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1 Apr 2003 : Column 616W—continued
Euro Website
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many visits there have been to the Treasury Euro website since 9 January 2002. [106374]
Ruth Kelly: There have been over 400,000 visitors to the Treasury euro website (www.euro.gov.uk) since 9 January 2002, bringing the total to over 1,000,000 visitors to the site since it was re-launched by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 29 March 2001, Official Report, column 1087.
Afganistan
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what subsidies the UK Government are receiving from foreign allies to fund the continuing involvement of UK forces in Afghanistan. [105682]
Mr. Boateng: UK military forces continue to operate in Afghanistan but at a much lower level than during the period of the overthrow of the Taliban and the successful establishment of the International Security Assistance Force. We continue to work in close co-operation with other nations but we are receiving no direct subsidies for our military operations in Afghanistan.
Iraq
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the total cost to HM Treasury of the humanitarian aid required in Iraq. [105690]
Mr. Boateng: The Government have not made any final estimate of the likely costs of humanitarian needs in Iraq.
The Chancellor announced on 27 March that a total of £240 million had been set aside for humanitarian assistance in Iraq. This includes £30 million for the MoD to provide immediate assistance on the ground and £50 million committed by DFID to support preparations and delivery of assistance by humanitarian agencies. The remainder of the money will be committed in line with emerging humanitarian needs.
Landfill Tax Credit
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations over funding to ease the transition between the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme and any successor were held by the Department to take into account the opinions of local schemes promoting sustainable waste issues. [105760]
John Healey: The consultation on the possible changes to the landfill tax credit scheme last year asked for views on a range of questions, including transition arrangements. A summary of responses to the consultation was published on 4 September 2002. These views were taken into consideration by the Government in its decisions to reform the scheme.
Smuggling
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what support his Department gives to the Royal Navy to combat the smuggling of (a) spirits, (b) wine and (c) drugs. [105500]
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John Healey: HM Customs and Excise are responsible for collecting indirect taxes and enforcing Government requirements relating to the movement of goods into and out of the UK. Customs' focus is on managing risks to the revenue, such as smuggling of spirits and wine, and risks to society that arise from the illegal importation of prohibited or restricted goods, such as Class A drugs.
The Royal Navy assists Customs both nationally and internationally in the interdiction of drugs, in accordance with its duty under section 11 Customs and Excise Management Act 1979.
Stamp Duty
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the additional revenue which would be raised from the proposals to increase the charge to lease duty in his consultative document Modernising Stamp Duty; and if he will publish a report estimating the economic impact on the leasehold property market separately for each of the options. [105601]
Ruth Kelly: In the 2002 Budget, the Government set out its intention to modernise stamp duty, and as part of this reform to review the stamp duty charged on leases. Further information on policy options was published in the consultative document, "Modernising Stamp Duty on land and buildings in the UK," in April 2002. The Chancellor will report on progress in modernising stamp duty in this year's Budget.
Taxation (Non-Domiciled UK Residents)
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change the tax treatment of non-domiciled UK residents. [106029]
Dawn Primarolo: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his Budget last April that we are reviewing the residence and domicile rules as they affect the tax liabilities of individuals. We believe that any modernisation of these rules needs to be based on clear principles: the rules should be fair, clear, easy to operate and support the competitiveness of the British economy. As indicated in paragraph 5.82 of the Pre-Budget Report last November, the Treasury and the Inland Revenue will be publishing a background paper to aid discussion of how the rules compare with the Government's principles.
VAT
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much VAT was collected from UK companies in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [105505]
John Healey: The total amount of VAT collected in the UK for years 2001–02 and 2002–03 (to January 2003), is published by the Office for National Statistics in, "Financial Statistics", No. 491, Table 2.1D as:
(b) £54,458 million to January 2003.
Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of VAT owed was recovered from UK companies in receivership in the last 12 months. [105506]
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John Healey: Data is not available on the percentage of VAT recovered from UK companies in receivership.
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have been made in the last two years regarding VAT liability for new building in the UK. [105507]
John Healey: In the last two years the Government have made two changes to ensure the VAT rules for new buildings continue to be applied in an equitable and fair way.
In June 2002 we adjusted the rules that apply to the construction of new annexes which are partly used for charitable purposes. In the pre-Budget Report in November 2002, we announced the closure of a heavily exploited tax avoidance loophole, ensuring that the full payment for a new commercial building is subject to VAT.
Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what powers the Inland Revenue has to reclaim VAT from subcontractors who go into receivership. [105521]
John Healey: Under Government Accounting guidelines, the common law principle that the Crown is indivisible is applied to set-off VAT refunds against other tax liabilities in cases where a debtor goes into receivership.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
16 to 17-year-olds
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 16 to 17-year-olds are studying for an (a) academic and (b) vocational qualification in (i) further education colleges, (ii) sixth form colleges, (iii) schools and (iv) other training providers. [103984]
Margaret Hodge: The percentage of 16, 17 and 16 and 17-year-olds participating in full-time education by type of qualification being studied and by institution type for end 2001 are set out as follows. The figures are provisional.
| 16 year olds | 17 year olds | 16 and 17 year olds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schools(1) | |||
| General(2) | 27.2 | 23.5 | 25.4 |
| Vocational(3) | 6.7 | 4.0 | 5.4 |
| Sixth Form Colleges | |||
| General(2) | 7.3 | 6.0 | 6.6 |
| Vocational(3) | 2.5 | 1 .8 | 2.1 |
| General FE Colleges | |||
| General(2) | 6.0 | 4.9 | 5.5 |
| Vocational(3) | 20.7 | 17.1 | 18.9 |
| Higher Education Institutions | |||
| General(2) | — | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Vocational(3) | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Total in full-time education(4) | 71.2 | 58.4 | 64.9 |
| Government supported training(5) | 7.0 | 9.4 | 8.1 |
(1) Includes maintained and independent schools.
(2) Academic qualification breakdown is made up of students studying HE courses, GCE A/AS/A2 levels, International Baccalaureate and GCSEs
(3) Vocational qualification breakdown is made up of students studying VCE A/AS levels, NVQs, GNVQs, and other equivalents (e.g. City & Guilds).
(4) Includes special schools for whom no qualification breakdown is available.
(5) All vocational qualifications, includes overlap with full-time education.
A qualification breakdown for those in part-time education is not available.
A more detailed breakdown by course of study can be found in the annual statistical
first release, 'Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16 to 18-year-olds in England'.
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