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14 Jul 2003 : Column 135W—continued
Iraq
Mr. Syms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to set aside further funds to pay for actions involving British troops in Iraq. [125046]
Mr. Boateng: The Chancellor set aside a £3 billion special reserve in the Budget to cover the cost of military operations in Iraq.
Northern Ireland
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was collected through stamp duty in Northern Ireland in the last financial year. [124365]
Dawn Primarolo: Stamp duty receipts processed by the Belfast stamp office, the only stamp office in Northern Ireland, amounted to £55 million in 2002–03. However this does not reflect the total amount of stamp duty (including Stamp Duty Reserve Tax ("SDRT")) paid by residents of Northern Ireland. SDRT on share transactions is collected via the CREST electronic settlement system and information on the geographical location of the underlying share transaction is not maintained.
Departmental Policies
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what policies (a) initiated and (b) managed by his Department since 2001 have had an impact on Pendle; and if he will make a statement. [124088]
Mr. Boateng: In common with all constituencies in the UK, Pendle has benefited from the stability created by this Government's new macroeconomic frameworks and reforms of productivity and labour market opportunities. This has, for example, resulted in a 23 per cent. fall in Pendle's claimant count unemployment, and an 88 per cent. fall in its long-term claimant unemployment, since April 1997.
As at November 2002, 3,428 families in Pendle were receiving the working families tax credit and 75 disabled people were in receipt of the disabled person's tax credit (now both replaced by the working tax credit and the child tax credit).
In addition, in 2003–04 Pendle shire district council received a 12½ per cent. increase in formula grant from central Government, while the North West Development Agency's indicative allocation increased by 5.4 per cent. between 2002–03 and 2003–04.
Pendle's constituents will also benefit from the Government's public services reforms and the £61 billion increase in spending on public services over the next three years which was announced in Spending Review 2002.
14 Jul 2003 : Column 136W
Pensions
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his further plans for tax treatment of pension funds. [125891]
Dawn Primarolo: On 17 December the Government published a consultation document, "Simplifying the taxation of pensions: increasing choice and flexibility". This proposed that the current eight pension tax regimes would be replaced by a single lifetime allowance on tax relieved pension savings.
The Government are currently considering the responses to the consultation and a further paper, setting out the detail of the proposed regime, will be published in the autumn.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensionable age persons live in each constituency in the UK. [124760]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 14 July 2003:
- As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many pensionable age persons live in each constituency in the UK (124760)
- The numbers of persons of pensionable age in each parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom is not yet available from the 2001 Census, although the figures are available for every local authority in England and Wales in Table KS02 of the Census 2001 Key Statistics for local authorities in England and Wales published on 13 February. A copy of this report was placed in the House of Commons Library and is available on the ONS website at http://nswebcopy/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=10150
- The same table will be available for UK Parliamentary Constituencies. It is planned to release this in August or September and a copy will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
- In addition a printed volume will provide a brief statistical summary of each current UK Parliamentary constituency, including some comparative measures. Electronic supplements will in addition provide Key Statistics and Census Area Statistics, and reference maps for each constituency. It is the intention to issue a further report based on any new constituency boundaries adopted for the next General Election.
- Information from the Censuses in Scotland and Northern Ireland is available from the Registrars General for Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was produced from direct taxation on pensions in the past five years. [125141]
Dawn Primarolo: Available estimates of the amount of income tax paid on private pensions from 1997–98 to 2001–02 are contained in table T7.9 of Inland Revenue Statistics. The latest version is on the Inland Revenue website: http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.Uk/stats/pensions/p t09 1 .htm.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has commissioned on professional indemnity insurance cover; and if he will make a statement. [125713]
14 Jul 2003 : Column 137W
Mr. Boateng: The Financial Services Authority has undertaken its own research and is aware of independent research by the Association of Independent Financial Advisers into the market for professional indemnity insurance (PII) for independent financial advisers. That research informs their work to develop policy in this area, including their forthcoming further consultation on PII.
Suicides
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths in England have been recorded as suicides in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement. [124875]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Alan Hurst, dated 14 July 2003:
- As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many deaths in England have been recorded as suicide in each year since 1990. (124875)
- The most recent available suicide data are for the calendar year 2001. Figures for each year from 1990 to 2001 are given in the table below.
| Number of deaths | |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 5,209 |
| 1991 | 5,128 |
| 1992 | 5,115 |
| 1993 | 4,929 |
| 1994 | 4,780 |
| 1995 | 4,816 |
| 1996 | 4,572 |
| 1997 | 4,662 |
| 1998 | 4,815 |
| 1999 | 4,828 |
| 2000 | 4,598 |
| 2001 | 4,388 |
(41) The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950-E959 and E980-E989 excluding E988.8for the years 1990 to 2000, and, for the year 2001, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (1CD-10) codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34 excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending.
(42) Figures are for residents of England.
(43) Figures are for deaths registered in 1990 to 1992 and for deaths occurring in each calendar year from 1993 to 2001.
Tax Credits
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new child tax credit claims have been (a) refused and (b) investigated as potentially fraudulent. [121217]
Dawn Primarolo: The numbers of inquiries into tax credit awards under Section 19 of the Tax Credits Act 2002, of penalties imposed and of prosecutions and convictions for offences connected with tax credits will be published in the annual report required under Section 40 of the Act.
14 Jul 2003 : Column 138W
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of tax credit fraud have been detected in each of the last six years; and how many resulted in successful prosecution. [124506]
Dawn Primarolo: The Revenue tackle fraud, error and avoidance using civil investigation and settlement, and applying financial penalties where appropriate. Cases of suspected serious fraud are referred to the Revenue's Special Compliance Office, for civil investigation or prosecution as appropriate. The numbers of civil investigations of serious fraud completed by the SCO are:
| Serious fraud cases settled | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 308 |
| 2000–01 | 310 |
| 1999–2000 | 361 |
| 1998–99 | 315 |
| 1997–98 | 375 |
| 1996–97 | 394 |
Details of prosecutions by the Revenue are published in their Annual Reports, copies of which are available in the House Library.
Customs' policy in tackling VAT fraud is to use cost effective civil Procedures wherever possible. Investigation with a view to criminal prosecution is reserved for only the more serious or aggravated cases. The number of VAT fraud cases finalised by the imposition of a civil evasion penalty are:
| Number of civil evasion penalties imposed | |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 849 |
| 1997–98 | 898 |
| 1998–99 | 902 |
| 1999–2000 | 860 |
| 2000–01 | 729 |
| 2001–02 | 346 |
Figures for 2002–03 will be published in Customs' Annual Report. The number of VAT fraud prosecutions is:
| Completed prosecutions | Successful prosecutions | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 99 | 90 |
| 1997–98 | 70 | 65 |
| 1998–99 | 69 | 61 |
| 1999–2000 | 94 | 73 |
| 2000–01 | 37 | 25 |
2001–02—89 cases reported for prosecution.
Figures for the cases reported for prosecution in 2002–03 will be published in Customs' Annual Report.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people who are eligible for each of the available tax credits have yet to apply; and how many (a) applications have been received from and (b) eligible applicants there are in (i) the Teesside region and (ii) the Middlesbrough, South and East, Cleveland constituency. [122225]
14 Jul 2003 : Column 139W
Dawn Primarolo: Six million families are expected to benefit from the Child Tax Credit (CTC) or Working Tax Credit (WTC). I told the House on 7 July that claims had already been received from over 4.5 million families, that 4.25 million families were already in award and that 1.3 million were receiving equivalent support for their children through Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance. Since then, tax credit claims have continued to arrive.
No estimates are available of the number of individuals eligible for the Child or Working Tax Credit in each constituency. Statistics on awards of these tax credits will be published from August.
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit have (i) been received (ii) are in payment and (iii) are waiting to be processed. [122697]
Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of outstanding claims for (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit for (i) Wales and (ii) the UK; and how many of these were submitted before 4 April. [123847]
John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit (i) have been received, (ii) are in payment and (iii) are waiting to be processed, broken down by region. [124529]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 7 July 2003]: I refer the hon. Members to my statement to the House on 7 July 2003, Official Report, column 859.
Claims for Child and Working Tax Credits are made and processed together. No breakdown of the figures in my statement is available below the United Kingdom level. Statistics on awards of these tax credits will be published from August.
14 Jul 2003 : Column 140W
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints his Department has received relating to (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit. [122698]
John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints his Department has received relating to (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit, broken down by region. [124530]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.
John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people who were receiving working families tax credit in March 2003 (a) received payments of child tax credit by the end of April and (b) had not received their child tax credit by the end of April, broken down by region. [125431]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to my statement to the House on 7 July 2003, Official Report, column 859.
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many former recipients of the working families tax credit have been transferred to the (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit; how many new applications for (i) child tax credit and (ii) working tax credit (A) have been received and (B) are in payment. [125631]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to my statement to the House on 7 July 2003, Official Report, column 859, and to my answer to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) on 3 June 2003, Official Report, columns 379–80W. Claims for child and working tax credits are made and processed together. Statistics on awards of these tax credits will be published from August.
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