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Child Tax Credit

Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether payments of child tax credit in April 2003 will be based on earnings data from 2001–02; whether payments of child tax credit will be adjusted during 2003–04 when final earnings data for 2002–03 becomes available; whether amounts of child tax credit payable for 2003–04 will be adjusted after the end of 2003–04 when final earnings data for 2003–04 becomes available; and if he will make a statement. [97843]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 13 February 2003]: Tax credit awards for 2003–04 are initially based on income for the tax year 2001–02, the last complete tax year for which people will have details of their income already available. Awards will be adjusted to reflect income for the tax year 2003–04 if that is lower or significantly higher than 2001–02 income (only rises of more than £2,500 are taken into account). Once their initial award is made, claimants can ask to have their tax credits payments based on their expected income for 2003–04.

After the first year, tax credits will initially be based on income for the previous tax year and adjusted to reflect current tax year income if that is lower or significantly higher.

Iraq (Reconstruction Funding)

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial provision he has made to fund the reconstruction of Iraq in the aftermath of war. [97540]

Mr. Boateng: The Government believe that the role of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions will be vital in addressing the reconstruction of Iraq in the aftermath of any war and are liaising closely with allies on this issue.

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Landfill Tax

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to ensure that proposed increases in landfill tax do not disproportionately affect manufacturing industry. [100088]

John Healey: As we announced in the pre-Budget report (PBR), the Government will consult on a revenue-neutral proposal to increase the rate of landfill from 2005–2006 as a way of encouraging more environmentally friendly methods of dealing with waste. Since the PBR, discussions have been held with a wide range of businesses and other groups, including the Confederation of British Industry, on how the additional revenue raised from the landfill tax increases will be recycled. An announcement will be made in the Budget.

Manufacturing Investment

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce higher capital allowances to encourage manufacturing investment. [100086]

John Healey: The Government keep all taxes under review and any changes will be made as part of the normal budget process. Since 1997 the Government have introduced permanent 40 per cent. first year allowances for investments in plant and machinery by small and medium sized enterprises. In addition to this, all businesses can obtain 100 per cent. first year allowances for investments in designated energy-saving plant and machinery.

Meetings

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 31 January 2003, Official Report, column 419W, for what reason he is unable to list the attendees for each meeting since January 2000; and if he will make a statement. [96203]

Mr. Boateng: It is not usual practice to release detailed attendance records for meetings of advisory non-departmental bodies such as the Public Services Productivity Panel. Exemption 8(a) of the "Code of Practice on Access to Government Information" applies.

National Insurance

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the increase in national insurance in April on (a) disposable incomes, (b) consumer spending as a percentage of GDP, (c) personal borrowing levels and (d) the saving ratio. [99023]

Dawn Primarolo: Government economic forecasts take account of the effects of the increase in national insurance contributions announced in Budget 2002.

Passenger Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the use of economic instruments to discourage passenger travel (a) by air and (b) by road. [99202]

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John Healey: The Chancellor considers all relevant social, economic and environmental factors when deciding taxation policy. Alongside the 2002 pre-budget report the Government published "Tax and the environment: using economic instruments". This document outlined that Government intervention is aimed at tackling market failures.

The Government does not have policies to discourage passenger travel but have introduced a host of policies to encourage more environmentally friendly behaviour by road users including duty incentives for road fuel gases and ultra low sulphur fuels, graduated vehicle excise duty (VED) for cars based on carbon emissions with incentives for the use of cleaner fuels and technologies, restructuring of vehicle excise duty for lorries so that the cleanest, least polluting lorries now pay some of the lowest VED rates in the EU and reforms to company car taxation to account for the levels of carbon emissions.

The 2002 pre-Budget report announced that the Government will discuss with stakeholders the most effective economic instruments for ensuring that the industry is encouraged to take account of, and where appropriate reduce, its contribution to global warming, local air and noise pollution.

Retirement Age

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the net saving to the Exchequer if all public sector employees retired at age 65; and if he will make a statement. [99898]

Mr. Boateng: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) on 23 January, column 431W.

Working Tax Credit

Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 25 February, ref 94024, how many of the recipients of working tax credit will be childless. [100125]

Dawn Primarolo: As a result of the extension of in-work support, 250,000 low-income working households without children are expected to receive Working Tax Credit in 2003–04.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Child Protection

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will establish independent child death review teams to deal with child deaths from abuse and neglect; [98485]

(2) what plans the Government has to set up child safeguarding teams to ensure that professionals involved in the care and protection of children can work together more effectively on the ground. [98484]

Hilary Benn: The Victoria Climbié Inquiry report, published on 28 January 2003, contained 108 recommendations, including several recommendations relating to local and national structures for the

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provision of children's services and arrangements for child death reviews (referred to in Government guidance as serious case reviews).

We are currently studying the report's 108 recommendations with care, and will make our substantive response to the report as part of the Green Paper on Children at Risk, which will be published later in the spring.

Conviction Rates

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances an offender is classed as having been brought to justice. [99021]

Hilary Benn [holding answer 27 February 2003]: For the purposes of the Public Service Agreement target to bring 1.2 million recorded offences to justice by 2005–06, an offence is classed as having been brought to justice where an offender has been cautioned, convicted, or has had the offence taken into consideration by the court. (Penalty Notices for Disorder also count towards the target, in the areas where these are being trialled).

Correspondence

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration intends to reply to the letter dated 11 December 2002 from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding his constituent Mrs. S Mitchell of Farnborough. [98218]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 24 February 2003]: I wrote to the hon. Member on 27 February 2003.

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member will receive a reply to his letters of 2 December 2002 and 8 January, ref. 3LBR/A076411. [98692]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 25 February 2003]: I wrote to the hon. Member on 27 February 2003.

Correspondence Tracking System

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the computer-based correspondence tracking system being piloted in his Department. [98408]

Mr. Wills: I am determined to build on the progress we are making on improving our handling of correspondence.

The Correspondence Tracking System's (CTS) ministerial correspondence module is part way through a five week live pilot. CTS is built on a combination of scanning, workflow and document management technology. It will allow all incoming correspondence addressed to Ministers or to the Home Office to be scanned on arrival and transmitted around the department electronically. Its use will ensure that no piece of correspondence ever gets mislaid or delayed in the internal mail, and will enable progress to be monitored at all stages of the process.

Subject to final evaluation of the pilot, the module will roll out across the non-Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) parts of the Home Office over four

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weeks from 17 March. The public correspondence module will roll out approximately six weeks later, and the e-mail module approximately four weeks after that. A scoping study is currently under way in IND to establish timescales for the roll out of CIS there.

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