Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
25 Nov 2002 : Column 62Wcontinued
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Inland Revenue has conducted an evaluation of the 1996 Spend to Save initiative; and if he will make a statement. [82040]
Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue did evaluate the 1996 Spend to Save initiative, and concluded that the programme successfully met its main objectives.
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's liabilities are in relation to the public-private partnership for London Underground. [81784]
Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport to the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) on 18 April 2002, Official Report, column 1107W.
25 Nov 2002 : Column 63W
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects a deal for the part-privatisation of London Underground to be finalised. [81786]
Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
The Government expect that the public private partnership contracts to modernise the London Underground's infrastructure will be concluded shortly.
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with the European Commission regarding the legal status of the public-private partnership of London Underground. [81788]
Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
In accordance with its EC obligations, on 12 April 2002 the Government notified the proposed PPP arrangements to the European Commission. On 2 October 2002 the European Commission decided that those arrangements do not constitute state aid.
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much has been spent on (a) consultancy and (b) legal fees with regard to the public-private partnership for the modernisation of London Underground; [81816]
Mr. Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
I understand from London Transport that their expenditure on external consultants, including legal advice, from 20 March 1998 (the date of the Government's announcement) to 30 September 2002, for work on the PPP and restructuring of London Underground, was £96.3 million. As a result of the delayed implementation of the PPP, London Transport currently estimate that the final amount should be between £103-£105 million, an increase of between £5£7 million over its December 2001 forecast. Around £1.6 million of this increase arises from the Mayor's second unsuccessful legal challenge in July 2002. The court granted that these costs should be fully recovered from Transport for London.
Legal advice to my Department has generally been provided through our own internal legal advisers. Treasury Solicitors were instructed to act for my Department in connection with the Mayor's two unsuccessful legal challenges at a cost to the Department of around £45,000. Approximately half of this amount was subsequently recovered from Transport for London.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times he has visited east Lancashire in his official capacity; and what the purpose was of each visit. [82405]
John Healey: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has not visited east Lancashire in an official capacity.
25 Nov 2002 : Column 64W
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which categories of deaths have (a) increased and (b) decreased as a result of changes in the ICD-10 coding for cause of deaths in 2001; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for the changes in coding. [82685]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from L. Cook to Mr. Paul Marsden, dated 25 November 2002:
Mr. Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many motor vehicles were seized by Customs and Excise at channel ports in each of the last three years. [82371]
John Healey: Customs centrally-held information on the numbers of vehicles seized does not distinguish the location at which seizure took place. For the total number of vehicles seized across the UK in 19992000 I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 15 January 2001, Official Report, column 125W. Figures for the number of vehicles seized by Customs across the UK during 200001 are contained in the Government's response to the independent report by John Roques into XThe Collection of Excise Duties in HM Customs and Excise" (Cm 5329, July 2001), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. Figures for 200102 will be published at the time of the pre-Budget Report.
25 Nov 2002 : Column 65W
Mrs. Lawrence: To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to review the gross profits tax on betting the gross profits tax on betting. [80298]
John Healey: The Government has today published the consultation document XThe Modernisation of Gambling Taxes: Consultation on the Evaluation of the Gross Profits Tax on BettingOne Year on' copies of which have been deposited in the Library of the House.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has commissioned regarding VAT relief for charities; and if he will publish the results of this research. [79113]
John Healey: The Review of charity Taxation in 1999 looked carefully at the tax system for charities, including the question of VAT relief. More recently, as part of Spending Review 2002, the Cross Cutting Review of the Role of the Voluntary Sector in Delivering Services considered whether there is an effective way of mitigating the impact of irrecoverable VAT upon charities. Both of these reviews have been published and are available in the Library of the House.
Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of gross domestic product was spent on the public services in each of the last 20 years. [81918]
25 Nov 2002 : Column 66W
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Adam Price on 5 November 2002:
% | |
---|---|
1982 | 48.2 |
1983 | 48.4 |
1984 | 48.0 |
1985 | 46.5 |
1986 | 44.6 |
1987 | 42.5 |
1988 | 40.0 |
1989 | 39.5 |
1990 | 39.8 |
1991 | 41.6 |
1992 | 43.8 |
1993 | 43.8 |
1994 | 43.3 |
1995 | 42.9 |
1996 | 41.4 |
1997 | 39.8 |
1998 | 38.6 |
1999 | 37.7 |
2000 | 37.9 |
2001 | 38.9 |
25 Nov 2002 : Column 67W
Next Section | Index | Home Page |