---

17 Mar 2003 : Column 539W—continued

TREASURY

Al-Qaeda

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funds belonging to al-Qaeda network have been frozen since September 2001. [102690]

Ruth Kelly: As I indicated in my written answer of 18 February 2003, Official Report, column 184W, to the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Prisk), more than £10 million has been frozen by UK financial institutions since 11 September 2001 under Orders applying United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1267 and 1390. Funds used by the Taliban have since been made available to the legitimate Government of Afghanistan. However the al-Qaeda and Taliban (United Nations Measures) Order provides for the continued freezing of accounts belonging to al-Qaeda. UK financial institutions indicate that amounts totalling £337,900 remain frozen under that Order.

Charities (VAT)

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce VAT recovery relief for charities. [103554]

17 Mar 2003 : Column 540W

John Healey: Charities benefit from special VAT zero rates and exemptions worth around £200 million a year. However, long-standing formal agreements with our European partners mean there is no scope to extend the range of these reliefs or introduce any new ones.

The Government recognise the valuable contribution that voluntary groups and charities make in delivering services, and realise that the question of irrecoverable VAT provides difficulties for some charities. The Review of Charity Taxation looked carefully at the problem of irrecoverable VAT and concluded, for reasons of principle and affordability that no changes should be made. In response to representations during the recent Cross-Cutting Review of the Role of the Voluntary and Community Sector in Service Delivery, the Government considered the issue afresh to determine once and for all whether the obstacles presented by irrecoverable VAT could be overcome. Having considered all the options available, including a targeted compensation fund, the Government concluded that no fundamental change should be made to the way the VAT system operates and the available resources would be better deployed through the new investment fund, 'futurebuilders'. This is a one-off £125 million investment, over the three years of the 2002 Spending Review, specifically to assist voluntary and community sector service-providing organisations in their public service work. The Treasury is leading on the design of 'futurebuilders' in close co-operation with the voluntary and community sector, and the Government intend to conduct wide consultation between April and June this year.

Earnings

Mr. Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the percentage of the workforce earning below (a) £75, (b) £100, (c) £120, (d) £150, (e) £175, (f) £200, (g) £225, (h) £250, (i) £275, (j) £300, (k) £325, (l) £350, (m) £375 and (n) £400 per week within each parliamentary constituency. [100398]

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 Adrian Sanders, dated 17 March 2003:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the percentage of the workforce earning below various levels within each parliamentary constituency.

I am placing the requested information in the House of Commons Library. The tables provided show the proportion of people earning below the different thresholds you listed. Some of the data requested have been suppressed in the answer. This is because the New Earnings Survey (NES) has not been designed to provide estimates at this very detailed level.

The NES can provide earnings data for small geographical areas. The release of NES data is restricted to figures that are derived from a sufficiently large sample of employees, and have an acceptable level of accuracy. I have provided the available data only for the constituencies where the samples are large enough. These are based on the 2002 NES, the latest survey for which data are available.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of full-time workers in (a) Scotland, (b) each of the unitary local authority

17 Mar 2003 : Column 541W

areas in Scotland and (c) Great Britain have hourly earnings gross pay (i) including and (ii) excluding overtime below (A) £7.97, (B) £7.32, (C) £5.38 and (D) £4.10 for the categories (1) male manual, (2) male non-manual, (3) all male workers, (4) female manual, (5) female non-manual, (6) all female workers, (7) all manual, (8) non-manual and (9) all workers. [99977]

Ruth Kelly [holding answer 3 March 2003]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Annabelle Ewing dated 17 March 2003:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the distribution of average hourly earnings for workers in Great Britain, Scotland and the unitary authorities in Scotland. (99977)

I am placing the requested information in the House of Commons Library. The tables provided show the proportion of people earning below the different thresholds you listed, both including overtime (Table 1) and excluding overtime (Table 2). Some of the data requested have been suppressed in the answer. This is because the New Earnings Survey (NES) has not been designed to provide estimates at this very detailed level.

The NES can provide earnings data for small geographical areas. The release of NES data is restricted to figures that are derived from a sufficiently large sample of employees, and have an acceptable level of accuracy and I have provided the available data for Scotland, the unitary authorities in Scotland and Great Britain only for those areas where the samples are large enough. These are based on the 2002 NES, the latest survey for which data are available.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for (a) Scotland and (b) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland (i) weekly median earnings and (ii) the per cent. distribution of earnings for those earning (A) under the point below which 10 per cent. of earners fall and (B) the point above which 10 per cent. of earners exceed, broken down by the categories (1) all manual, (2) all non-manual, (3) all workers, (4) male manual, (5) male non-manual, (6) all male workers, (7) female manual, (8) female non-manual and (9) all female workers. [99978]

Ruth Kelly [holding answer 3 March 2003]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Annabelle Ewing dated 17 March 2003:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the distribution of weekly earnings for workers in Scotland and the unitary authorities in Scotland. (99978)

I am placing the requested information in the House of Commons Library. The tables provided show median weekly earnings including and excluding overtime and the earnings at which 10 per cent. of people earn more and 10 per cent. earn less. Some of the data requested have been suppressed in the answer. This is because the New Earnings Survey (NES) has not been designed to provide estimates at this very detailed level.

The NES can provide earnings data for small geographical areas. The release of NES data is restricted to figures that are derived from a sufficiently large sample of employees, and have an acceptable level of accuracy and I have provided the available data for Scotland and the unitary authorities in Scotland only for those areas where the samples are large enough. These are based on the 2002 NES, the latest survey for which data are available.

17 Mar 2003 : Column 542W

Euro

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 20 January 2003, Official Report, column 54W, on the euro, when his Department plans to conduct the next survey of small and medium-sized companies; and if he will make a statement. [102891]

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers I gave him on 13 January 2003, Official Report, columns 414–15W, 20 January 2003, Official Report, column 54W and 3 February 2003, Official Report, column 29W.

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made or plans to make an assessment of the optimum exchange rate for the United Kingdom to join the euro. [102925]

Ruth Kelly: The Government have consistently made clear that they will complete a comprehensive and rigorous assessment of the five economic tests within two years of the start of this Parliament.

As set out in the paper of 6 September 2002 for the Treasury Committee on the Treasury's approach to the preliminary and technical work, a number of supporting studies will be published alongside the assessment of the five economic tests. A supporting study will be published "Analysing different approaches to the sustainable real exchange rate".

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the level of European economic reform described in the report Meeting the Challenge: Economic Reform in Europe will be taken into consideration when making an assessment of the second test for euro entry. [102929]

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 11 March 2003, Official Report, column 126W.

---