng: Provision for the costs of the Scotland Office is found from within the total resources voted for Scotland by the United Kingdom Parliament, as allowed for in the Statement of Funding Policy.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the comparability factors for Scottish expenditure via Barnett were determined. [72592]
Mr. Boateng: The comparability factors for Scottish expenditure via the Barnett formula were published in the Statement of Funding Policy on 15 July, following consultation with the devolved Administrations. They reflect the extent to which UK departmental expenditure is devolved.
Spending Review Targets
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government will ask the National Audit office to determine whether the spending review targets have been met. [72448]
Mr. Boateng: Departments are responsible for delivering and reporting progress against their public service agreement targets. The Government have invited the Comptroller and Auditor General to take responsibility for the validation of systems used in reporting on PSA targets where measurement of performance depends on data.
Culture, Media and Sport (Scotland)
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the comparability factor for Culture, Media and Sport in Scotland has decreased. [72593]
Mr. Boateng: The comparability factor for Culture, Media and Sport in Scotland has decreased because a higher proportion of the DCMS budget is not devolved.
Scottish Fiscal Autonomy
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Scottish Executive on the issue of Scottish fiscal autonomy. [72554]
Mr. Boateng: No specific representations have been received on this topic, although the Executive makes representations to Government on a wide range of issues.
Temporary Staff
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees under contract from temping agencies worked in his Department; and how much was spent on temporary staff (a) as a total and (b) as a percentage of the total staffing budget in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [72646]
Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave her on 23 May 2002, Official Report, columns 574–75W.
24 Jul 2002 : Column 1188W
Ministerial Meetings
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people attended the G7 Finance Ministers meeting in Halifax in June from (a) his Department and (b) other UK Government Departments; and what the total cost of the visit was; [66224]
- (2) how many people attended the World Economic Forum in New York in February from (a) his Department and (b) other UK Government Departments; and what the total cost of the visit was. [66214]
Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I am giving today to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow).
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when and where Ministers in his Department have held meetings with Ministers and officials of the Irish Government since 1 June 2000; which Ministers were involved in each meeting; which Irish Government Departments were involved in each meeting; and which Ministers and officials from the Irish Government attended each meeting. [72700]
Ruth Kelly: No formal meetings have been held between Treasury Ministers and their Irish counterparts since 1 June 2000. However, Treasury Ministers meet regularly with their Irish counterparts, for example in the margins at ECOFIN council meetings.
Growth Rates
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much growth would be required in the United Kingdom over the next two quarters of 2002 in order to meet the GDP growth targets set out in the 2002 Comprehensive Spending Review. [72589]
Mr. Boateng: The economic assumptions underpinning the public finance projections in Budget 2002 are set out in table C3 of the April 2002 Financial Statement and Budget Report.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average GDP growth rate for the United Kingdom has been in each year since 1997–98. [72590]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Alex Salmond, dated 24 July 2002:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on GDP annual growth rates. (72590)
The information requested is given in the table below.
| Year | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 3.4% |
| 1998 | 2.9% |
| 1999 | 2.4% |
| 2000 | 3.1% |
| 2001 | 1.9% |
24 Jul 2002 : Column 1189W
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on (a) the real growth rates of UK (i) total and (ii) average managed expenditure outlined in the 2002 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) real growth rates in UK total managed expenditure over the last five years. [72555]
Mr. Boateng: Total managed expenditure (TME) is planned to rise in real terms by 4.3 per cent. a year on average between 2002–03 and 2005–06, while annually managed expenditure will rise at 3.0 per cent. a year in real terms over the same period, as detailed in the 2002 Spending Review White Paper, "Opportunity for all: investing in an enterprising, fairer Britain" (Cm 5570, July 2002). Between 1997–98 and 2001–02, TME rose in real terms by an average of 1.6 per cent. a year.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on (a) the real growth rates of UK departmental expenditure levels as outlined in the 2002 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) real growth rates in UK departmental expenditure levels over the last five years. [72556]
Mr. Boateng: Total spending within departmental expenditure limits, on a full resource budgeting basis, is growing at 5.2 per cent. a year in real terms on average between 2002–03 and 2005–06, as detailed in the 2002 Spending Review White Paper, "Opportunity for all: investing in an enterprising, fairer Britain" (Cm 5570, July 2002). On a near-cash basis, the growth rate is 5.4 per cent. Between 1997–98 and 2001–02, real growth in total spending within departmental expenditure limits was on average 3.0 per cent., in near-cash terms.
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