| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
23 Jan 2003 : Column 431—continued
Industrial and Provident Society Legislation
12. Mr. Gareth Thomas (Harrow, West): What plans he has to reform industrial and provident society legislation; and if he will make a statement. [92744]
The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Ruth Kelly): The strategy unit has conducted a review of the legal forms available to social enterprises, including industrial and provident societies. The report made recommendations to improve the current legal framework, which have been the subject of a public consultation. We are currently examining responses received and considering options for taking forward the recommendations.
Mr. Thomas : I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that reply and for the way in which she has engaged with the
issue of industrial and provident society reform over the past 18 months, but does she recognise that there remain significant unnecessary differences between the accounting requirements and the insolvency and business rescue requirements of industrial and provident societies and companies? Will she consider what further opportunities there are to make the necessary corrections to those regimes?
Ruth Kelly: My hon. Friend makes important points in respect of industrial and provident society legislation. It is the Government's intention to update that legislation in line, for example, with company law when company law is reformed. It is also important that he drew attention to administration procedures during the recent passage of the Enterprise Bill and secured an enabling clause that will allow us to make the changes that he proposes. We are considering what our priorities for the sector should be and hope to make progress.
Child Tax Credit
13. Mrs. Anne Campbell (Cambridge): What representations he has received about the child tax credit. [92745]
The Paymaster General (Dawn Primarolo): Since first announcing the development of the child tax credit and working tax credit in Budget 2000, we have received a large number of representations on all aspects of the system from a wide range of interest groups. We are grateful for the contributions to that process, which assisted in the design of the new tax credits. The Inland Revenue and the Treasury continue to consult informally on a range of tax credit issues, including the child tax credit.
Mrs. Campbell: Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the new tax credit will mean a welcome and generous increase in family finances? Will she also confirm that it will be paid to the main carer, who is usually the woman, and that that may lead to quite a sharp reduction in some men's pay packets?
Dawn Primarolo: I can confirm that, for recipients of working families tax credit who will also receive the child tax credit, the average increase could be of as much as £12 a week. I can also confirm that the payment will go directly to the main carer—normally the mother—and that that will result in a transfer of moneys from the father to the mother in April of this year. That is in line with the views of most men. According to a recent poll, 64 per cent. of men said that they believed that support should go to the mother, and 70 per cent. believed that the mother was most likely to spend the money on the children. When the transfer occurs in April and mothers receive the money for the first time, I hope that all hon. Members will remember those poll figures, and celebrate the importance of spending money on children.
Mr. James Clappison (Hertsmere): The Paymaster General and the Government constantly rename and reconfigure the tax credits, but will they bear in mind the
importance of take-up? For example, what has been the take up, proportionately, of the baby tax credit introduced in April last year?
Dawn Primarolo: I am glad that the hon. Gentleman will support the Government in ensuring that his constituents receive all the money to which they are entitled. I am grateful to hear that he is so concerned to ensure that that take-up takes place. I can confirm that the current tax credits have received a higher take-up than any of the family credit obligations under the previous Conservative Government. Some 800,000 people receive family credit, and 1.3 million people already receive working families tax credit. Millions more will receive the tax credit. We must ensure that they all enjoy the support of the House, and of the hon. Gentleman.
Government Resources (North-east)
14. Vera Baird (Redcar): What plans he has to further increase Government resources going into the north-eastern region. [92746]
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Paul Boateng): Details of regional distributions of historic Government spending are published annually in the public expenditure statistical analyses. The Government's spending plans for 2003–04 to 2005–06 were set out in the White Paper published last July following the 2002 spending review. This will result in an increase in Government resources going to the north-east region.
Vera Baird : I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that answer, but he will appreciate that, despite the considerable efforts that the Government have made and continue to make, the north-east remains firmly at the bottom of almost every national economic league. Is not it time to kick start our region's economy by relocating at least one Government agency or Department away from overheated London and up to our lovely region? That would be very welcome in Redcar.
Mr. Boateng: My hon. and learned Friend makes a good point, and I am sure that those with direct
responsibility for the location of Government offices will hear what she says on behalf of her constituents. She will welcome the fact that we are taking action to reduce imbalances between and within regions, especially in respect of her region. We have given the regional development agencies increased funding and flexibility. There has been an indicative allocation rise for her own RDA, from £227 million in this year, to £240 million in 2005-06. That will help to address the problem that she has rightly pointed out.
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): The Chief Secretary will be aware that Teesside airport in the north-east region does not enjoy a direct rail link. Would the Government prefer the limited amounts of public funds available to be put into establishing a rail link to an existing airport, such as Teesside, or would they prefer a completely new airport to be constructed at Finningley?
Mr. Boateng: The hon. Lady makes an important and serious point, which will no doubt be considered by the responsible Department. I have no doubt that the Department of Transport will take into account what she says.
What is interesting, however, is that this is a call for yet more public spending from a party that purports to be committed to reducing public expenditure. It cannot have it both ways. Simply to say that it is a saving is to fall into the same trap as the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Mr. Flight) fell into. He landed his party with a commitment to cut 20 per cent of—
Mr. Speaker: Order. Mr. Cousins.
Mr. Cousins: For over 100 years Scotland and Wales have had special arrangements reflecting their special needs—and quite right too—and the ability to make local national priorities within those allocations of things that the people of those areas thought it was right to focus upon. When can the north-east region expect to have the same arrangements?
Mr. Boateng: My hon. Friend makes a serious point that reflects his own passion for regional government. He will have welcomed the announcements made by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister in that regard.
Business of the House
12.31 pm
Mr. Eric Forth (Bromley and Chislehurst): May I ask the Leader of the House please to give us the business for next week?
The Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Robin Cook): The business for next week will be as follows:
Monday 27 January—Second Reading of the Electricity (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. Followed by a motion to establish a Select Committee on the Lord Chancellor's Department.
Tuesday 28 January—Second Reading of the Railways and Transport Safety Bill.
Wednesday 29 January—Motion to take note of the outstanding reports of the Public Accounts Committee to which the Government have replied. Details will be given in the Official Report.
Thursday 30 January—Opposition Day [4th]. There will be a half-day debate on humanitarian contingency for Iraq on an Opposition motion.
Friday 31 January—Private Members' Bills.
The provisional business for the week after will be:
Monday 3 February—Remaining stages of the European Parliament (Representations) Bill.
Tuesday 4 February—Consideration of the First Report Session 2002–03 (HC 171) from the Joint Committee on House of Lords reform.
Wednesday 5 February—Motion on the Police Grant report (England and Wales) 2003/2004.
Motions on the Local Government Finance Report (England) 2003/2004 and the Local Government Finance Report (England) 2001/2002: Amending Report 2003.
Thursday 6 February—Consideration in Committee and remaining stages of the Electricity (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.
Friday 7 February—Private Members' Bills.
I should also like to inform the House that the business in Westminster Hall in February will be:
Thursday 6 February—Debate on Southern Africa food crisis.
Thursday 13 february—Debate on legal and advice service tackling social exclusion.
Thursday 27 February—Debate on the nineteenth Report from the Transport, Local Government and the Regions Committee, Session 2001–02 on the New Towns; their Problems and Future (HC 603) and the Government Response (CM 461).
On Thursday 16 January, I informed the House that it was planned to hold the next meeting of the Committee on the Convention on the Future of Europe on Wednesday 29 January at 2.30 pm to consider the fifth and sixth reports of the United Kingdom representatives to the Convention. To avoid a clash with a pre-arranged meeting of the Praesidium of the Convention, it is now proposed that the Committee on the Convention on the Future of Europe meet instead on Wednesday 12 February at 2.30 pm.
The information is as follows:
| Report No. | Title of Report | Publication Date |
| 1st | Managing Risk in Government Depts | 23 November 2001 |
| 2nd | Improving Construction Performance | 5 December 2001 |
| 3rd | The Cancellation of the Benefits Payment Card Project | 6 December 2001 |
| 4th | The Renegotiation of the PFI-type Deal for the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds | 12 December 2001 |
| 5th | MOD: Major Projects Report 2000 | 28 November 2001 |
| 6th | MOD: Major Projects Report 2000—The Role of the Equipment Capability Customer | 28 November 2001 |
| 7th | Sale of Part of the UK Gold Reserves | 19 December 2001 |
| 8th | OFWAT: Leakage and Water Efficiency | 4 January 2002 |
| 9th | Tackling Obesity in England | 16 January 2002 |
| 10th | The Acquisition of German Parcel | 11 January 2002 |
| 11th | OFGAS: Giving Domestic Consumers a Choice of Electricity Supplier | 17 January 2002 |
| 12th | The Radiocommunications Agency's Joint Venture with CMG | 23 January 2002 |
| 13th | Regulating Housing Associations' Management of Financial Risk | 9 January 2002 |
| 14th | The Millennium Dome | 1 February 2002 |
| 15th | How English Further Education Colleges can Improve Student Performance | 7 February 2002 |
| 16th | Access to the Victoria and Albert Museum | 14 February 2002 |
| 17th | MOD: Maximising the Benefits of Defence Equipment Co-operation | 15 February |
| 18th | Inland Flood Defence | 1 March |
| 19th | Ship Surveys and Inspections | 15 March |
| 20th | Educating and Training the Future Health Professional Workforce for England | 8 March |
| 21st | Better Value for Money from Professional Services | 14 March |
| 22nd | The Channel Tunnel Rail Link | 21 March |
| 23rd | Inland Revenue Appropriation Account 1999–2000 | 22 March |
| 24th | MOD: Risk of Fraud in Property Management | 20 March |
| 26th | Better Regulation: Making Good Use of Regulatory Impact Assessments | 12 April |
| 27th | Medical Assessment of Incapacity and Disability Benefits | 10 April |
| 28th | Better Public Services Through Joint Working | 18 April |
| 29th | Non-Competitive Procurement in the Ministry of Defence | 19 April |
| 30th | The Auction of Radio Spectrum for the Third Generation of Mobile Phones | 26 April |
| 31st | Postcomm: Opening the Post | 1 May |
| 32nd | The Implementation of the National Probation Service Information Systems Strategy | 3 May |
| 33rd | Income Tax Self Assessment | 9 May |
| 34th | Policy Development: Improving Air Quality | 24 May |
| 35th | Losses to the Revenue from Frauds on Alcohol Duty | 17 May |
| 36th | Progress on Resource Accounting | 19 June |
| 37th | Handling Clinical Negligence Claims in England | 13 June |
| 38th | NIRS2: contact extension | 7 August |
| 39th | Giving Confidently: The Role of the Charity Commission in Regulating Charities | 3 July |
| 40th | NHS Direct in England | 10 July |
| 41st | Ministry of Defence: Major Projects Report 2001 | 4 July |
| 42nd | Managing the relationship to secure a successful partnership" in PFI projects | 1 July |
| 43rd | The use of funding competitions in PFI projects: The Treasury Building | 17 July |
| 44th | The misuse and smuggling of Hydrocarbon Oils | 18 July |
| 45th | Inpatient and Outpatient Waiting in the NHS | 18 September |
| 46th | Inappropriate adjustments to NHS Waiting Lists | 18 September |
| 47th | The New Landfill Tax Credit Scheme | 25 July |
| 48th | Helping to reduce world poverty | 31 July |
| 49th | Ensuring that policies deliver value for money | 31 July |
| 50th | Pipes and Wires | 8 August |
| 51st | Agricultural fraud: the case of Joseph Bowden | 22 August |
| 52nd | e-Revenue | 29 August |
| 53rd | Reducing prisoner reoffending | 5 September |
| 54th | Improving public services through e-services | 28 August |
| 55th | Fraud and Error in Income Support | 11 September |
| 56th | Ministry of Defence Combat Identification | 21 August |
| 57th | The operation and Wind-up of Teesside Development Corporation | 14 August |
| 58th | Improving Student achievement and widening participation in higher education in England | 12 September |
| 59th | Delivering the commercialisation of the public sector | 15 August |
| 60th | Royal Travel by air and rail | 4 September |
| 61st | The management of surplus property by trusts in the NHS in England | 19 September |
| 62nd | The New Deal for Young People | 9 October |
| 63rd | Construction of Portcullis House, the new Parliamentary Building NB Replied to by House of Commons as an HC Paper | 24 July |
| Next Section
| Index | Home Page |