| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
21 May 2003 : Column 839W—continued
Correspondence
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to reply to the letter of 5 March 2003 from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding climate change levy which was transferred to his Department for answer from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 19 March 2003 (ref. 180356/AP). [115188]
Enterprise Areas
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the benefits of the new enterprise areas; how many areas will be eligible in each Government office region; and what benefits they will bring to the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. [114303]
John Healey: A key element of the Government's enterprise policy is the recognition that social attitudes, the business environment and specific market failures can present significantly higher barriers to enterprise within the UK's disadvantaged communities. Moreover it is in these communities that the benefits of enterprise are likely to have the greatest social impact through promoting increased economic activity and the creation of jobs. The Government is therefore concentrating particular efforts on the needs of the Enterprise Areas, the most deprived communities across the UK, with the intention of increasing the amount of enterprise in these communities.
In England the Enterprise Areas are defined at electoral ward level. The following numbers of wards are eligible in each region.
- East Midlands—128
East of England—55
London—233
North East—208
North West—284
South East—60
South West—55
West Midlands—116
21 May 2003 : Column 840W
Particular measures that will benefit businesses in the Enterprise Areas, including those in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, include the exemption from stamp duty of all non-residential property transactions, which will reduce the costs to business of locating and investing in disadvantaged areas, and the introduction of the community investment tax relief, which is intended to increase the amount of investment in disadvantaged communities.
The Government is also putting in place measures to improve planning flexibility in these areas such as the introduction of Business Planning Zones in the current Planning Bill—these are areas in which there will be no requirement to apply for planning permission where predetermined criteria are met—and taking steps to help local authorities ensure that the planning system is transparent, accessible and affordable for businesses in these areas. These are set out in Budget 2003.
The Enterprise Areas were designated in the Pre-Budget Report in November 2002. Evaluation is being or will be conducted on a number of the policy measures, though no results are yet available. An evaluation of the fiscal measures introduced to stimulate the regeneration of deprived urban areas, including exemptions from stamp duty, is being commissioned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
EU Accession Referendums
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 29 April 2003, Official Report, column 105W, on EU Accession Referendums, if he will list, by accession country, the funds available to support (a) the provision of information and (b) information centres; if he will list (i) the projects supported over the past 12 months and (ii) the projects to be supported in the immediate future; what publications have been supported; and if he will make a statement on the nature of scrutiny by the Government of compliance with guidelines on impartiality with regard to the services and funding provided. [114467]
John Healey: Commission funding for information and information centres concerning accession and the EU comes from the PHARE 1 pre-accession programme for accession states and candidate countries, as well as from the separate pre-accession programmes for Turkey, Malta and Cyprus. Commission funding is also available from the Priority Information Programme for European Citizens (PRINCE) in the case of existing member states. According to Commission figures, the financial commitments for centralised and decentralised programmes can be summarised as follows (in millions of Euros):
(14) an individual country breakdown is not currently available for 2003
21 May 2003 : Column 841W
The Commission does not publish figures which distinguish between spending on general information and funding for information centres.
- 1 PHARE originally stood for 'Poland and Hungary Assistance for Restructuring the Economy'—however, this programme has since been expanded beyond the two original participants to cover all of the Candidate Countries.
The Information and Communication Programme is a unified programme which does not split into individual projects. The publications produced are of a general nature and explain the implications of EU membership. Further information concerning details of the Commission's communication strategy, including publications and information on current and future projects, can be found on the Commission's Enlargement website at: europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/communication/index.htm.
The Commission's May 2002 Communication Strategy for Enlargement sets out general guidelines for its information activities. These guidelines include a commitment that ". . . The emphasis [of the Communication strategy] will be on providing objective information, with the Commission eschewing any messages which could be misconstrued as 'propaganda'. It is the Commission's responsibility to manage specific programmes and ensure that activities, including those of its delegations, conform with agreed programme guidelines. In addition, all Commission employees and representatives are bound by a "Code of Good Administrative Behaviour", and any citizen who considers they have not been treated according to this code has the right to make a complaint.
Euro
Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on the Euro changeover plan; and if he will estimate planned expenditure over the next three years. [115299]
Mr. Boateng: Details of expenditure on changeover planning were included in the Sixth Report on Euro Preparations, published on 18 July 2002. Copies of the report are in the Library of the House.
Financial Advisers
Mr. Caton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the companies providing independent
21 May 2003 : Column 842W
financial advice that the Financial Services Authority has required to cease regulated activities because they have been unable to secure professional indemnity insurance. [114650]
Mr. Boateng: I am advised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) that three independent financial adviser (IFA) firms have had their authorisations to conduct regulated business cancelled, in circumstances where the absence of professional indemnity insurance (PII) was wholly, or in part, an issue. There are about 3,500 IFA firms in the UK.
The FSA continues to work closely with independent financial adviser firms who are experiencing difficulty obtaining PII. A firm will not necessarily be required to cease regulated activities where it cannot obtain PII cover.
Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices
Mr. Flook: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices includes (a) housing costs and (b) council tax. [113578]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from L. Cook to Mr. A. Flook, dated May 2003:
- As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking whether the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (H1CP) includes (a) housing costs and (b) council tax. (113578)
- The HICP does not include council tax and certain costs faced by owner occupiers including mortgage interest payments, house depreciation and buildings insurance. Housing costs included in the HICP are rentals paid by tenants and minor repairs and maintenance charges typically paid by both tenants and owner occupiers alike.
Illegal Meat Imports
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional funds have been provided for the new responsibilities of HM Customs and Excise to tackle illegal meat imports; and how these funds are broken down for each major port of entry into the UK. [114525]
John Healey: Of the £25million that the Government are investing over three years in its action plan to deter illegal meat imports, Customs has been allocated £4 million for 2003–04. Allocations for the next two years are yet to be determined. Customs is allocating these funds on the basis of activities such as mobile detection strike force and dog teams, who will be deployed at any port or airport according to risk.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if samples are taken from all seizures of illegal meats made by HM Customs and Excise (a) in terminals and (b) inside cargo sheds. [114526]
John Healey: It is not Customs' practice to take samples from illegal meat seized under the Products of Animal Origin (Third Country Imports) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2003. Customs does, however, sometimes take samples from consignments of imported goods and is currently sampling consignments of chicken for liability to Customs duty.
21 May 2003 : Column 843W
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how illegal meat seizures made by HM Customs and Excise at each of the country's main ports of entry are (a) contained upon seizure and (b) destroyed. [114527]
John Healey: Seizures of illegal meat are sealed and held under Customs control in suitable refrigerated or freezer storage until they go for disposal, go to a local incinerator, they are collected frequently by contractors in accordance with EU Regulations.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |