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19 Dec 2002 : Column 923W—continued
Postcodes
Mr. Truswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what use his Department and its agencies make of postcode areas for (a) the collection and publication of data, (b) devising formulae for the distribution of grants and awards and (c) the delivery of services; and when such usages were last reviewed. [87739]
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Ruth Kelly: HM Treasury, the Government Actuary's Department, the Royal Mint, and the Debt Management Office do not currently make use of postcode areas.
National Savings and Investments does not make use of postcode areas to collect data. Postcoded individual records are used to analyse the responses to promotional campaigns.
The Valuation Agency does not make use of postcode areas to collect data. Postcoded addresses are used to allow the public to obtain non-domestic rating assessments and Council Tax band data on its website and for operational purposes.
HM Customs and Excise does make use of postcode areas to collect data. A variety of postcode-based information, from a range of sources, is aggregated at regional level for operational and policy-making decisions. Usage of postcoded information data is continuously reviewed.
Inland Revenue does not make use of postcode areas to collect data. Postcoded individual records, held for administrative purposes, are used to derive published aggregated data for other geographies.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects both social and economic data at the unit postcode level which are used to derive published aggregated data for other geographies. ONS keeps its use of unit postcodes for the collection of data under continuous review.
None of the Departments or agencies publishes data for any postcode areas or makes use of postcode areas to devise formulae for the distribution of grants and awards.
Pre-Budget Report Leaflet
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many summary leaflets entitled Steering a steady course: Delivering stability, enterprise and fairness in an uncertain world were printed to publicise the pre-Budget report statement; and what the cost was of publication. [87786]
Ruth Kelly : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers given to the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) on 2 December 2002, Official Report, column 506W, and on 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 597W.
Programme Budgets
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with ministers on Government Departments and their Agencies taking advantage of full end-year flexibility in relation to their programme budgets. [87033]
Mr. Boateng: Since April 1999, Government Departments have had full end-year flexibility (EYF) on their Departmental Expenditure Limit budget allocation.
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The recent report of the Agency Policy Review recommended that Departments should ensure Agencies have three-year funding agreements and end-year flexibility, and report to the Treasury by the end of 2002 on their current and proposed management of EYF.
Public Sector Productivity
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what private sector benchmarks the Government use to set targets for productivity gains of public sector employees. [85944]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 17 December 2002]: The Government do not operate any benchmarks of that kind. In determining pay, it is for individual employers across the public sector to take decisions on their own pay arrangements to recruit and retain the staff they need to support the delivery of public services, within the resources available to them, taking account of their own particular circumstances and requirements. Generally, settlements above inflation can only be justified where there are specific recruitment or retention problems, or where the increases will be financed by reform and modernisation changes, including efficiency and productivity savings.
Recycling
David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what appraisal he has made of the case for the introduction of an incineration levy to encourage future reuse and recycling of waste. [87673]
John Healey: There is a range of issues associated with developing an effective waste management and disposal mix. The Government will therefore commission a review of the environmental and health effects of all waste management and disposal options. The Government will also consider how the use of economic instruments can be extended to provide a more comprehensive and coherent framework for waste management.
Self-assessment
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportions of taxpayers who completed their self-assessment forms by 30 September 2002, and who are entitled to have additional tax due reflected in their PAYE code for 2003–04, have received demands for payment of the lump sum by 31 January 2003. [88021]
Dawn Primarolo: There is no legislation that entitles SA taxpayers to have underpayments collected under PAYE. However, where the taxpayer indicates that he would prefer that method, the Inland Revenue will usually be able to accommodate his wishes where:
- the SA return is received by 30 September;
- the underpayment is less than #2,000; and
- the whole amount can be included in the PAYE code in one year.
The Inland Revenue will also try to code out underpayments arising from SA returns received after 30 September but before 30 November, but cannot guarantee it.
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Underpayments that are not coded out are included in the SA statement of account for payment on or before 31 January. The Department does not record how many underpayments are dealt with in this way where the taxpayer has indicated that he would prefer the underpayment to be coded out.
Since October 2002, the process of coding out SA underpayments has been automated so this should happen in all appropriate cases.
Sheriff Officers
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much expenditure was incurred by the Inland Revenue through using sheriff officers in each of the last three years; and what proportion of that expenditure arose as a result of incorrect call-outs based on inaccurate information supplied by the Inland Revenue. [87603]
Mr. Boateng: Costs paid to sheriff officers in Scotland by the Inland Revenue in the last three years are:
| Year ending | # |
|---|---|
| 31 October 2000 | 1,292,768.04 |
| 31 October 2001 | 1,332,079.89 |
| 31 October 2002 | 1,904,717.72 |
No information is kept to indicate what proportion of the figures above arose as a result of inaccurate information supplied by the Inland Revenue.
No figures are available for costs paid to sheriff officers in England and Wales.
No costs are paid to sheriff officers in Northern Ireland.
Thalidomide
Ross Cranston: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 17 December, (ref, 87375) on the Thalidomide Trust, what categories of information on beneficiaries he holds. [88507]
Dawn Primarolo: Various Government Departments hold information on some of the beneficiaries, depending on the personal circumstances of the beneficiary concerned. In some cases this might be just a name, in others they would hold confidential information about the individual's tax affairs or health issues.
Waste Management
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of increases in landfill tax on the role of incineration in waste management strategies. [86774]
John Healey: Future increases to the standard rate of landfill tax, announced in the recent Pre-Budget Report, are intended to encourage a move away from landfill as the primary means of waste disposal, as well as to encourage greater use of recycling. It will clearly be for the market to decide what role incineration plays once the increases have taken effect.
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The recent Pre-Budget Report also announced a review of the environmental and health effects of all waste management and disposal options. The role of incineration within the waste management and disposal mix, and the case for using economic instruments, will be considered in light of this work, and in consultation with other stakeholders.
Working Families Tax Credit
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when take-up figures for the working families tax credit will be published, and if they will include take-up figures for child care tax credit. [88217]
Dawn Primarolo: For the first part of his question, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 24 July 2002, Official Report, column 1191W.
Reliable estimates of the take-up rate for the child care tax credit are not available as the survey data, on which take-up rate estimates are based, yield too few sample cases.
Workless Households
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many workless households there were in each year since 1997; how many of these are lone parent households with dependent children; and how many (a) working age people and (b) dependent children lived in these households. [88220]
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. David Willetts, dated 19 December 2002:
- As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about workless households. (88220)
- The attached table gives the information requested for the March to May period of each year from 1997 to 2002. These estimates are from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
| March to May of each year | Workless working age households(3) | Workless lone parent households with dependent children(5) | Working-age people in workless households | Dependent children in workless households(6) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 3,271 | 732 | 4,719 | 2,163 |
| 1998 | 3,237 | 762 | 4,634 | 2,156 |
| 1999 | 3,158 | 751 | 4,491 | 2,086 |
| 2000 | 3,070 | 689 | 4,323 | 1,896 |
| 2001 | 3,063 | 684 | 4,333 | 1,830 |
| 2002 | 3,133 | 703 | 4,412 | 1,889 |
(3) Households that include at least one person of working age (i.e. a woman aged 16–59 or a man aged 16–64) where no-one is in employment. Includes estimates for households with unknown economic activity.
(4) Not seasonally adjusted
(5) Households that include a lone parent family unit, with or without others.
(6) Dependent children aged under 16.
These Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates are Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA) and have not been adjusted to take account of the recent Census 2001 results.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey
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