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27 Jan 2003 : Column 613W—continued
Manufacturing Industry
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the state of manufacturing industry in the UK. [92767]
John Healey: The global economic slowdown of 2001 was the principal cause of recent difficulties faced by UK manufacturers. G7 industrial output grew by 4.7 per cent. in 2000. During 2001 it contracted by 3.6 per cent. This was the sharpest slowdown in G7 industrial activity since 1975. But manufacturing output showed signs of stabilising in the course of 2002—in Q3 it rose by over 1 per cent., ending six consecutive quarters of decline.
The stable macroeconomic framework is creating the right underlying conditions to enable manufacturing to invest, grow and prosper. The UK stands ready to benefit from any sustained recovery in the sector due to strong economic fundamentals and the Government's pro-active enterprise agenda.
In particular, corporation tax is now lower than in any major industrialised country. Cuts in capital gains tax mean the UK's CGT regime will be more favourable than the US's from April. R&D tax credits for large companies will provide an important boost to UK manufacturing and RDAs have been created to drive growth in every English region.
New Deal
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the expenditure on (a) New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds, (b) New Deal for over-25s, (c) New Deal for over-50s, (d) New Deal for lone parents, (e) New Deal for disabled people, (f) New Deal for partners of unemployed people, (g) New Deal for schools, childcare and University for Industry was in each year from 1997–98 to 2001–02. [93385]
Ruth Kelly: Information on the allocation of the windfall tax can be found in the pre-Budget report published in November 2002, which is available in the Library.
Expenditure within Departmental Expenditure Limit can be found in the departmental annual reports.
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Information on the expenditure of (a) through (f) can be found in Appendix 3 of the Department for Work and Pensions departmental report published in May 2002, which is available in the Library.
Information on the expenditure for New Deal for schools, childcare and University for Industry can be found in Table 4.2 of the Department for Education and Skills 2002 departmental report, which is available in the Library.
Other sources of child care expenditure include local authorities and devolved Governments.
Office of Government Commerce
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how effective the Office of Government Commerce has been at reducing costs for HM Government. [92982]
Mr. Boateng: OGC has a target of delivering £1 billion of savings in Government procurement in the three years 2000–01 to 2002–03. After the first two years of this target period, Departments have reported total gains of £815 million.
Partnerships UK
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 169W, on Partnerships UK, what percentage of Partnerships UK is owned by HM Treasury. [93027]
Mr. Boateng: HM Treasury and the Scottish Ministers hold 44.56 per cent. and 4.44 per cent. respectively of Partnerships UK's share capital. Further details of the company's structure and business activities can be found on its website, www. partnershipsuk.org.uk, and in the company's Public Information Memorandum and Annual Report for the year 2002 which are available from the House Library.
Peter Gershon
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the speeches made by Peter Gershon in his capacity as Chief Executive of the Office of Government Commerce since his appointment; and if he will place copies of the speeches in the Library. [93196]
Mr. Boateng: The information is contained in the table and copies of the speeches made by Peter Gershon, Chief Executive of the Office of Government Commerce are available on the OGC Website www.ogc.qov.uk
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Public Services
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of HM Treasury spending on improving the cost-effectiveness and quality of public services in each year from 1997; and if he will make a statement. [93440]
Mr. Boateng: Since 1999–2000 figures for expenditure in support of the Treasury's better public services objective have been published in schedule 5 of its annual resource accounts (Cm 5062 and HC 573). The 2001–02 accounts will be published shortly. No figures are available for earlier years.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in delivering on his public service agreement target to improve the productivity of public services year by year; and if he will make a statement. [93452]
Mr. Boateng: Progress against this target is set out on page 6 of the HM Treasury Autumn Performance Report, Cm 5665.
Reserve Forces
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the level of NI employee contribution paid on behalf of individuals in their main job is protected during periods of service as an armed forces reservist; and if he will make a statement. [93341]
Dawn Primarolo: Armed forces reservists receive earnings from the Ministry of Defence for periods of service. These earnings are liable to national insurance contributions.
Reservists' Pensions
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether periods of service as an armed forces reservist count as periods of continued employment in a taxpayer's main job for the purposes of the favourable tax treatment given to the share option scheme called Enterprise Management Incentive; and if he will make a statement; [93345]
- (2) whether favourable tax treatment available to taxpayers in continued employment is lost to them during periods of service as an armed forces reservist; and if he will make a statement. [93344]
Dawn Primarolo: The Enterprise Management Incentive rules dealing with employees' working time do not cater specifically for periods of service by armed forces reservists. Normally this will not cause difficulty in determining an employee's eligibility to the tax advantages available under Enterprise Management Incentives. However, I will be asking my officials to consider whether any issues may arise.
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I am not aware of other instances where favourable tax treatment will in practice be lost, but if the hon. Gentleman has any particular case in mind perhaps he will write to me.
Royal Mint
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 596W, on the Royal Mint, for what reasons the review is commercially confidential; and if he will make a statement. [92825]
Ruth Kelly: The review is considered commercially confidential because if made public the review might unfairly prejudice the commercial position of the Royal Mint, to the detriment of the taxpayer.
Skye Bridge Toll
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government will return to the Scottish Executive the revenue derived following the Scottish Executive's decision to pay the VAT on the Skye Bridge toll. [90899]
John Healey: Any agreements entered into by the Scottish Executive in respect of the Skye Bridge following the imposition of VAT on tolls will be funded from within the existing 2002 Spending Review settlement.
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