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10 Mar 2003 : Column 16W—continued
Accidental Deaths (Wales)
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many accidental deaths there were in Wales in each of the last 20 years. [101239]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 10 March 2003:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many accidental deaths there were in Wales in each of the last 20 years. I am replying in his absence. (101239)
- The most recent available mortality data are for the calendar year 2001. Figures on the total number of accidental deaths for each year from 1982 to 2001 are given in the attached table.
(1) The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (1CD-9) codes E800-E928 excluding E870-E879 for the years 1982 to 2000, and, for the year 2001, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes V01-X59.
(2) Figures relate to deaths of people resident in Wales, rather than deaths occurring in Wales.
(3) Figures are for deaths registered in the years 1982 to 1992, and for deaths occurring in each calendar year from 1993 to 2001.
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Accounting Standards Board
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) pursuant to his answer of 5 February 2003, Official Report, column 302W, on the private finance initiative, what assessment he has made of the performance of the Accountancy Standards Board; [101191]
- (2) what plans he has for his Department to issue accounting standards in relation to (a) special purpose vehicles, (b) PFI contracts and (c) other issues; [101194]
(3) whether officials from his Department have met representatives of the Accounting Standards Board to discuss accounting standards relating to special purpose vehicles. [101192]
Mr. Boateng: The issue of accounting standards is a matter for the Accounting Standards Board (ASB), not for HM Treasury.
HM Treasury does not assess the performance of the ASB. The ASB is an independent body, a company limited by guarantee, which is formally a subsidiary of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC). A full report of the ASB's activities is set out each year in the FRC's Annual Review.
HM Treasury has observer status on the Accounting Standards Board and Treasury officials have regular contacts with the Board on a range of issues.
Annuities
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what response he has made to the recommendation from the Financial Services Consumer Panel that the Government should consider establishing an independent charitable trust charged with offering consumers free advice on the purchase of annuities. [101333]
Ruth Kelly: The Pensions Green Paper, "Simplicity, Security and Choice: Working and Saving for Retirement" (Cm 5677), made clear the Government view that compulsory independent financial advice would not be appropriate at this stage. Reforms to the market for financial advice and sales look likely to increase both consumer choice and the availability of low-cost financial advice.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will create a CAT standard annuity. [101332]
Ruth Kelly: There are no plans to introduce a CAT standard for annuities.
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Centre for Non-Residents
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance the Centre for Non-Residents has issued for British nationals (a) returning from countries neighbouring Iraq and (b) otherwise affected by Foreign Office advice on safety, concerning their tax liability and legal residency for financial year 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [101781]
Dawn Primarolo: The tax position of those returning to the UK from countries neighbouring Iraq on the basis of advice on safety from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is as set out in my answer to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 4 March 2003, Official Report, column 919W. Staff at the Inland Revenue's Centre for Non-Residents are advising taxpayers accordingly. They have taken appropriate steps to ensure that their contact telephone number (0151 472 6196) is widely available.
Child Care
Caroline Flint: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if lone parents will be able to claim the new child care tax credit for a period of time before returning to work. [101049]
Dawn Primarolo: The new Working Tax Credit, including the child care element, can be claimed by lone parents who are in qualifying remunerative work for at least 16 hours a week. To meet that test, the person has either to be working 16 hours a week at the date of claim or to have accepted an offer of work at that date and the work is expected to start within 7 days.
People who are on paid maternity leave, paid adoption leave or paid paternity leave, and who met the Working Tax Credit remunerative work requirement before their leave started, will be able to claim during their leave for child care costs for the children in the family they were responsible for before the arrival of their new child.
Child Support
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the change in Government financial support for children since 1997. [101364]
Dawn Primarolo: From this April, the introduction of the new tax credits, the Working Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, will provide more generous support for families with children—with more for those on lower incomes.
The Child Tax Credit combined with Child Benefit will deliver up to £54.10 a week in support for first child, compared to £27.70 a week in April 1997.
- the average gain for those currently receiving Working Families Tax Credit will be £12 per week;
families on Income Support and income based Jobseeker's Allowance will gain an average of £11 per week;
students and student nurses with children could gain up to £38 per week for the first child; and
over 500,000 one-earner families with children with incomes over £30,000 a year will become newly eligible for support for their children.
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- we have provided record increases in Child Benefit. From April 2003, the rate of Child Benefit for the first child will rise to £16.05, a 25 per cent. increase in real terms on the 1997 level;
we introduced the Children's Tax Credit in April 2001, now worth up to £529 a year;
we have introduced the Working Families' Tax Credit (WFTC), which benefits over 1.3 million families, and nearly 2.7 million children;
as part of the Working Families Tax Credit, 175,000 thousand families received help with their child care costs, more than three times the number who benefited from the old child care disregard in Family Credit. We are currently paying out £1 million a day in child care tax credit; and
we have increased the children's allowances in Income Support and other income-related benefits, including a doubling in real terms of the rates for children under 11.
Computer Misuse
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2003, Official Report, column 653W, on computer misuse, how many Inland Revenue staff have been (a) dismissed and (b) prosecuted as a result of misuse of its computer systems. [101141]
Dawn Primarolo: The information, for each of the last five years, is as follows.
| Dismissals | Prosecutions | |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | 7 | 0 |
| 2000 | 8 | 0 |
| 2001 | 6 | 0 |
| 2002 | 3 | 0 |
Consumer Confidence
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent research he has commissioned into the level of consumer confidence in the UK economy; and if he will make a statement. [101274]
Ruth Kelly: The Government's Fiscal Statement and Budget Report, to be delivered on 9 April 2003, will include a full assessment of developments in the UK household sector including consumer confidence.
Corporation Tax
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change in corporation tax revenue resulting from the introduction of the congestion charge. [101076]
Dawn Primarolo: No estimate has been made of the impact of the congestion charge on corporation tax receipts. But estimating its impact would not be straightforward as companies may feel benefits as well as the more obvious costs.
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