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2 Jul 2003 : Column 273W—continued
Illegal Trade (Animals)
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what plans he has to review the sentencing guidelines for those involved in the illegal trade of animals and animal products; [122659]
- (2) how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been for involvement in the illegal trade of animals and animal products in each of the last 10 years. [122660]
John Healey: HM Customs and Excise is responsible for enforcement of the restrictions on import and export from or to countries outside the EU on goods covered by the Convention on International Trade in
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Endangered Species (CITES) and EU Regulations made to implement the Convention. They are not responsible for the enforcement of controls on trade within the UK or EU. Sentencing guidelines are a matter for the Lord Chancellor's Department. Since 1993, Customs have mounted 12 prosecutions relating to the illegal importation or exportation of endangered species resulting in 18 convictions.
| Year | Number of prosecutions | Number of convictions |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 2 | 3 |
| 1994 | 2 | 2 |
| 1995 | 2 | 6 |
| 1996 | 1 | 1 |
| 2000 | 1 | 1 |
| 2001 | 2 | 2 |
| 2002 | 2 | 3 |
Mayor of London (Meetings)
Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times he has met the Mayor of London in official meetings at the Department in each of the past three years. [122144]
Mr. Boateng: The Chancellor regularly meets representatives of a wide range of organisations.
In common with previous Administrations, it is not this Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code and Guidance for Civil Servants: Contacts with Lobbyists.
Mental Health
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his staff retired on medical grounds due to mental health problems in the last year. [111954]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 24 June, Official Report, column 662W.
Property Market
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has made of the average length of lease for a small business in his calculations for stamp duty land tax in the Finance Bill. [122498]
Mr. Boateng: The estimates of additional revenue from the reform of the rental element of lease duty announced in Budget 2003 are based on the distribution of lease lengths for non-residential new leases from the Survey of Property Transactions, and not merely on the average length of non-residential new leases. Transactions entered into by many small businesses are expected to be exempt from the rental element of Lease Duty under the proposed reform, which includes a £150,000 threshold.
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in preparing the document accompanying the announcement on the euro, what estimates he has made of (a) the proportion of mortgages with fixed rates,
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(b) the level of mortgage debt and (c) the level of housing market volatility in the United States of America. [122499]
Mr. Boateng: The EMU study Housing, consumption and EMU notes particular features of the US housing market. These issues will be considered further as part of the Miles Review announced in Budget 2003.
Research Applications
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value of applications made to the Crown Estate's Research Committee for research proposals was in each year since 1997. [119728]
John Healey: The Crown Estate Fish Farming Research Committee was established in 2001 to ensure that the allocation of The Crown Estate's reinvestment budget was both fair and transparent. Support is given to those applications that have most relevance to The Crown Estate and its customers and which, in the view of the committee, will be of greatest long-term benefit and value to the sustainable development of the industry.
Committee representation includes industry, Government, regulators, NGOs and an independent vice chairman. The committee first met in January 2002.
The Crown Estate has allocated £600,000 to the research committee for the first three years of its operation, from 2002–03 to 2004–05. The Crown Estate's contribution each year resulted in significant matching funding being awarded by a range of funding partners.
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The total value of applications made to the committee in each of the years it has met, and the awards made, are given in the table:
| Financial years | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 2003–04 | |
| Number of applications | 26 | 33 |
| Value of applications | £1,652,000 | £1,384,000 |
| Number of applications receiving support | 11 | 7 |
| Value of awards | (3)£248,000 | (4)£193,600 |
(3) Includes £70,500 commitment carried over from the previous year.
(4) Includes £77,500 commitment carried over from the previous year.
A spend of £23,700 has already been committed to the 2004–05 financial year. £134,700 remains to be allocated in 2004–05.
Trading Fund Model
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the turnover of each Government agency operating in a trading fund model in the most recent year for which figures are available was accounted for by (a) services provided to Government and to Government agencies, (b) services provided directly to private sector customers and (c) services provided through value-added resellers. [121073]
Mr. Boateng: Details of the analysis of the turnover of trading funds into the categories requested are not held centrally. The table shows information taken from the publicly available annual reports and accounts of trading funds for 2001–02, the latest available. The accounts do not always analyse turnover into the categories requested and further information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| Name | Total turnover £ million | Government and government agencies £ million (%) | Private sector customers £ million (%) | Value added retailers £ million (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defence Science and Technology Laboratory | 498.8 | 433.0 (86.8) | 65.8 (13.2) | (5)— |
| Land Registry | 342.8 | — | 342.8 (100) | (5)— |
| Central Office of Information | 272.9 | 272.9 (100) | — | (5)— |
| Defence Aviation Repair Agency | 228.9 | 218.5 (95.5) | 10.4 (4.5) | (5)— |
| Meteorological Office | 154.8 | 128.3 (82.9) | 26.5 (17.1) | (5)— |
| Forensic Science Service | 128.1 | 118.3 (92.3) | 9.8 (7.7) | (5)— |
| Ordnance Survey | 102.6 | (6)— | — | (5)— |
| Vehicle Inspectorate | 90.6 | 20.1 (22.2) | 70.5 (77.8) | (5)— |
| Driving Standards Agency | 88.0 | — | 88.0 (100) | (5)— |
| Royal Mint | 79.7 | 54.9 (68.9) | 24.8 (31.1) | (5)— |
| Hydrographic Office | 53.2 | 9.5 (17.9) | 43.7 (82.1) | (5)— |
| Patent Office | 51.6 | — | 51.6 (100) | (5)— |
| Companies House | 44.9 | 2.4 (5.3) | 42.5 (94.7) | (5)— |
| OGCbuying. solutions | 40.8 | 40.8 (100) | — | (5)— |
| Medicines Control Agency | 36.7 | — | 36.7 (100) | (5)— |
| NHS Estates | 28.3 | 28.3 (100) | — | (5)— |
| Fire Service College | 17.5 | 11.4 (65.1) | 6.1 (34.9) | (5)— |
| Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre | 7.9 | (6)— | — | (5)— |
(5) Not applicable
(6) No information given
Notes:
1. Medicines Control Agency was wound up on 31 March 2003. Its activities were transferred to a new trading fund, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency on 1 April 2003.
2. Vehicle Inspectorate was merged with Traffic Area Network (a division of the Department of Transport) on 1 April 2003 to form a new trading fund, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.
3. ABRO (an agency within the Ministry of Defence) became a trading fund on 1 April 2002. Unaudited accounts for 2001–02 (ie for ABRO as an agency) are available, but do not provide the information requested.
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VAT Rates
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to enhance the accountability of the regulator powers for amending value added tax rates. [121539]
John Healey: The Government published some options for reform in the Treasury discussion paper "Fiscal Stabilisation and EMU" on 9 June, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
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