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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 9 September 2003
PRIME MINISTER
Ministerial Visits
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Prime Minister when he last visited Galloway and Upper Nithsdale constituency. [128013]
The Prime Minister: Regrettably, I have been unable to do so, but I hope to visit the hon. Member's constituency at some point in the future.
Joyce Quin: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 16 July 2003 to the question tabled by the right hon. Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West whether it is policy to hold regular meetings with (a) the First Minister of the Scottish Parliament and (b) the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales. [127961]
The Prime Minister: I have meetings with both First Ministers on a regular basis, both bilaterally and through the Joint Ministerial Committee.
Media Training
Mr. Flight: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost was to his Department of media and voice training for Ministers and officials in each year since 1997. [123129]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Minister for the Cabinet Office gave him on 1 September, Official Report, column 693W.
Tibet
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise the issue of Tibet with the Chinese Government during his forthcoming visit to China. [128183]
The Prime Minister: I raised human rights with the Chinese Premier, and underlined our interest in an ongoing dialogue with China over human rights issues. I also discussed Tibet with the Chinese leadership, and welcomed recent contact between the Chinese authorities and representatives of the Dalai Lama.
World Trade Organisation
John Barrett: To ask the Prime Minister what his priorities will be at the World Trade Organisation's fifth Ministerial Conference in September; and if he will make a statement. [127941]
The Prime Minister: We will work for a successful outcome to the current round of world trade negotiations that benefits industrialised and developing countries alike.
The recent agreement on the issue of affordable medicines for the world's poorest nations is a step in the right direction.
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Our immediate objective now is to secure agreement on a framework for an agreement on agriculture—where the EU has shown its commitment to the Round in agreeing ambitious changes to the CAP.
We shall also be pressing for progress on reducing non-agricultural tariffs, increasing services liberalisation and agreeing special and differential treatment for developing countries.
TREASURY
Customs and Excise
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Government spending was on HM Customs and Excise in real terms in each of the last five years. [127409]
John Healey: HM Customs and Excise reported their total public spending figures in Table 1 (Total spending for HM Customs & Excise) of Appendix 3 of their Spring Departmental report 2003 (Cm 5924). Actual outturn is reported for the four financial years from 1998–99 to 2001–02.
No figures are available in comparable resource accounting terms for the financial year 1997–98. The actual resource outturn figure for 2002–03 will be published in Schedule 1 of the Resource Accounts in their annual report this autumn.
Public spending figures can be adjusted to 2000–01 price levels by applying the Treasury's GDP deflator, as shown in the table.
| Financial year | Actual public spending | Real termsspending |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 897 | 963 |
| 1999–2000 | 921 | 965 |
| 2000–01 | 847 | 868 |
| 2001–02 | 1,106 | 1,106 |
Online Tax Assessment
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax filers submitted their self-assessment form electronically using the Inland Revenue's on-line programme in (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01, (c) 2001–02 and (d) 2002–03. [127073]
Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue received the following number of returns electronically in the following years:
1999–2000—The number of returns received electronically by the Inland Revenue was 309,510. All of these were received via the Electronic Lodgement Service as the Internet service was not available until 3 July 2000.
2000–01—The number of returns received electronically by the Inland Revenue was 336,127. 296,837 of these were received via the Electronic Lodgement Service and 39,290 via the Internet Service.
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2001–02—The number of returns received electronically by the Inland Revenue was 419,236. 343,009 of these were received via the Electronic Lodgement Service and 76,287 via the Internet Service.
2002–03—The number of tax returns received electronically by the Inland Revenue was 705,690. 370,051 of these were received via the Electronic Lodgement Service and 335,639 via the Internet service.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of UK tax-filers submitted their self-assessment form electronically using the Inland Revenue's on-line programme in the tax year 2002–03. [127074]
Dawn Primarolo: 7.8 per cent. of taxpayers submitted their Self Assessment forms electronically in the tax year 2002–03. 3.71 per cent. (335,639) used the Inland Revenue's Internet service and 4.09 per cent. (370,051) used the Inland Revenue's Electronic Lodgement Service.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's target for take-up of the Inland Revenue's self-assessment on-line programme by UK tax-filers was in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what it is for the 2003–04 tax period; and how these targets were derived. [127075]
Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue does not have specific targets for each year.
The Inland Revenue Public Service Agreement 2003–2006 posted on the Inland Revenue Internet site on 14 February 2003 sets out the targets for electronic filing.
The Inland Revenue has set a target of 25 per cent. of SA returns filed electronically by 2005–06 (i.e. 2.2 million of 8.8 million returns), including but not differentiating those filed by agents. Electronically means Filing by Internet Service (FBI) or Electronic Lodgement Service (ELS).
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how HM Treasury is determining the value for money paid for the Inland Revenue's self-assessment on-line system. [127076]
Dawn Primarolo: Determining the value for money of an individual project is the responsibility of the department implementing it.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether an evaluation of the Inland Revenue's self-assessment on-line programme will be included in the review of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise announced on 2nd July. [127077]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare (Brian Cotter) on 2 July 2003, Official Report, column 270W.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much HM Treasury allocated to the marketing of the Government's e-agenda for the Inland Revenue's self assessment on-line programme in (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01, (c) 2001–02 and (d) 2002–03; [127081]
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- (2) how much HM Treasury spent on the marketing of the Government's e-agenda for the Inland Revenue's self assessment on-line programme in (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01, (c) 2001–02 and (d) 2002–03. [127082]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) in January 2003, Official Report, column 1061–63W and to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) in May 2002, Official Report, column 36W that detail all Treasury departments' marketing communications spend for the period, including for Self Assessment.
The annual Self-Assessment campaign includes the promotion of the online service as part of a wider package.
The three main messages of the campaign are: file by the due deadline, file early and file online. Most advertising will carry a combination of these messages accompanied by information about the support available but broadly speaking, around a third of the campaign effort is weighted toward e-filing messages, with online (internet) advertising concentrating on this issue.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role he plans for the private sector in assisting the Government to meet its targets for take-up of the Inland Revenue self-assessment on-line programme. [127084]
Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue has worked closely with relevant parts of the Private Sector since the SA on-line programme was introduced. The filing product was created in close consultation with the software industry and equal prominence is given to third party software products on the Inland Revenue Website.
An advertisement was published in May in "Government Opportunities" encouraging potential SA filing partners to come forward, and various joint initiatives are currently being worked on with independent software vendors, payroll companies and financial organisations.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how his Department is evaluating the results being achieved with regard to the percentage of UK tax-filers submitting their self-assessment form electronically using the Inland Revenue's on-line programme against the Government's pre-set targets. [127085]
Dawn Primarolo: The Public Service Agreement 2003–06 sets out the targets for electronic filing. The Inland Revenue has set a target of 25 per cent. of SA returns filed electronically by 2005–06, including but not differentiating those filed by agents. Electronically means Filing by Internet (FBI) or Electronic Lodgement Service (ELS).
The Inland Revenue counts the total number of returns received and how many of these have been received electronically to monitor its progress against the target.
The achievement of the target will be assessed and reported annually and subject to validation by the Inland Revenue's Internal Audit Office.
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Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the actual per-return cost to HM Treasury was of the Inland Revenue's self assessment on-line in (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01, (c) 2001–02 and (d) 2002–03 with regard to electronic tax filing; and what the projected cost is for the 2003–04 tax year. [127086]
Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue's on-line service for Self-Assessment Tax Returns went live in 2000–01 (on 3rd July 2000).
| £ per return | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 187.83 |
| 2001–02 | 105.93 |
| 2002–03 | 33.13 |
The projected "per return" cost for 2003–04 is £16.35 per return.
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