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31 Jan 2003 : Column 1085W—continued
United Nations (Global Terrorism)
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) the text of the Security Council Resolution and (b) a transcript of the Security Council Debate, on the International Community's response to Global Terrorism, held at United Nations Headquarters on 23 January. [94038]
Mr. Rammell: I have placed in the Library a copy of Security Council Resolution 1456 (2003) and the transcript of the Security Council Debate, on the International Community's response to Global Terrorism, which actually took place at United Nations Headquarters on 20 January.
TREASURY
Capital Modernisation Fund
Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 21 January, Official Report, column 246W, what his Department's priorities were for funding under the Capital Modernisation Fund in 2001; and which of those priorities the application from Citizens Advice Scotland failed to meet. [95160]
Mr. Boateng: The criteria for the Capital Modernisation Fund include innovation, the improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of the service delivered to the end-user, and the need for additional funds to deliver the service above normal departmental allocations. However, as the Fund is limited and is generally considerably oversubscribed, it is necessary to judge bids not just on their own merits, but on their relative priority against other bids.
Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 21 January, Official Report, column 246W, how many applications from Scotland were made to the Capital Modernisation Fund in 2001; and how many of those applications were successful in obtaining funds from his Department. [95161]
Mr. Boateng: As explained in my Answer of 21 January, the devolved administrations automatically receive a share of allocations made from the Capital Modernisation Fund for devolved matters, calculated according to the Barnett formula. There is no need for the Scottish Executive to submit bids to receive this funding.
Customs and Excise
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will place in the Library the information on release of posts from support for redeployment which was the basis of the report in the Customs and Excise Spring 2002 report, column 5427, on PSA 2000 target 7; and if he will make a statement. [90981]
- (2) if he will place in the Library the formula for aggregating the underlying data into the performance indicator of the Customs and Excise Spring 2002 report; and if he will make a statement. [90982]
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John Healey: The Customs target to release posts from support to activities which directly contribute to PSA/SDA outcomes covers the three years of the SR2000 period. It therefore applies until 31 March 2004. The Spring 2002 Report was based on support activity remaining at around 17 per cent. of total activity, even though additional support posts had been added to baseline to begin implementation of the Department's e-Business programme. An update on the target was provided in the Department's "Annual Report and Accounts" for 2001–02 (Cm5671). I am placing the formula for aggregating underlying output and input data in the Library.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of total public spending on HM Customs and Excise in each year from 1990–91 to 2004–05 (planned) in real terms using 2000–01 prices; and if he will make a statement. [91725]
John Healey: Information on past total public expenditure on HM Customs & Excise is in the Department's Annual Reports (specifically—in the Financial Statements until 1998–99, and from 1999–00 in the Departmental Resource Accounts) covering each year 1990–91 to 2001–02. Copies are available in the Library. Planned out-turn for 2002–03 and 2003–04 was published in June 2002 in the Department's Spring Report. High level data for the period through to 2005–06 was published in the 2002 Spending Review White Paper. Prices can be adjusted to 2000–01 levels by applying the GDP deflator, which can be found on the Treasury's website under Economic Data and Tools. More up to date and detailed information on the Department's spending plans will appear in the Departmental Spring Report 2003.
Mr. Nick Hawkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the public purse will be, including compensation payments, of the collapsed prosecutions by Customs and Excise referred to in the Economic Secretary's statement of 23rd January, including cases to be withdrawn in the immediate future. [93960]
John Healey [holding answer 28 January 2003]: Following the decision of the prosecution to offer no evidence in the London City Bond abuse of process hearing in November last year, the Commissioners of Customs & Excise and the Prosecution Group of Customs' Solicitors Office (who are now accountable to the Attorney General) commenced a review of the safety of the convictions in all LCB- connected cases. The decision of the prosecution not to oppose the appeal in the case of R v Grant and others (known as the 'Stockade' case) in the Court of Appeal was the outcome of part of that review.
As I explained to the House in my Statement of 23 January, twenty further cases are being reviewed, and there have been eight in which no evidence was offered against defendants, or in which convictions have been overturned by the Court of Appeal. The cost of instructing Prosecuting Counsel in these eight cases was 4.3m, out of the total prosecution legal costs in all the LCB cases of £7.4million.
Estimates are not available for other costs, such as legal aid costs for defendants. Claims for compensation under the statutory miscarriage of justice scheme are for
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the Home Office, and it is not known whether any such claims will be made, or whether they will be successful. Claims for common law damages against Customs will be resisted, and are not expected to be successful.
Financial Services
Mr. Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis, and on what date, the value of the assets of a financial institution are valued for purposes of calculating the level of compensation available under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme; and if he will make a statement on the way in which the scheme would apply to policy holders of a life assurance and pensions provider in the event of the company becoming insolvent. [93357]
Ruth Kelly [holding answer 27 January 2003]: The valuation of assets of a financial institution does not affect the level of compensation available under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The FSCS can pay compensation when an authorised financial institution is unable, or likely to be unable, to meet the claims against it and the valuation of the assets of the institution may be a relevant factor in the FSCS's decision.
The basis on which claims against a financial institution are valued are set out in the Financial Services Compensation Scheme's Rules.
How the Scheme would apply to policyholders of an insolvent life insurer is also covered in the Scheme's Rules.
The Rules are written by the Financial Services Authority (the FSA), and form part of the FSA Handbook under 'Redress, Compensation'. The Rules are readily available, and can be viewed by accessing the FSA website, www.fsa.gov.uk.
Inland Revenue
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Inland Revenue computers have been (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [91718]
Dawn Primarolo: The following totals of PCs and Laptops that have either been lost or stolen come from the Inland Revenue's Security Incident Reporting database.
| Laptop | PCs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lost | Stolen | Lost | Stolen | Total | |
| 1998 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 33 |
| 1999 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 51 | 80 |
| 2000 | 3 | 43 | 0 | 56 | 102 |
| 2001 | 3 | 56 | 0 | 201 | 260 |
| 2002 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 52 | 86 |
| Total | 9 | 166 | 0 | 386 | 561 |
The Inland Revenue operates a proactive security risk management system. All office managers are required to carry out regular security reviews of their buildings and report annually through line management to the Chairman of the Board. The Department has it's own team security advisors to assist managers and audit the process.
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Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what plans he has to hold an overall review of the Private Finance Initiative process; [92770]
- (2) what reforms (a) he has made and (b) he intends to make to the procurement process of the of the Private Finance Initiative [92773]
Mr. Boateng: The Government keeps all aspects of procurement policy under review in order to ensure that high quality public services are delivered on the basis of value for money.
Starting with the abolition of compulsory testing and the development of Treasury Taskforce guidance on PFI, the Government has introduced a number of reforms to spread best practice, including revised guidance on standardised contracts; the launch of a new Green Book on project appraisal; the launch of a Code of Conduct on the refinancing of early PFI projects; and the piloting of batched procurement.
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