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7 Nov 2002 : Column 770W—continued
Landfill Tax
Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his plans for landfill tax. [78255]
John Healey: The Government announced in Budget 2002 that we anticipate the need for significant increases to the landfill tax in the medium term and that we will take future decisions on the tax in the light of the report of the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit waste project, which is due to be published later this year.
National Insurance (Women)
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and the Department of Work and Pensions regarding the position of women who paid national insurance contributions at the reduced rate for married women. [78256]
Dawn Primarolo: The Chancellor discusses a wide range of issues with his Cabinet colleagues.
Deprived Communities
Mr. Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to sponsor investment and enterprise in deprived communities. [78258]
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Dawn Primarolo: The Government are committed to encouraging enterprise, investment and wealth creation across all regions in Britain.
We believe that enterprise can make a valuable contribution to the regeneration of disadvantaged communities, and bring significant benefits to these communities, such as new sources of employment for local people. In order to ensure that our most disadvantaged communities share in the country's rising prosperity, we have introduced a range of measures to encourage investment and enterprise in these areas. These include the Community Investment Tax Credit, the Bridges Community Development Venture Fund, the Phoenix Fund, and the introduction of an exemption from stamp duty for most property transactions in the 2000 most disadvantaged areas of the UK.
Many of the Government's other policies are contributing to the creation of an environment in which businesses can start and grow in disadvantaged areas, including policies to develop the skills of the workforce, help the unemployed into work and improve the planning regime.
Tax Credits
Mr. Plaskitt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Warwick and Leamington will benefit from the introduction of the working tax credit. [78259]
Dawn Primarolo: 1,829 families in Warwick and Leamington were receiving WFTC or DPTC on 31st May 2002.
The Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit, to be introduced in April 2003, are expected to benefit around 6 million families.
Ross Cranston: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications for levels of social exclusion of any inability of individuals in low income employment to access Tax Credits for the cost of higher level skills training in the information technology sector. [79837]
Dawn Primarolo: The Government recognises that improving the skills of the workforce plays an important part in reducing social exclusion. The financial assistance available to adult learners is being reviewed in the context of the development of the Government's
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Skills Strategy, which will be published next year. In addition, the Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the normal Budget process.
Pensioners
John Robertston: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on measures to raise the standard of living of Britain's poorest pensioners. [78260]
Ruth Kelly: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 9 May 2002 (Official Report, 9 May 2002, column 339 W).
Unemployment (London)
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the 12-month change in the claimant measure of unemployment in London. [78228]
Mr. Boateng: Despite a relatively small rise over the past year, claimant unemployment in London is more than 40 per cent. down since spring 1997.
Tax Residence and Domicile Rules
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of foreign investment in the UK that results from the non-domicile tax rules. [78231]
Dawn Primarolo: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on Budget Day that we are reviewing the residence and domicile rules as they affect tax liabilities of individuals. We believe that modernisation of these rules needs to be based on clear principles: the rules should be fair, clear, easy to operate and support the competitiveness of the British economy. As part of the review, various fact-finding exercises will be carried out, drawing on a range of sources.
Private Finance Initiative
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish the full results of the retrospective application of the revised Treasury technical note, How to Account for PFI Transactions; and if he will make a statement. [74125]
Mr. Boateng: The results to date of the retrospective application of the revised Treasury Taskforce Technical Note are set out in the table below. The table shows, for all PFI contracts that were operational by the end of the 2001–02 financial year, the accounting treatment that has been adopted.
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Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate by how much public borrowing as a percentage of GDP would have to be raised to cover the capital expenditure of all current and past projects financed through PFI/PPP. [76012]
Mr. Boateng: It is estimated that, by the end of this year, the value of PFI/PPP contracts signed will increase private sector capital expenditure on public services to over #25 billion. Revised estimates are published annually in the Budget and updated during the financial year under arrangements agreed with the National Audit Office.
It is not possible to calculate accurately the increased level of public debt that would be created if these projects were funded instead by the public sector. That would depend on the way in which the project was taken forward. Since the abolition of universal testing, public authorities choose the method of procurement which is best suited to individual projects.
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