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Electoral Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the 100 wards with the greatest fall in electorate over the last three years, giving the (a) percentage fall, (b) total numbers of electors and (c) political make-up in each case; [118903]

(2) if he will list the 100 constituencies with the greatest fall in electorate over the last three years by (a) percentage and (b) total number. [118904]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

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Letter from John Pullinger to Chris Ruane, dated 12 June 2003:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent questions concerning the 100 constituencies and wards with the greatest fall in electorate over the last three years. I am replying in his absence. (118903, 118904)

I am placing in the House of Commons Library a table showing the percentage change and total number change of the 100 parliamentary constituencies with the greatest fall in electorate over the period 16 February 1999 to 1 December 2002. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) did not publish electoral data for parliamentary constituencies as at 16 February 2000 and this is why figures for 1999 have been used.

ONS does not produce electoral statistics on ward boundaries. The lowest geography at which electoral statistics are published is parliamentary constituencies. Electoral statistics on ward boundaries are only available from each individual local authority.

Equitable Life

Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Penrose Inquiry into Equitable Life is expected to report. [118831]

Mr. Boateng: The timetable for his report is a matter for Lord Penrose. He has said that he expects to report to Treasury Ministers later in the summer.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Ombudsman's inquiries are outstanding pending the conclusion of the Penrose Inquiry. [118832]

Mr. Boateng: This is a matter for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the Ombudsman) who, as an Officer of the House, is independent of the Government.

Taxation of Savings Directive

Mr. Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his Department's policy to accept the ruling of the President of the Court of First Instance of the European Communities that UK Overseas Territories are under no legal requirement to implement the EU Savings Tax Directive. [118517]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Rosindell), 10 June 2003, Official Report, column 748W.

Mr. Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the constitutional arrangements governing the relationship between the UK and UK overseas territories with regard to financial policy. [118518]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Rosindell) on 3 June 2003, Official Report, column 196W.

Mr. Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his policy that overseas and dependent territories will make the final decision on their implementation of EU Savings Tax Directive. [118519]

Dawn Primarolo: The purpose of the EU Taxation of Savings Directive is to ensure that UK and other EU residents pay the tax due on all their savings income. All of the relevant associated and dependent territories, apart from the Cayman Islands, have made commitments that they will apply the same measures as in the Directive. The UK will do its utmost, within the

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framework of its constitutional arrangements, to ensure that appropriate measures in respect of all the relevant dependent or associated territories are in place in time for the Directive to come into effect from 1 January 2005.

G8 Summit

Mr. Best: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on progress made at the G8 Summit (a) on greater debt relief and (b) financing for development. [118413]

John Healey: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave in the Chamber earlier today to my right hon. Friend the Member for Coatbridge and Chryston (Mr. Clarke), and my hon. Friends the Members for Bristol, West (Valerie Davey) and for Conwy (Mrs. Williams).

Illegal Meat Importation

Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Customs and Excise staff will be employed in Wales to implement the new legislation on illegal meat importation; and where they will be based. [118537]

John Healey: Customs' new anti-smuggling teams targeted at illegal meat imports are mobile and will be deployed at any UK port or airport. Locations of their deployment will be varied according to risk. All anti-smuggling staff who cover Wales now include illegal meat among their responsibilities.

Intelligence Officers (Wales)

Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether extra intelligence officers will be employed in Wales to counteract the loss of front-line anti-smuggling officers. [118535]

John Healey: Customs will maintain the current intelligence resource levels, but will deploy them differently to combat the changing nature of criminality in Wales. They will work more closely with partner law enforcement agencies to focus on the threats posed whether they are drugs, other illegal goods or terrorism. In particular, they are joining with South Wales, Gwent and Dyfed Powys police forces to form a new Joint Intelligence Cell in Bridgend. They will make use of constant quality intelligence sources, from all over the world, and be able to determine the necessary Customs response to call upon mobile teams whether the threat is inland or at ports or airports.

Moreover, under Customs' plans there will be an overall increase in the deployment of mobile teams to Wales, from a contingent of 100 officers based in Wales and the West Midlands, supported by the National Strike Force. This capability to deploy larger numbers of officers on unpredictable targeted operations will provide a real deterrence to professional smugglers and bootleggers.

Postal Services (VAT)

Mr. Breed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce VAT on postal services. [118310]

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John Healey: The European Commission has recently published proposals to amend the provisions of the Sixth VAT Directive concerning the VAT arrangements applicable to postal services. Postal services provided by the universal service provider, Royal Mail, are currently exempt from VAT, and the Government believe that the vital social role played by the universal postal service should continue to be reflected in the tax system. The Government are therefore opposed to VAT on stamps, and will make this clear in negotiations on the proposals. Amendments to the Sixth VAT Directive must be agreed unanimously by member states.

Rosyth

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the level of Customs and Excise operations deployed to monitor ferry arrivals and departures through Rosyth, during each month since the service commenced. [118313]

John Healey: Since the service commenced Customs officers have met every ferry arrival. Departures have been monitored according to risk based on intelligence.

Unitary Authority Workers' Earnings

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of full-time workers in (a) Scotland, (b) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (c) Great Britain have hourly earnings gross pay (i) including and (ii) excluding overtime, below (A) £7.41, (B) £5.55 and (C) £4.20 in 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) all non-manual and (9) all workers. [118711]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl to Annabelle Ewing, dated 12 June 2003:

The National Statistician has 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. I am replying in his absence. (118711)

I have arranged for the data requested to be placed in the House of Commons Library. The information provided shows the proportion of people earning below the different thresholds you listed, both including overtime (Table 1) and excluding overtime (Table 2).

The NES can provide earnings data for small geographical areas. However, 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 what the (a) weekly median earnings and (b) distribution of earnings are for those earning (i) under the point below which 10 per cent.of earners fall and (ii) the point above which 10 per cent. of earners exceed, broken down by (A) all manual, (B) all non-manual, (C) all workers, (D) male manual, (E) male non-manual, (F) all male workers, (G) female manual,

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(H) female non-manual and (I) all female workers in (1) Scotland and (2) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland. [118712]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from C. Mowl to Annabelle Ewing, dated 12 June 2003:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the distribution of weekly earnings for workers in Scotland and the unitary authorities in Scotland. I am replying in his absence. (118712)

I refer you to the answer given to your previous question 99978, Official Report No. 64, col 541, which contains the information requested.

The April 2003 New Earnings Survey data is expected to be published in mid-October 2003.

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