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24 Feb 2003 : Column 205W—continued
Burglary
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of burglary offences to the British insurance industry each year between 1995 and 2002. [98137]
Mr. Denham: I have been asked to reply.
The Government do not make any estimates of the cost of burglary offences to the insurance industry. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) publish annual information in their "Insurance Statistics Yearbook" on total UK claims for property damage due to theft.
The Home Office has published estimates of the economic and social costs of crime (Home Office Research Study 217). This study includes the cost of "insurance administration", that is the resources used in administering and processing premiums and claims, based on information in the ABI "Yearbook". The study estimates the total cost to society of insurance administration in England and Wales in 1999–2000 was £140 million for burglary in a dwelling and £50 million for burglary not in a dwelling.
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Cancer Statistics
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to (a) improve, (b) extend and (c) update statistics for five year survival rates for common cancers; and what programme of development work in such health statistics is under way. [99099]
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. Jim Cousins, dated 24 February 2002:
- As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what steps are being taken to improve, extend and update statistics for five year survival rates for common cancers; and what programme of development work in such health statistics is underway. (99099)
- The Office for National Statistics is currently collaborating with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to produce survival statistics for adult patients diagnosed with the 20 commonest cancers in England and Wales during 1991–1999 and followed up to the end of 2001. These account for almost 90% of adult cancers. The work will include estimates of the socio-economic gradients in cancer survival.
- Survival analyses based on complete follow up of patients for five years from diagnosis will be possible for those diagnosed up to 1996. As follow up is not yet available beyond 2001, a recently developed statistical method, "period" survival, will be used to estimate the five-year survival for patients diagnosed up to 1999.
- The results, which will be published later this year, will provide robust and up-to-date evidence on changes in survival during the 1990s.
Capita
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings (a) he and his Ministers, (b) Treasury special advisers and (c) Treasury officials have had with Capita employees and members of the Capita Board since May 2001; what the purpose of each meeting was; and if he will make a statement. [98570]
Ruth Kelly: As with previous Administrations, and in line with Exemption 7 of the "Code of Practice on Access to Government Information", it is not this Government's normal practice to release details of specific meetings or their content, as some of these discussions may have taken place on a confidential basis. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code", the "Civil Service Code", and "Guidance for Civil Servants: Contacts with Lobbyists". Copies of these documents are available in the Libraries of the House.
Child Tax Credit
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total budgetary provision is for the introduction of the new Child Tax Credit in each of the first three years of its operation, broken down by (a) the budgetary provision for payment of the estimated sums due to recipients, (b) the promotional and advertising costs associated with the Child Tax Credit and (c) the publishing costs of documentation sent to potential applicants. [97915]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 13 February 2003]: The answer is as follows.
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(a) The budgetary provision for payments for the Child Tax Credit is £8.3 billion in 2003–04, £11.7 billion in 2004–05 and £13.1 billion in 2005–06.
(b) The promotional and advertising costs associated with the Child Tax Credit cannot be separated from the costs for the Working Tax Credit. For promotional and advertising costs for both credits, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) on 15 October 2002, column 603W. Since the question was answered, further spending on promoting and advertising the new tax credits means that current expenditure stands at about £9.75 million.
(c) The current cost of sending out claim packs to potential applicants is approximately £400,000.
Crown Estate
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review the tax regime pertaining to the Crown Estate. [97904]
Dawn Primarolo: There are no plans to change these arrangements.
Debt Relief
John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with developing countries on (a) the future of debt relief and (b) the proposed international finance facility. [98259]
John Healey: The UK remains at the forefront of the international debate on debt relief and continues to promote the implementation of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. The Chancellor discusses debt relief issues in a wide range of international meetings with representatives of developing countries. For example, on 24–26 September 2002 the UK hosted the Commonwealth Finance Ministers meeting that included a Commonwealth HIPC ministerial forum. Debt relief and the HIPC initiative will also be discussed at the forthcoming spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank.
On 27 November 2002 the Chancellor announced in his pre-budget report that he had written as Chairman of the International Monetary and Finance Committee to all fellow Finance Ministers, and to the World Bank and United Nations about the international finance facility.
On 23 January 2003 the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for International Development published a document on the UK's proposal for the international finance facility. The Chancellor and Secretary of State have written to their counterparts in developing countries enclosing a copy of the proposal document.
Departmental Annual Reports
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it compulsory for departmental annual reports to include a full statement of accounts. [98123]
Mr. Boateng: Under the Government Resource and Accounts Act 2000, the Treasury must lay departmental resource accounts before the House of Commons no later than 31 January of the financial year following that
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to which they relate. Departments are currently required to publish their accounts either on the day their accounts are laid or as shortly as possible thereafter. There are no plans to reproduce the accounts in the spring departmental reports.
Departmental Computer Systems
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which computer systems within his Department use XML. [98112]
Ruth Kelly: The following live computer systems make use of XML:
- a) The departmental finance and purchasing system (name of system is ABACUS)
b) The main Treasury website.
- c) The Business Surveys sub-system that handles faxed replies from contributors.
d) The system which supplies information to the TSO for the government wide 'Information Asset Register'
e) The English Housing Conditions Survey system.
For external (customer) and Inter-governmental communications in these systems :
- f) New Tax Credits
g) Corporation Tax
h) PAYE
i) Self Assessment
j) Government Gateway Authentication and Communication
k) NIRS
And for internal communication and storage in:
l) Self Assessment
m) New Tax Credits
n) NIRS
o) Software Frameworks
p) Call Centre Programme
q) GovRules
r) IR Intranet
For communication with the Government Gateway in the following systems
- s) Trader Registration
t) New Export System and in the following other systems:
u) e-aggregates
v) Climate Change levy
w) CHIEF printing
x) New Computerised Transit System
Diesel
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals have been made by the European Commission to harmonise the taxation of diesel fuel for transport by all modes; whether that includes marine use at sea, in estuaries, on rivers and canals, for both commercial and leisure use; what consultations have taken place with interested persons or bodies; what reports have been published by the Government; and whether a decision in the Council of Ministers is by two-thirds majority vote. [98476]
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John Healey: The only European Commission proposal for full harmonisation of duty rates for diesel fuel used in transport relates to diesel fuel used by lorries over 16 tonnes, buses and coaches. The proposal is that member states should bring their duty rates for such diesel closer together to reach a harmonised rate by 2010 of Euro350 per 1,000 litres, although that rate would be uprated in line with inflation. The Government have submitted an Explanatory Memorandum on this proposal (reference 11571/02 dated 26 September 2002), which set out our opposition to it. That opposition is shared by nearly all member states, so the directive cannot be adopted in its present form, as any decisions taken by the Council of Ministers on matters of taxation have to be unanimous.
The only European Commission proposal relating to duty on diesel fuel for marine use is the proposed directive on taxation of energy products. This would generally continue the existing duty treatment of diesel fuel for marine use in the mineral oils structures directive. It provides for a compulsory exemption for diesel fuel used for navigation in Community waters (although it would allow member states to limit the exemption to international and intra-Community transport) and for an optional exemption for diesel fuel used for navigation in inland waterways. In both cases, private pleasure craft are excluded from these exemptions, but the United Kingdom's derogation from the existing directive, allowing the United Kingdom to exempt fuel for private pleasure craft until 31 December 2006, will be unaffected. The Government have submitted a supplementary Memorandum on the latest version of the proposal (reference 13422/02, FISC 266, dated 26 November 2002). This directive will support efforts to deal with the significant environmental problems arising from global warming, which requires cross-border action. This proposal also cannot be adopted in its present form without unanimous agreement by the Council of Ministers.
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