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10 Apr 2003 : Column 405W—continued
Self-Employment
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people excluding the self-employed received income from employment (a) between £4,616 and £30,420 and (b) above £30,420 in (i) 2001–02 and (ii) 2002–03. [108590]
- (2) how many people received income from self-employment (a) between £4,616 and £30,420 and (b) above £30,420 in (i) 2001–02 and (ii) 2002–03. [108592]
Mr. Boateng: Estimates for the number of taxpayers receiving income from employment and self-employment are given in the table.
| Number of taxpayers | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
|---|---|---|
| Income from employment | ||
| £4,616 to £30,420 | 17,3000(10) | 17,100(10) |
| £30,420+ | 3,200(10) | 3,500(10) |
| Income from self-employment | ||
| £4,616 to £30,420 | 2,100(11) | 2,200(11) |
| £30,420+ | 500(11) | 5002(11) |
(10)Excludes taxpayers who are also self-employed
(11)Includes taxpayers who are also receiving income from employment
These estimates are based upon the 2000–01 Survey of Personal Incomes and are consistent with the Budget 2003.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people excluding the self-employed he estimates will receive income from employment (a) between £4,616 and £30,940 and (b) above £30,940 in (i) 2003–04 and (ii) 2004–05. [108591]
- (2) how many people he estimates will receive income from self-employment (a) between £4,616 and £30,940 and (b) above £30,940 in (i) 2003–04 and (ii) 2004–05. [108593]
Mr. Boateng: Estimates for the number of taxpayers receiving income from employment and self-employment are given in the table.
| Number of taxpayers | 2003–04 | 2004–05 |
|---|---|---|
| Income from employment | ||
| £4,616 to £30,940 | 17,400(12) | 17,200(12) |
| £30,940+ | 3,700(12) | 4,100(12) |
| Income from self-employment | ||
| £4,616 to £30,940 | 2,300(13) | 2,300(13) |
| £30,940+ | 500(13) | 600(13) |
(12) Excludes taxpayers who are also self-employed
(13) Includes taxpayers who are also receiving income from employment
These estimates are based upon the 2000–01 Survey of Personal Incomes and are consistent with the Budget 2003.
Tax Credits
Mr. Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Leeds West he estimates are eligible for (a) the child tax credit and (b) the working tax credit; and how many people he estimates will take up these credits in 2003–04. [107973]
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Mr. Boateng: It is estimated that (a) 540,000 families are expected to receive the Child Tax Credit and (b) 150,000 families are expected to receive the Working Tax Credit in the Yorkshire and the Humber region in 2003–04.
Tax
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were (a) starting rate, (b) basic rate and (c) higher rate tax payers in (i) 2001–02 and (ii) 2002–03; and how many he estimates will be in each category in (A) 2003–04 and (B) 2004–05 based on 2002–03 bandings. [108589]
Mr. Boateng: The information is given in the table.
| Number of taxpayers (thousands) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting rate | Basic rate | Higher rate | ||
| 2001–02 | 3,040 | 22,070 | 2,940 | |
| 2002–03 | 3,080 | 22,460 | 3,050 | |
| Using 2002–03 starting rate band and basic rate limit | ||||
| 2003–04 | 3,420 | 23,050 | 3,360 | |
| 2004–05 | 3,240 | 23,530 | 3,850 | |
These estimates are based upon the 2000–01 Survey of Personal Incomes and are consistent with the Budget 2003.
Terrorism (Insurance)
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the impact on (a) householders and (b) car owners of the exclusions for claims on insurance policies relating to chemical, biological or other terrorist attack; and if he will make a statement; [107488]
- (2) what steps he intends to take to ensure that (a) householders, (b) car owners and (c) holidaymakers can obtain cover for insurance claims arising from chemical, biological or terrorist attacks; [107490]
(3) what representations he has received from (a) householders and (b) car owners relating to the exclusions on the grounds of chemical, biological or other terrorist attacks from their insurance cover. [107489]
Ruth Kelly: We are aware of concerns about the availability of insurance against terrorist risks. We are looking carefully at the issues involved.
Timber
Ms Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much independently certified timber is being used in the refurbishment of the Treasury; and what proportion of the total timber purchased for this refurbishment this represents; [108148]
- (2) how much timber is being used for the current refurbishment at the Treasury and for what purposes; and which companies are supplying the timber for refurbishment. [108149]
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Ruth Kelly: The information is not available, as the project has not yet reached the stage of identifying the extent of the timber requirements. I will write to my hon. Friend with this information as soon as it is made available. However, we shall be seeking to use as much existing timber where possible and thereafter, procured from sustainable development sources carrying the PCS trademark or other equivalent internationally recognised independent certification system for good forest management.
Ms Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 24 March 2003, Official Report, column 64W, on sustainable timber products, what general criteria are used to select companies that have tendered for inclusion in OGC buying solutions framework arrangements; what environmental criteria are taken into account in this process; and if he will place a copy of the most recent advertisement that appeared in the Official Journal of the European Communities in the Library. [108178]
Mr. Boateng: OGC buying solutions framework agreements are awarded following a competitive tender process in full accordance with EC rules. The main criterion for award is the acceptance of the most economically advantageous offer (i.e. value for money). The sub criteria include adherence to product specification, price, service delivery capability and whole life costs. Qualitative and whole life costs criteria will include relevant environmental factors such as energy savings, recyclability and disposal costs. As requested, a copy of the most recent relevant advertisement in the Official Journal of the European Communities has been provided.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Gas Safety
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will amend the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations (GSMR) 1996 to include (a) mandatory competence of employees of gas conveyors and their sub-contractors in line with the provisions of paragraphs 3 and 4, Part B, Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 for operatives working downstream of the emergency control, (b) a duty of publication of the safety case required of gas conveyors and emergency network co-ordinators by paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 of the GSMR and (c) maintenance of the 12 hour limit for the prevention of gas leaks in paragraphs 7(4) and 7(5) of the GSMR. [102244]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Health and Safety Commission is currently reviewing the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations (GSMR) 1996, and has set up a working group representing industry, consumer, Government and other stakeholders to consider these and other issues. The Commission plans to publish a consultative document later this year. The outcome of this consultation will inform any advice that the Commission may offer to Ministers on amending the Regulations.
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The Health and Safety Commission also published, on 25 March 2003, a Policy Statement on Permissioning Regimes. The statement sets out the Commission's approach to be followed both when developing new permissioning regimes, including safety case regimes, and when reviewing existing regimes. The statement includes criteria for the disclosure of safety case information to the public. The forthcoming consultation on GSMR will provide an opportunity to seek views on application of these criteria to the publication of GSMR safety case information.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what annual rate of replacement of iron mains was achieved by Transco for the year 2001–02; what annual rate of replacement is predicted by Transco for 2002–03; and what assessment he has made of whether Transco is on course to achieve the annual rate of replacement needed to meet the target required by the HSE's gas mains replacement programme. [102243]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Health and Safety Executive does not hold this information in exactly the form requested 1 . The information that Transco have provided to HSE is available as follows:
Transco's mains replacement programme has two elements. The Medium Pressure Ductile Iron Mains replacement programme and the other mains replacement programme.
| 1 Jan 01 to 31 Dec 01 | 1 Jan 02 to 31 Dec 02 | |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | 1076.5km | |
| Actual | 1089km | 1400.8 km |
| 1 Jan 01 to31 March 02 | 1 April 02 to31 March 03 | |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | 996 km | 1225km |
| Revised Forecast(15) | 1216km | |
| Actual | 1101 km | 932 km (as at 28 Feb 2003) |
Notes:
(14) Transco's mains replacement programme originally ran on a calendar year basis. In 2001, this was changed to a financial year i.e. a 15month period. However, because the improvement notice required the work to be completed by 31 December 2002, Transco continued to provide data on progress with Medium Pressure Ductile Iron Mains (MPDI) replacement on a calendar year basis i.e. January to December.
(15) The forecast for the 02/03 other mains replacement policy was revised downwards because the focus of Transco's work was on the compulsory work being carried out to meet the requirements of the Medium Pressure Ductile Iron Mains Replacement Policy.
HSE's current assessment is that Transco will meet the revised forecast target for 2002–03. The data for the full year will be available shortly.
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