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14 Oct 2003 : Column 5W—continued

Ships and Aircraft (VAT)

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons ships and aircraft above a certain size are zero-rated for value added tax purposes; and if he will make a statement. [130552]

John Healey: Under long-standing EU VAT agreements, sea-going vessels used for: navigation on the high seas; for the purpose of commercial, industrial or fishing activities; for rescue or assistance at sea; and commercial aircraft used chiefly on international routes are relieved of tax.

The UK has implemented this by relieving ships and aircraft, not used for recreation or pleasure, from VAT according to their weight. This simple rule provides clarity and certainty for businesses.

Tax Credits

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 17 July 2003, Official Report, columns 454–55W, on tax credit helplines, how many calls to the working tax credit helpline were expected in the first year of operation; and if he will make a statement. [128752]

Dawn Primarolo: There was no single forecast of calls or callers to the child and working tax credit helplines.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the total cost of the July 1997 Budget decision to abolish payable tax credits for pension schemes and UK companies for each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06; and if he will make a statement. [130012]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 16 September 2003]: The estimated effects of the abolition of payable tax credits were published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report in July 1997. The abolition of payable

14 Oct 2003 : Column 6W

tax credits was part of a wider package of corporation tax reforms, and its actual effects cannot be separately identified.

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the amount of research and development expenditure incurred by small and medium-sized companies that will qualify for the research and development tax credit in 2000–01. [131043]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 18 September 2003]: There are no published estimates of the amount of research and development expenditure incurred by small and medium-sized companies in 2000–01 that will qualify for the research and development tax credit. We have received over 1,700 claims by small and medium-sized companies relating to R&D expenditure in 2000–01.

VAT Registration Threshold

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses were (a) above and (b) below the VAT registration threshold in each year from 1988–89 to 2003–04; and if he will make a statement. [130544]

John Healey: The information requested is not available.

Details of the total number of businesses registered for VAT are published in HM Customs and Excise Annual Reports, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. These figures include registered businesses whose turnover is below the VAT registration threshold, and do not include businesses whose turnover is above the VAT registration threshold who are not registered for VAT. Data are not available for the number of unregistered traders with turnovers below the VAT registration threshold, as they are not required to register for VAT.

Data are not available on the number of registered traders who are above the threshold. However, VAT Factsheets, published three times a year by Customs, copies of which are available in the Library of the House, show the numbers of VAT-registered traders by turnover bandings.

Registered Maternities

Mr. McWalter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many registered maternities there were to women resident in (a) Dacorum, (b) St. Albans, (c) Watford, (d) Hertsmere and (e) Three Rivers local authority districts which took place in (i) Hemel Hempstead General Hospital, (ii) Watford General Hospital, (iii) St. Albans City Hospital, (iv) Mount Vernon Hospital, (v) Barnet General Hospital, (vi) Chase Farm Hospital, (vii) Northwick Park Hospital, (viii) Luton and Dunstable Hospital, (ix) Stoke Mandeville Hospital, (x) Wycombe General Hospital, (xi) other NHS hospitals, (xii) RAF Halton Hospital, (xiii) other non-NHS hospitals, (xiv) at home and (xv) elsewhere in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [131458]

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

14 Oct 2003 : Column 7W

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. McWalter, dated 14 October 2003:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your request for the number of maternities for women resident in (a) Dacorum, (b) St. Albans, (c) Watford, (d) Hertsmere and (e) Three Rivers local authority districts, which took place in the list of hospitals below for the each of the last three years for which figures are available. (131458)
(i) Hemel Hempstead General Hospital,
(ii) Watford General Hospital,
(iii) St. Albans City Hospital
(iv) Mount Vernon Hospital
(v) Barnet General Hospital
(vi) Chase Farm Hospital,
(vii) Northwick Park Hospital,

14 Oct 2003 : Column 8W

(viii) Luton and Dunstable Hospital,(ix) Stoke Mandeville Hospital,
(x) Wycombe General Hospital,(xi) other NHS hospitals,(xii) RAF Halton Hospital,
(xiii) other non-NHS hospitals,
(xiv) at home, and
(xv) elsewhere
No data are available for RAF Halton hospital as it closed in 1996. Three tables showing data for 2000, 2001 and 2002 for the other hospitals are provided in the attached tables.
Maternities in selected hospitals, for selected areas of usual residence of the mother, 2000

	Place of mother's residence
	Dacorum	Hertsmere	St. Albans	Three Rivers	Watford
Place of maternity
(i) Hemel Hempstead General	1,410	12	1,187	63	12
(ii) Watford General	41	488	81	836	1,056
(iii) St. Albans City	0	0	0	0	0
(iv) Mount Vernon Hospital	0	0	0	0	0
(v) Barnet General	0	1	1	0	0
(vi) Chase Farm	0	25	2	0	0
(vii) Northwick Park	4	12	2	14	7
(viii) Luton and Dunstable	19	2	32	1	3
(ix) Stoke Mandeville	132	0	0	1	0
(x) Wycombe General	1	0	0	2	0
(xi) Other NHS	18	573	291	57	24
(xiii) Other Non-NHS	5	27	7	18	2
(xiv) At Home	67	11	75	17	10
(xv) Elsewhere	2	2	0	0	1
Total	1,699	1,153	1,678	1,009	1,115

Maternities in selected hospitals, for selected areas of usual residence of the mother, 2001

	Place of mother's residence
	Dacorum	Hertsmere	St. Albans	Three Rivers	Watford
Place of maternity
(i) Hemel Hempstead General	1,361	7	1,026	36	7
(ii) Watford General	53	480	108	807	1,055
(iii) St. Albans City	0	0	0	0	0
(iv) Mount Vernon Hospital	0	0	0	0	0
(v) Barnet General	0	1	0	0	0
(vi) Chase Farm	1	19	2	0	0
(vii) Northwick Park	4	6	2	21	6
(viii) Luton and Dunstable	13	1	61	2	2
(ix) Stoke Mandeville	114	1	2	0	0
(x) Wycombe General	2	0	0	4	0
(xi) Other NHS	24	544	373	44	27
(xiii) Other Non-NHS	8	17	14	14	1
(xiiv) At Home	58	9	61	11	8
(xv) Elsewhere	2	0	0	0	0
Total	1,640	1,085	1,649	939	1,106

Maternities in selected hospitals, for selected areas of usual residence of the mother, 2002

	Place of mother's residence
	Dacorum	Hertsmere	St. Albans	Three Rivers	Watford
Place of maternity
(i) Hemel Hempstead General	377	3	193	9	1
(ii) Watford General	778	479	598	772	999
(iii) St. Albans City	0	0	0	0	0
(iv) Mount Vernon Hospital	0	0	0	0	0
(v) Barnet General	0	0	0	0	0
(vi) Chase Farm	0	26	2	1	0
(vii) Northwick Park	1	5	1	10	10
(viii) Luton and Dunstable	56	0	198	2	3
(ix) Stoke Mandeville	170	0	0	2	0
(x) Wycombe General	2	0	1	5	0
(xi) Other NHS	52	530	595	54	19
(xiii) Other Non-NHS	5	15	8	13	1
(xiiv) At Home	87	9	69	11	12
(xv) Elsewhere	3	1	0	0	1
Total	1,531	1,068	1,665	879	1,046

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Wanless Report

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish the report by Derek Wanless on the cost-effectiveness of public health interventions; [132198]

(2) when he expects to receive the report of Derek Wanless on the cost-effectiveness of public health interventions. [132199]

Mr. Boateng: Derek Wanless will report to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Health early in 2004. It is anticipated that a report will be published shortly afterwards.

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