| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
17 Jul 2003 : Column 466W—continued
Tax Revenues
Mr. Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has made of the extra revenue generated through taxation on those people who will work until the age of 70 in the next 10 years. [125145]
Dawn Primarolo: Total income tax paid by people aged 65–69 with employment and self- employment income is estimated to be £1.8 billion in 2003–04. The Government will monitor the changing working patterns of older people as part of its on-going work on pensions.
VAT Rebates (Places of Worship)
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the cost was in 2002–03 of administering grants provided under the scheme providing rebates on VAT paid in respect of repairs to places of worship listed as being of architectural significance; and what the value of grants awarded in 2002–03 was; [126186]
(2) what assessment he has made of the impact on listed buildings which are not places of worship but which are in need of repair of his policy of providing grants equal to VAT paid only in respect of places of worship. [126187]
17 Jul 2003 : Column 467W
John Healey: It is the Government's long-term objective to reduce the rate of VAT charged on repairs to listed places of worship from 17.5 per cent to 5 per cent. However, as this change is not permitted under current EU rules, the Commission has agreed to look at UK proposals to amend the VAT rules when the reduced rate provisions are reviewed this year. The listed places of worship grant scheme has been introduced in the interim to award grants equivalent to the savings that would result from a reduced VAT rate.
The total costs of the scheme are published on a routine basis in the annual report of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. That Department monitors the administration of the scheme to ensure value for money is given at all times, and monitors the impact of the scheme to ensure it is working effectively. There is no evidence that the scheme has had any impact on other listed properties.
Written Ministerial Statements
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many written ministerial statements have been made by the Department since 29 October 2002. [126607]
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Lay Magistrates (Northern Ireland)
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when he plans to proceed with the appointment of lay magistrates in Northern Ireland. [125549]
Mr. Lammy: It is intended to establish the new office of lay magistrate by September 2004. This will necessitate an extensive recruitment campaign with the post of lay magistrate being advertised later this year.
Private Bailiffs
Gregory Barker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what regulations govern the capacity of a private bailiff forcibly to enter a domicile; and when they were last amended; [126949]
(2) what legislation applies to the governance of bailiffs and private law enforcement agents; and what rights and privileges are afforded to bailiffs in the execution of their duties. [126951]
Mr. Lammy : In March of this year the Government published the White Paper "Effective Enforcement" (Cm 5744) in which it set out its conclusions on the law governing bailiffs, including rights of forcible entry.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Government have to introduce legislation on bailiffs. [126952]
Mr. Lammy:
The Government will introduce legislation when Parliamentary time allows.
17 Jul 2003 : Column 468W
Gregory Barker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent representations he has received regarding privately contracted bailiffs. [126953]
Mr. Lammy: Since April 2002, my Department has received 15 items of correspondence on the subject of bailiffs in the context of the Civil Enforcement Review. There has also been one Parliamentary Question on this issue in that time.
In addition, the Department received 84 responses to the Green Paper "Towards Effective Enforcement", which was issued in July 2001. The Department published these responses to consultation in April 2002.
The Department has also received 15 responses to the White Paper "Effective Enforcement", published in March 2003, on bailiff related issues. These responses are being analysed.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps are taken by his Department to (a) monitor and (b) enforce standards within the bailiff industry. [126954]
Mr. Lammy: Enforcement arrangements are fragmented, with some firms and individuals working outside of any recognised structures. This is not satisfactory and we are working with the industry to gather evidence of the number and nature of complaints to help guide the future regulation of enforcement agents.
In May 2002 we published "National Standards for Enforcement Agents". The objective was to raise the standards of the enforcement profession nationally by building on and improving existing guidance and best practice. The standards are intended for the use of all enforcement agents both public and private, the enforcement agencies that employ them and the major creditors who use their services. This is a step towards future legislation and regulation.
A White Paper "Effective Enforcement" was issued in March 2003. It proposes a regulatory system, a single piece of law and fairer fee structure for all enforcement agents.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what licensing procedures there are for (a) bailiffs and (b) private law enforcement agents. [126955]
Mr. Lammy: There are currently no licensing procedures for bailiffs and private law enforcement agents. We set out the current structures in our Green Paper "Towards Effective Enforcement" issued in July 2001. This included:
The White Paper "Effective Enforcement" published in March 2003 proposes a regulation of all public and private sector enforcement services across all areas of warrant enforcement which will include a licensing procedure.
Catherine Meyer
Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to make representations to the Chief Justice of Germany concerning the case of Catherine Meyer. [125527]
Constitutional Affairs Department
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will list his Department's responsibilities for Scotland. [122515]
Mr. Leslie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Stone (Mr. Cash) on 19 June 2003, Official Report, column 391W.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) where the Department of Constitutional Affairs will be housed; who will have responsibility within his Department for (a) constitutional matters, (b) Scottish matters, (c) Welsh matters and (d) matters relating to human rights; and when he intends to publish the list of ministerial responsibilities; [122702]
(2) whether the (a) Scotland and (b) Wales Offices will be housed in the same building as the Department of Constitutional Affairs. [122747]
Mr. Leslie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Stone (Mr. Cash) on 19 June 2003, Official Report, column 391W; and to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) on 1 July 2003, Official Report, column 255W, regarding housing of the Department.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the relationship between (a) Constitutional Affairs, (b) Scotland Office and (c) Wales Office will be with regard to staffing and personnel matters. [122748]
Mr. Leslie:
Staffing matters are the responsibility of the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). There are 49 civil servants currently in post in the Wales Office and a total of 115 in the Scotland Office, of which 33 are staff of the Advocate-General for Scotland. They are all on loan or secondment principally from the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive respectively. Staff will be offered the options of either transferring to DCA, remaining on secondment or loan or returning to their parent department or organisation in due course. Line management arrangements for these staff will not be affected by the new arrangements and, whilst we would generally expect DCA personnel policies to apply to staff transferring to my Department, this will depend on individual terms of employment. I also hope that all staff working within the DCA may find it beneficial to work within a wider corporate headquarters environment.
17 Jul 2003 : Column 470W
I expect that the Wales and Scotland Offices will continue to include a significant number of staff on secondment from the devolved administrations.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |