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Business Rates

Vera Baird: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what extra amount Redcar and Cleveland would have received in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003 under the Treasury's preferred model for local authority retention of business rates. [125927]

Mr. Boateng: The Government published a consultation document on the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive scheme on the 4 July. This invites responses by the 31 October. At this stage we are consulting on the principles and concepts that will guide the design of the scheme. During 2004 we will consult again on a specific proposal.

The benefits to individual local authorities from the scheme will depend on the final design of the scheme and how well individual local authorities respond to the incentives from the scheme.

Census 2001 (Sheffield)

Mr. Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of Sheffield's 2001 Census information was lost; if he will make a statement on how this information was lost; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the methods used to estimate Sheffield's 2001 Census returns. [126125]

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

Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Betts dated 17 July 2003:
 
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The National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales has been asked to reply to your recent question regarding your concerns about how the 2001 Census was conducted in Sheffield. (126125)

I can assure you that there were no Census forms lost in Sheffield. It seems likely that your reference to 'lost' information refers to problems with the Census Coverage Survey for Sheffield. This resulted in us not having information for 36 of the sampled postcodes and meant that we could not use the Census Coverage Survey for Sheffield as we had originally intended.

The Census Coverage Survey (CCS) was a key element in the One Number Census process. It was an independent survey conducted shortly after the Census to establish the coverage of the   2001 Census. The information obtained from the Census Coverage Survey was used to enable census population counts to be adjusted for unde renumeration at the national, local and small area level. It was therefore important that the Census Coverage Survey was successful in capturing those persons missed in the Census.

A quality assurance panel was set up to look at the results of the Census from around the country and also to provide advice as problems arose during the processing. After someconsideration, the quality assurance panel felt that the sample for Sheffield from the Census Coverage Survey was not sufficient to make reliable estimates of underenumeration.

However, the methodology for the Census included a contingency strategy that could be used for occasions when it was felt that the Census Coverage Survey had failed to find the people missed from the Census. This contingency strategy involved a method known as "borrowing strength". This strategy involves using the adjustments made for similar Local Authoritieswhen compared with aggregate administrative data and applying these to the Authority for which the strategy is invoked. The method for selecting Local Authorities from which to borrow strength involved using the ONS classification of Local Authorities to identify the five most similar areas in terms of socio-economic and demographic characteristics. By applying the borrowing strength method, the population of Sheffield was increased by 6,100 over and above what would have been achieved had the borrowing strength method not been used. This accounts for approximately 1 per cent. of the total population estimate.

A consultation exercise was undertaken with all Local Authorities in the winter of 2000/1 inviting each Authority to comment on the acceptability of the list of closest Authorities to their own for borrowing strength purposes. Sheffield was given the opportunity to comment at this stage, before the list was finalised and published.

Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the percentage of total central government expenditure was represented by PFI and PPP annual payments in the financial years (a) 1992–93, (b) 1997–98 and (c) 2002–03; [125498]

(2) what the total central government expenditure was on PFI and PPP annual payments in the financial years, (a) 1992–93, (b) 1997–98 and (c) 2002–03. [125499]

Mr. Boateng: Estimated figures for PFI/PPP annual payments total £0.37 billion for 1997–98. These figures can be seen in the 1997–98 Financial Statement and    Budget Report: Table 5.6—Estimated forward commitments from signed contracts.

Estimated figures for 1997/98 represent 0.1 per cent. of Total Managed Expenditure (£323.6 billion).

Estimated figures for PFI/PPP annual payments total £4.545 billion for 2002–03. These figures can be seen in the 2002–03 Financial Statement and Budget Report: Table C19—Estimated payments under PFI contracts.
 
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Estimated figures for 2002–03 represent 1.1 per cent. of Total Managed Expenditure (£421 billion—estimated outturn).

Figures for 1992/93 were not compiled at that time.

Chief Economic Adviser

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Treasury's Chief Economic Adviser plays an executive role in the Inland Revenue's dealings with (a) individuals and (b) businesses. [126471]

Dawn Primarolo: The Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury has no executive role in the Inland Revenue's dealings with either group.

Child Benefit

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated annual cost would be of changing the child benefit system to pay the higher rate of child benefit in respect of all children of a multiple birth when those children are the oldest in a family. [125858]

Dawn Primarolo: Child benefit is a universal system of support paid to all families who are responsible for a child, irrespective of their means. It is paid until a child reaches the age of 16, or 19 if they remain in full-time non-advanced education.

The higher rate of child benefit is paid in respect of the eldest child family, by date or time of birth, until that child reaches 16, or 19 if appropriate.

To provide an additional "higher rate" for each child of a multiple birth under the current tax and benefit system, where there are no other older children in a family, would cost an additional £15 million a year.

Correspondence

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter dated 29 May from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan on insurance premium tax. [126776]

John Healey: I have done so.

Customs and Excise

Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many times in the past two years the   Customs and Excise National Strike Force has undertaken operational duties in west Wales; [118546]

(2) what seizures have been made by the Customs and Excise National Strike Force in west Wales in the last two years. [118532]

John Healey: Pursuant to his answers of 12 June 2003, Official Report, columns 980–81W, the National Strike Force was in fact deployed to Wales 10 times in the last two years, rather than the total of 16 times since it was established in January 2000, and these deployments included west Wales on four occasions.

Deployments of the National Strike Force are rarely to any single location, and it is not possible to identify from older operational records the specific locations where seizures were made by the National Strike Force. Figures for seizures in west Wales alone are therefore
 
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not available; however, in the last two years in south Wales (including west Wales but excluding Cardiff airport) the National Strike Force seized 180,000 cigarettes but no criminal cash.

Lembit Öpik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Home Office, (b) Secretary of State for Wales and (c) Welsh Assembly regarding removal of permanent front-line anti-smuggling customs officers from (i) Chester, (ii) Swansea and (iii) Pembroke ports; and if he will make a statement. [126320]

John Healey: Following the announcement of Customs and Excise's modernisation plans in March, I informed the Home Secretary and wrote to the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales; Customs wrote to Dyfed-Powys police force and to South Wales police force. Customs officials have also discussed their plans with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales.

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