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22 Jan 2003 : Column 415W—continued
Office for National Statistics
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of real terms expenditure at the Office for National Statistics in each year from 1996–97 to 2005–06 (planned); and if he will make a statement. [91701]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 22 January 2003:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning real term expenditure at the Office for National Statistics in each year from 1996–97 to 2005–06 (planned). I am replying in his absence. (91701)
- The requested information is shown in the attached table.
| Financial year | Expenditure(27) (£ million) |
|---|---|
| 1996–97(28) | 126.7 |
| 1997–98 | 106.5 |
| 1998–99(29) | 109.6 |
| 1999–2000(29) | 108.5 |
| 2000–01(29) | 156.6 |
| 2001–02(29) | 206.9 |
| 2002–03(29) | 147.4 |
| 2003–04(30) | 139.5 |
| 2004–05(30) | 156.7 |
| 2005–06(30) | 165.7 |
(26) The Office for National Statistics' principal activities are the collection, analysis and dissemination of business, economic, socio-economic, health and population statistics, the production of social surveys, the census of population for England and Wales, maintenance of the National Health Service Central Register and the register of births, deaths and marriages.
(27) Figures are in real terms (2002–03 prices). Expenditure is calculated as the total of the resource budget plus the capital budget less depreciation. Figures are actual expenditure to 2001–02 and planned expenditure thereafter.
(28) The Office for National Statistics was created as a Government Department and an Executive Agency on 1 April 1996 by merging the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS). During 1996–97, ONS moved most of its London staff from four existing sites to a complex of building at Drummond Gate Pimlico. Most of the cost of refurbishment and fitting out of those buildings fell in 1996–97.
(29) Figures from 1998–99 to 2002–03 include additional provision for planning, fieldwork and initial processing of the 2001 Census of Population in England Wales.
(30) Figures from 2003–04 include additional provision in the Spending Review 2002 settlement for ONS to invest in a programme of modernisation to improve the quality of official statistics.
22 Jan 2003 : Column 416W
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reasons underlie the increase in real spending on the Office for National Statistics, comparing 1998–99 with 2003–04; and if he will make a statement. [91705]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 22 January 2003:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what reasons underlie the increase in real spending on the Office for National Statistics, comparing 1998 with 2003–04. I am replying in his absence. (91705)
- Office for National Statistics spending 1 in 1998–99 was £109.6 million in real terms (2002–03 prices) and is estimated to increase to £139.5 million in 2003–04. Most of the increase in funding is to enable the Office for National Statistics to develop a programme of "Neighbourhood Statistics" to provide better local level data to inform policy and programmes to combat social exclusion. The balance is to support the Office's programme of modernisation aimed at improving and expanding statistical outputs, and enhancing web-enabled access by data users and suppliers.
- 1 Spending is calculated as the total of the resource budget plus the capital budget less depreciation.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the value of (a) land, (b) buildings and (c) other assets owned by the Office for National Statistics; and if he will make a statement. [91706]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 22 January, 2003:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the value of (a) land, (b) buildings and (c) other assets owned by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). I am replying in his absence. (91706)
- As at 31March 2002 the written down value of assets owned by ONS was as follows;
- a) Land £6,779,000
- b) Buildings £36,853,000
- c) Other assets £9,372,000
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the total value of all the fixed assets of the Office for National Statistics; and if he will make a statement. [91707]
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 Laws, dated 22 January 2003:
- As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the total value of all the fixed assets of the Office for National Statistics (ONS). (91707)
22 Jan 2003 : Column 417W
- As at 31st March 2002 the value of assets owned by ONS was £53 million.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the value of the Drummond Gate Offices of the Office for National Statistics; and if he will make a statement. [91708]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 22 January 2003:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the value of the Drummond Gate Offices of the Office for National Statistics (ONS). I am replying in his absence. (91708)
- ONS leases the Drummond Gate office and is therefore unable to say what its estimated value is. However, the refurbishment work undertaken by ONS has been capitalised and its written down value at 31st March 2002 was £21,104,000.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many motor vehicles are owned by the Office for National Statistics; if he will list these with the current total valuation; and if he will make a statement. [91711]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 22 January 2003:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question concerning how many motor vehicles are owned by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and their total current valuation. I am replying in his absence. (91711)
- ONS owns fourteen vehicles. Their written down values as at 31st March 2002 were:
- Vauxhall Astra £1,873
- Ford Focus £4,082
- Vauxhall Astra £3,843
- Ford Focus £5,755
- Ford Focus £5,840
- Ford Focus £5,843
- Vauxhall Vectra £6,302
- Ford Mondeo £7,246
- Ford Zetec £8,033
- Celebrity Scooter £1,956 (disabled wheelchair)
- Ford Mondeo £10,192
- Ford Focus £7,820
- Citroen Zsara £7,805
- Ford Mondeo £9,407
- £85,997
Office of Government Commerce
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what savings the Office of Government Commerce has secured in (a) financial years (i) 2000–01 and (ii) 2001–02 and (b) from May 2002 to December 2002. [91936]
Mr. Boateng: Value for money gains in the financial years 2000–01 and 2001–02 were as follows:
- 2000–01—£414 million
- 2001–02—£401 million
22 Jan 2003 : Column 418W
The 2000–01 gains figure has been adjusted down from the £433 million total reported in the Treasury Performance Report.
As data on gains is collected in the financial year following procurement action, a figure for 2002–03 is not yet available.
Pensions
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the estimated cost of income tax relief for approved pension schemes as stated in table 7 of the November 2002 'Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs' includes tax paid on all pension payments including the state retirement pension; what the tax take was from pension income netted off in the total cost given in the row; and if he will make a statement. [91743]
Ruth Kelly: The estimated net cost of relief for approved pension schemes is the sum of the front-end contributions to these schemes plus the relief on the investment income of funds, net of the tax paid on current private pensions in payment. Since income tax relief is not given on an accruing entitlement to the state retirement pension it would not be appropriate to include current payments from these in the net cost of relief to private schemes.
A more detailed breakdown of the estimate for 2001–02 is contained in table T7.9 of Inland Revenue Statistics. The latest version is on the Inland Revenue website; http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/pensions/p_t09_1.htm
Mr Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of total government revenue is represented by the total public sector pension obligation. [92072]
Mr. Boateng: Expenditure on unfunded public service pensions, net of employee contributions, is estimated to total about £13.2 billion in 2002–03. Annual government revenue for 2002–03 is estimated at £400 billion (Table B12 of November 2002 pre-Budget Report, Cm 5664). Funded public sector pensions are paid from the particular pension fund and information on the totals of those payments and the related pension fund receipts is not held centrally.
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