| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
15 Oct 2003 : Column 281W—continued
Everything But Arms Agreement
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 25 September 2003, question ref 130694, what plans she has to make an assessment of the impact of the Everything But Arms agreement on the number of people who have lived or are predicted to live on $1 a day between 1990 and 2015 in sub-Saharan Africa. [132282]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Since the Everything But Arms (EBA) agreement came into effect in February 2001, there has been a rise in exports from countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This increase in export opportunities should help the growth of these countries and lead to a reduction in poverty. It is however, difficult to quantify the actual effect EBA will have on poverty, given the many factors that can influence changes in poverty levels.
Modern Languages
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 25 September 2003, question number 130710, what her plans are to commission specific research on the commercial effects of the decline in uptake of modern languages; and what representations she has received on this subject from United Kingdom businesses with foreign market interests. [132283]
Ms Hewitt: The DTI do not at present have any plans to commission specific research on the commercial effects of a decline in the uptake of modern languages; and we have received no formal representations from
15 Oct 2003 : Column 282W
business on this matter. The DfES are working with a range of partners, including ourselves, the Sector Skills Development Agency and the Learning Skills Council to monitor this issue and to develop strategies to deal with it should it appear to become a significant problem.
TREASURY
Census 2001
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions the Office for National Statistics has had with (a) the local authority and (b) the Primary Care Trust in Milton Keynes on the reliability of the 2001 Census results for Milton Keynes. [132172]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Phyllis Starkey, dated 15 October 2003:
- As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking about what discussions the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has had with (a) the local authority and (b) the Primary Care Trust in Milton Keynes on the reliability of the 2001 Census results for Milton Keynes. (132172)
- To date we have not had any face to face discussions with Milton Keynes Council or the Primary Care Trust concerning the results for Milton Keynes, but during the period 9 May to 16 September there has been extensive correspondence with these organisations. We have also corresponded with the Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority.
- In our detailed responses we have covered all the points raised and we have also explained that a further analysis suggested by Milton Keynes local authority would be considered in the work that ONS is planning to take forward following the review report "A demographic statistics service for the 21sl Century" published on 9 July.
15 Oct 2003 : Column 283W
- ONS are willing to meet representatives from Milton Keynes Council and the Primary Care Trust to discuss their concerns and explain the One Number Census methodology to aid their understanding of how their Census estimates were derived.
Cigarettes
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of (a) the scale of tobacco smuggling into Britain and (b) the success of the law enforcement agencies in tackling it; what plans he has for further measures to tackle tobacco smuggling; and if he will make a statement. [132137]
John Healey: Estimates of the scale of tobacco smuggling into the UK, and details of the successful strategy being applied to combat it are contained in "Tackling Tobacco Smuggling" (March 2000), "Tackling Indirect Tax Fraud" (November 2001) and "Protecting Indirect Tax Fraud" (November 2002), copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
Details of progress in 2002–03 will be reported around the time of the pre Budget Report.
Employment Statistics
David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were unemployed in Haltemprice and Howden in (a) the last month for which figures are available and (b) each of the preceding 12 months. [132327]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to David Davis, dated 15 October 2003:
- As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question regarding the number of people who were unemployed in Haltemprice and Howden in the last month for which figures are available and each of the preceding 12 months. (132327)
- The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following the internationally standard International Labour Organisation definition. However the survey sample size is too small to provide estimates for the Haltemprice & Howden Parliamentary Constituency. ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for Parliamentary Constituencies.
- Attached is a table which gives the number of JSA claimants in the Haltemprice and Howden Parliamentary Constituency for the period August 2002 to August 2003. The data are not seasonally adjusted. Claimant count statistics for September 2003 will be released on the 15th October 2003.
15 Oct 2003 : Column 284W
Firearms
Mr. Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 14 July 2003, Official Report, column 133W, how many firearms were detected by HM customs officers in the possession of passengers disembarking from aircraft at Farnborough, Hampshire (a) in 1999, (b) in November 1999 and (c) on 30 November 1999. [132184]
John Healey: There were no attempts to smuggle firearms detected by Customs at Farnborough Airport in 1999. In the same year Customs controlled four importations of firearms which were properly declared. In respect of these I refer the hon. Gentleman to my earlier answer.
Inland Revenue Officers
Mr. Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the destination offices were of Inland Revenue officers posted from International Division, Business Tax Group, in the year ended 31 March 2001. [132185]
Dawn Primarolo: Between 1 April 2000 and 31 March 2001, 11 Inland Revenue employees were transferred from International Division to a variety of other business units, including other Head Office Divisions and local offices.
Investment Fund
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the implications of the Futurebuilders Investment Fund for voluntary organisations. [131355]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 14 October 2003]: The Futurebuilders Fund will provide resources for voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises in England, to increase the scale and scope of their delivery of public services. It will enable individual organisations to invest for the future, through modernising their operations and undertaking research and development. Most importantly, it will lead to improved services for users and show how that success can be replicated.
Ministerial Visits
David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the (a) foreign and (b) UK visits made by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 1 April 2003; what the cost was to public funds of each trip; who he met; and what gifts were received. [126887]
Mr. Boateng: The Government publish the overall costs of all Ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits overseas by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500 on an annual basis. For the period up to 31 March
15 Oct 2003 : Column 285W
2003 I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Warwick and Leamington on 16 July 2003, Official Report, column 327W. The next list, for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004, will be published at the end of the financial year.
In respect of gifts received, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister on 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 445W.
In the UK: the Chief Secretary visited Oxford University in April at no cost; the Baptist Assembly, Cardiff in May at no cost; Social Services, Cambridge in May at no cost; Cambridge University in May at no cost; ICSB World Conference, Northern Ireland in June at a cost of £262.30; CPYU Ministerial Listening Tour, Bristol in June at a cost of £145.00; Festival of Science, Leicester in June at no cost; Sieff Conference, Windsor in September at no cost; Council Congress Dinner, Brighton in September at a cost of £21.10; and the Pensions and Savings Summit, Edinburgh in September at a cost of £318.90.
All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |