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7 Nov 2002 : Column 788W—continued

Information Technology

Mr. Caton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the new contractor will be required to ensure that the service remains (a) unified, (b) accountable and (c) within the United Kingdom under the Inland Revenue's tendering process for IT services. [79457]

Dawn Primarolo: The service will be unified and will be let as a single contract covering all existing and future IT needs of the Inland Revenue. The scope of the contract was set out in an OJEC notice, dated 2 March 2002, which announced the start of the procurement process. The UK Government complies fully with its EU and WTO treaty obligations. It is the intention of the Inland Revenue, through the Invitation to Tender, to specify a unified service which is accountable and within the UK.

7 Nov 2002 : Column 789W

Customs and Excise

Mr. Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many agency agreements HM Customs and Excise have in place with private companies whereby Customs are paid to police intellectual property rights on behalf of the companies in question. [79038]

John Healey: As of 31 October 2002, HM Customs and Excise have a total of 152 agency agreements in place with private companies.

Prostate Cancer Statistics

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many male deaths from prostate cancer there were in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [80046]

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. Paul Marsden, dated 7 November 2002:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the number of male deaths from prostate cancer since 1997.

The most recent available mortality data are for the calendar year 2001. Figures for each year from 1997 to 2001 are given in the table below.

Number of deaths from prostate cancer⁽³²⁾, England and Wales, 1997 to 2001⁽³³⁾

Calendar year	Number of deaths
1997	8,523
1998	8,573
1999	8,533
2000	8,293
2001	8,912

Notes:

⁽³²⁾ The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 185 for the years 1997 to 2000, and for the year 2001, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C61.

⁽³³⁾ Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.

⁽³⁴⁾ The introduction of ICD-10 for coding cause of death in 2001 means that data for prostate cancer in this year are not comparable with data for earlier years. The introduction of ICD-10 has led to an apparent increase of 4 per cent. in the number of deaths coded to prostate cancer. The figures should therefore be interpreted with caution.

The effect of the change in classification in 2001 is described in a report published in May 2002

Student Top-up Fees

Mr. Jack: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much, in their current ratios, the small companies and mainstream rates of corporation tax would have to rise to yield the current revenues of student top-up fees. [79265]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 6 November 2002]: Universities do not charge top-up fees. The amounts that can be raised by changing the small companies and mainstream rates of corporation tax are contained in Table 1.6 on Inland Revenue's Website www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/tax—expenditures/g—t06—1.htm

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Suicide Statistics

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many suicides of young men aged 15 to 24 years there were in each year from 1979; and if he will make a statement. [80052]

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. Paul Marsden, dated 7 November 2002:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the number of suicides in young men aged 15 to 24 in each year since 1979.

The most recent available mortality data are for the calendar year 2001. Figures for each year from 1979 to 2001 are given in the table below.

Number of deaths from suicide and undetermined whether purposely inflicted or not⁽³⁵⁾ occurring in men aged 15 to 24, England and Wales, 1979 to 2001⁽³⁶⁾

Calendar year	Number of deaths in men aged 15–24
1979	355
1980	353
1981	403
1982	365
1983	377
1984	407
1985	460
1986	491
1987	544
1988	618
1989	574
1990	623
1991	572
1992	571
1993	556
1994	530
1995	484
1996	451
1997	502
1998	461
1999	436
2000	398
2001	434

Notes:

⁽³⁵⁾ The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950–E959 and E980-E989 excluding E988.8 for the years 1979 to 2000, and, for the year 2001, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60–X84 and Y10–Y34 excluding where the verdict was pending.

⁽³⁶⁾ Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year from 1979 to 1992 and for deaths occurring in each calendar year from 1993 to 2001.

⁽³⁷⁾ The introduction of ICD-10 for coding cause of death in 2001 means that data for suicide and undetermined whether purposely inflicted or not in this year are not comparable with data for earlier years. The introduction of ICD-10 has led to an apparent increase of 1 per cent. in the number of deaths coded to undetermined whether purposely inflicted or not. The figures should therefore be interpreted with caution. The effect of the change in classification in 2001 is described in a report published in May 2002.

iOffice for National Statistics. Results of the ICD-10 bridge coding study, England and Wales, 1999. Health Statistics Quarterly 14 (2002), 75–83.

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IT Skills

Ross Cranston: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations his Department has received from (a) right hon. and hon. Members, (b) trade associations and employers organisations and (c) training companies concerning the economic impact of higher level skills shortages in the information technology sector. [79835]

Dawn Primarolo: The Chancellor of the Exchequer receives a large number of representations from trade and employers organisations, firms and members of the House of Commons in relation to a wide variety of different areas of Government policy.

Ross Cranston: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review the financial assistance to, and tax treatment of, individuals in employment who choose to meet the costs of their own training in higher levels skills in the information technology sector. [79836]

Dawn Primarolo: The Government keep all taxes under review as part of the normal Budget process. The financial assistance available to adult learners is being reviewed in the context of the development of the Government's Skills Strategy, which will be published next year.

Energy Efficiency

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy further to promote energy efficiency in (a) new buildings and (b) existing buildings. [78468]

Dawn Primarolo: The Government have a range of policies for promoting energy efficiency of both existing and new buildings. Details of current and proposed fiscal policies are set out in the Budget 2002 report. In Budget 2002 the Government announced that it would consider ways in which economic instruments might be used to improve household energy efficiency. The Treasury and DEFRA published a joint consultation document, ''Economic Instruments To Improve Household Energy Efficiency'', in July 2002. The consultation period ended on 8 October 2002. The Government is currently considering the responses to that consultation.

The Climate Change Levy introduced in April 2001 provides an incentive to all businesses and the public sector to improve their energy efficiency in all areas including their building stock.

The Government's Climate Change Programme sets out our other measures to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the economy.

NIRS2

Mr Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the value was of duplicate National Insurance payments made into personal pension plans triggered by the NIRS2 computer system; and if he will make a statement; [79951]

7 Nov 2002 : Column 792W

(2) what the value was of duplicate National Insurance payments that were recovered from personal pension plans that were triggered by the NIRS2 computer system. [79953]

Dawn Primarolo: The value of payments affected is #61.95m. The vast majority of this has been recovered from the pension schemes affected.

Mr Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many personal pension plans received duplicate National Insurance payments triggered by the NIRS2 computer system; [79952]

(2) how many personal pension plans were recovered from which duplicate National Insurance payments triggered by the NIRS2 computer system; and what action his Department took to inform (a) individuals and (b) the managers of personal pension plans that duplicate National Insurance payments triggered by the NIRS2 computer system would be recovered. [79954]

Dawn Primarolo: Up to 1255 pension schemes were affected and we have recovered any amount overpaid from the vast majority of these. We have worked very closely with the pension industry's representative bodies and with the individual pension schemes affected to keep them informed and to consider how they should best deal with their individual members.

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