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30 Apr 2003 : Column 375W—continued

Oil Price

Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the price of a barrel of Brent Crude oil at the time of each budget since 1997. [110240]

John Healey: For the purposes of the public finance projections, the following audited assumption has been adopted since the 1999 pre-Budget report:


Between Budget 1997 and the 1999 pre-Budget report it was assumed that oil prices remained close to recent levels in the short term and thereafter remained flat in real terms. These assumptions are set out in more detail in Audit of Assumptions for the pre-Budget report November 1997 (HC 361, Session 1997–98), Audit of the Future Oil Price Convention for the November 1999 pre-Budget report (HC 873, Session 1998–99) and Audit of Assumptions for the 2002 pre-Budget report (HC 109, Session 2002–03).

The starting per barrel oil price assumed in each budget since 1997 is listed in the following table.

$
Budget 200326.6
Budget 200221.5
Budget 200124.4
Budget 200022.4
Budget 199911.0
Budget 199814.5
Budget 199718.8

Retirement Benefit Schemes Order

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about The Retirement Benefit Schemes (Indexation of Earnings Cap) Order. [110511]

Dawn Primarolo: We have received no representations about The Retirement Benefit Schemes (Indexation of Earnings Cap) Order 2003 (SI 2003 No. 843).

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Savings

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes there have been over the last decade in the amount of money placed in private savings by those aged between 20 and 30 years of age. [110407]

Ruth Kelly: In order to provide a complete picture of changes in saving patterns over time, one would need disaggregated household data covering all asset classes—from liquid financial savings to longer-term investments such as pensions and housing—as well as debt. Such a comprehensive survey of assets and debt does not currently exist in the UK. However, as the recent pensions Green Paper made clear, it is essential to develop good-quality data about people's saving over time; their overall assets; and the savings and assets of partners. Action is being taken to address these issues. The Office for National Statistics recently reviewed pension contribution statistics. This review highlighted a number of new data sources that are currently planned or under way, including a survey of assets and wealth.

Sickness Absence

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department were on long-term sick leave in each of the last five years. [109258]

Ruth Kelly: The number of staff who had a period of sick absence lasting more than 30 working days is as follows:

Number of staff
200224
200123
200014
199910
19985

Tax Credits

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps he is taking to address hardship caused by delays in the payment of child tax credit to claimants previously in receipt of working family tax credit; [109369]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 28 April 2003]: The Inland Revenue asked people to make claims for the Child Tax Credit by the end of January to ensure that as many claims as possible could be processed in time for first payment in April or May. Whether first payment of

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the Child Tax Credit is due in April or May depends on whether people are due to receive it weekly or four weekly. Two thirds of all claimants are due to receive their direct payments of tax credits every four weeks. If they sent their claim to the Inland Revenue by the end of January, and there are no outstanding enquiries, they can expect to receive their first tax credit payments no later than 2 May.

The vast majority of those opting to be paid weekly and who claimed by the end of January should have received their money already. Claimants are being contacted in the small minority of cases where further information is needed to process their claims.

Claims received after the end of January are being processed as quickly as possible. Claims from former recipients of Working Families' Tax Credit and Disabled Person's Tax Credit are being prioritised.

In the tiny minority of cases where a payment is due and has not been received, as an alternative to phoning the helpline, claimants may want to visit their local Inland Revenue office. Local offices can check the status of a claim and, where appropriate, can arrange an emergency payment of tax credits.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many families are receiving (a) child tax credit and (b) amounts equivalent to child tax credit through income support or jobseeker's allowance who will be automatically transferred on to child tax credit before October 2004; [110474]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) on 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 162W.

Tax/Social Security Changes (Budget)

Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the basis for his calculations of increases in net taxes and social security contributions as a percentage of GDP in the years to 2007 as summarised in Table C10 of Budget 2003. [110227]

Mr. Boateng: Changes in net taxes and social security contributions as a percentage of GDP, as shown in Table Cio of Budget 2003, are due to a number of factors, including:




Taxation

Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has commissioned into the relationship between (a) direct and (b) indirect taxation and an individual's incentive to work; and if he will publish the results. [108461]

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Dawn Primarolo: The Government is committed to developing a wider base of knowledge to help evaluate the effect of measures and inform the effect of possible future policies on work incentives. Policy advice, analyses and research is being used to develop our understanding of the interaction of reform to the tax and benefit system and work incentives.

No research has been commissioned that looks at the effect of indirect taxes on work incentives.

Two-year Test

Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 14 April 2003, ref. 109148, on the two-year test, if women on the reduced rate of national insurance contributions who were out of work for more than two years had to make a claim to be treated as full-rate contributors. [110170]

Dawn Primarolo: No claim is required. The election to pay reduced rate contributions is automatically terminated.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Departmental Annual Report

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the annual report of her Department will be published. [107885]

Alun Michael: The spring 2003 Departmental Reports are to be published between 28 April and 16 May 2003. We will publish our Departmental Report within this window.

Departmental Events

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) other conferences sponsored by her Department and which took place on non-Departmental premises in the last 12 months, broken down by title, purpose, date and cost. [104270]

Alun Michael: The following is a list of the events commissioned centrally by Defra and which were part of the Department's publicity programme. The events, incurred by Defra's centralised publicity budget were commissioned at a cost of £1.2 million.

The information for each agency and non-departmental body for which Defra is responsible could only be collated at a disproportionate cost.

Shows 2002–2003












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