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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 16 July 2003
TREASURY
Asbestos
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 10 June 2003, Official Report, column 745W, on asbestos, if he will list the buildings which have been identified as containing asbestos. [122988]
John Healey: All departments are aware of the new Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos at Work (CAW) regulations 2002 and will be fully compliant by the required date of 21 May 2004. Information on buildings identified as containing asbestos has been placed in the Library of the House
British Overseas Territories
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what responsibilities his Department undertakes in connection with British overseas territories. [123992]
John Healey: Together with FCO and Inland Revenue, HM Treasury seeks to ensure that the regulation of the financial services sector in the Caribbean overseas territories, Bermuda and Gibraltar is maintained to the highest international standards, and that these territories comply with international standards of fiscal transparency.
Environmental Taxes
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the revenue received by the Government from taxes paid by different modes of transport that are designed to have an environmental impact (a) as a proportion of total UK environmental tax revenue and (b) in relation to the contribution made to UK GDP by each transport mode. [124766]
John Healey: The Chancellor considers a range of relevant economic, social and environmental factors when deciding all taxation policy. Determining a definition of what is an environment tax is therefore difficult as: some taxes have been specifically designed to help achieve environmental goals, such as the aggregates levy, landfill tax and the climate change levy; some have been restructured to reflect environmental impacts, such as fuel duty differentials, company car tax and reforms to capital allowances to provide tax incentives for environmentally-friendly technologies; and some taxes were introduced for non-environmental reasons, but can have some environmental impact—for example, air passenger duty.
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A number of these environmental taxes, such as landfill tax, climate change levy and aggregates levy, were introduced alongside offsetting tax cuts and recycling of revenue into environmental spending programmes, making them broadly revenue neutral.
This Government has also demonstrated a commitment to using alternatives to taxation to protect and improve the environment, for example tradeable permit schemes as well as regulation and spending programmes.
A modern economy could not function properly without an effective transport system. Figures are not readily available disaggregating the contribution of transport to the economy into different transport modes.
In addition, many of the outputs of transport, such as the benefits from journeys by car, are not fully captured in national measures of UK GDP. The table below sets out revenues from the main taxes with a strong environmental dimension in 2002–03.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Climate Change Levy | 0.9 billion |
| Landfill Tax | 0.7 billion |
| Aggregates Levy | 0.3 billion |
| Fuel Duties | |
| Ultra low sulphur petrol | 12.7 billion |
| Ultra low sulphur diesel | 9.2 billion |
| Road gases: | 8.0 million |
| Biodiesel | 0.9 million |
| Vehicle excise duties | |
| Cars | 4.2 billion |
| Lorries | 0.28 billion |
| Buses | 29 million |
| Company car tax | 3.6 billion |
Euro
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps he will be taking before December to campaign for British membership of the euro; [126682]
- (2) what steps he will be taking before December to campaign for British membership of the euro; [126676]
(3) what steps he will be taking before December to campaign for British membership of the euro; [126677]
(4) what steps he will be taking before December to campaign for British membership of the euro; [126678]
(5) what steps he will be taking before December to campaign for British membership of the euro; [126679]
(6) what steps he will be taking before December to campaign for British membership of the euro; [126680]
(7) what steps he will be taking before December to campaign for British membership of the euro; [126681]
(8) what steps he will be taking before December to campaign for British membership of the euro. [126683]
Mr. Boateng: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) on 20 June 2003,
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Official Report, column 459W, which stated that Ministers will be holding a series of meetings around the country, campaigning for a pro-European consensus.
Household Debt
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the average (a) household debt per annum and (b) household monthly income in each year since 1997. [125834]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Cable dated 16 July 2003
- As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on average household debt and household income. (125834)
- The information requested is shown in the table below. The households' financial liabilities and households' gross disposable income series used in the calculations are national accounts series for the combined household and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) sectors. The accounts for the household and NPISH sectors are currently combined; separate estimates are not available.
| Average household debt during year(1) | Average household income per month(2) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 24,500 | 1,950 |
| 1998 | 26,000 | 2,000 |
| 1999 | 28,000 | 2,100 |
| 2000 | 30,500 | 2,200 |
| 2001 | 33,500 | 2,350 |
| 2002 | 37,500 | 2,400 |
Notes:
(1) Rounded to nearest £500.
(2) Rounded to nearest £50.
Income Tax
Mr. Syms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies his Department is undertaking on the possible effects of an increase in income tax. [125044]
Dawn Primarolo: The Government have committed themselves not to increase the basic or top rates of income tax within the lifetime of this Parliament. Policies on income tax rates and allowances are set out in the Budget and Pre-Budget reports, which are available in the Library of the House.
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 26 June 2003, Official Report, column 933W, on income tax, what factors underlay his conclusion that the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. [125398]
Dawn Primarolo: The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost because nearly 2,000 pieces of information have been requested (increasing the basic rate limit to seven different levels, and for each limit, introducing 13 additional higher income tax rates for 20 annual gross income levels). The sum of these requests would require a separate analysis that would exceed the rate for reasonable cost.
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Pension Schemes
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the statistics on the Inland Revenue regarding approved pension schemes, available at: http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/pensions/p t091 htm, which of the figures are based on (a) administrative data and (b) information compiled by the Office for National Statistics. [125410]
Dawn Primarolo: The figures in the table are compiled from a number of different sources. Inland Revenue estimates of average marginal rates of income tax are used with ONS data on occupational pension contributions (net of estimated transfers, refunds and surrenders compiled from FSA and ABI data); investment income; lump sum payments; and pensions in payment. All other components of the table are Inland Revenue estimates based primarily on administrative data.
Unemployment (Wandsworth)
Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the effect of his policies on unemployment levels within the London borough of Wandsworth during the last 12 months. [126175]
John Healey: In Wandsworth, as in the rest of the UK, the Government's policies to deliver a sound and credible platform of economic stability and to improve labour market performance are helping to achieve our long-term goal of employment opportunity for all. As a result, the claimant count in Wandsworth is down by 44 per cent. on its 1997 level.
Recognising the importance of worklessness as a constraint on the economy, the Government have made a particular commitment to help those excluded from the labour force back into employment. The Government's new deal policies have helped almost 900 long-term unemployed aged 25 and over in Wandsworth over the last 12 months to gain new skills and experience. This, in combination with our other policies, has helped to reduce both youth and long-term claimant count unemployment in Wandsworth by over 20 per cent. in the last year and by over 60 per cent. since 1997.
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