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19 Nov 2003 : Column 1100W—continued

Taxation

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much additional revenue would be raised from the residents of (a) each of the borough councils in Hampshire and (b) the Southampton and Portsmouth unitary authorities for every penny increase in the basic rate of tax. [139714]

Dawn Primarolo: The requested information is given in the table.

19 Nov 2003 : Column 1101W

Additional full-year yield (£ million) of increasing the basic rate of tax by 1p in 2000–01

(a) Borough Councils in Hampshire
Basingstoke and Deane	10.4
East Hampshire	6.8
Eastleigh	8.4
Fareham	6.9
Gosport	4.3
Hart	6.1
Havant	5.8
New Forest	9.0
Rushmoor	4.4
Test Valley	6.7
Winchester	8.2
(b) Portsmouth and Southampton unitary authorities	22.1

Estimates are based upon the 2000–01 Survey of Personal Incomes. The effects of the illustrative changes can be scaled up or down over a reasonably wide range. The results exclude any behavioural response to the tax change.

VAT Carousel Fraud

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the value of VAT carousel fraud was in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [139769]

(2) if he will make a statement on the progress of efforts to tackle VAT carousel fraud; [139770]

(3) how many prosecutions there were in respect of VAT carousel fraud (a) in 2000, (b) in 2001, (c) in 2002 and (d) since 9 April; [139771]

(4) how much money has been withheld in VAT repayments to companies trading in (a) mobile telephones and (b) computer chips in each of the last three years; how much was subsequently paid on to these companies; and if he will make a statement. [139773]

John Healey: There are no separate estimates for tax losses from the specific carousel variant of VAT Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) fraud. However, estimates of revenue loss from all forms of MTIC fraud, which includes carousel fraud, for 1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02 were published in "Measuring Indirect Tax Losses" at the time of the pre-Budget report in November 2002, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. There are no estimates for earlier years.

Details of Customs strategy and progress in tackling VAT MTIC fraud were set out in "Tackling Indirect Tax Fraud" (November 2001), "Protecting Indirect Tax Revenues" (November 2002), and Customs' Spring Report (May 2003), copies of which are also available in the Library of the House.

Prosecution figures for VAT MTIC fraud for 2001–02 were published in Customs' Annual Report and Accounts 2001–02 in December 2002 (CM 5671). Figures for earlier years are not available.

Customs does not maintain information in the format requested and it could be produced only at disproportionate cost. The levels of VAT repayments being withheld by Customs in any given sector at any

19 Nov 2003 : Column 1102W

given time vary on a daily basis, and repayments may be made which are subsequently established to be wrongly paid, resulting in an assessment for VAT at a later date.

Estimates of tax losses and the number of prosecutions for 2002–03, and an update on progress in tackling the fraud, will be published later this year.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has made to the European Union in respect of its rules on cross-border trade and VAT carousel fraud; and if he will make a statement. [139772]

John Healey: The UK Government has regular dialogue with the European Commission and other member states of the EU about the most effective way to counter carousel VAT fraud, including simplifying and modernising the current rules on cross-border trade and strengthening the arrangements for administrative co-operation and information exchange between member states' tax administrations. The UK has supported initiatives in this area such as the proposal for a new VAT Administrative Co-operation Regulation, which will come into force on 1 January 2004.

HEALTH

Chlamydia

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what powers the testing of 11 to 16-year-olds for chlamydia in schools is carried out; and what recent discussions he has had on the testing of school children for other sexually-transmitted diseases. [131806]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The power and decision to provide a school based health service, and the content of that service, is for the individual governing body of the school in consultation with pupils, parents and the school community.

GM Crops

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research (a) has been undertaken and (b) is planned by the Government into the effects of consuming GM crops on human gut flora. [138805]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Food Standards Agency has not undertaken, and is not planning, any research into the effects of consuming genetically modified crops on human gut flora. The Government's Science Review on genetic modification has concluded that there is no evidence that transgenic DNA per se behaves differently from any other DNA with respect to its fate following consumption in food.

Heroin Addicts

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of heroin addicts in (a) Leeds and (b) the UK in each of the last 10 years. [139345]

Miss Melanie Johnson: We do not hold this information centrally.

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A and E Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many admissions to Accident and Emergency departments there were in each of the past 12 quarters, broken down by hospital. [133750]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Quarterly activity statistics for accident and emergency departments are available from April 2001 for each national health service trust on the Department of Health website at http://www.doh. gov.uk/hospitalactivity/. A copy of this information is also available in the Library. Information is not collected by individual hospital site.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates since 1 October 2002 changes were made to the criteria used by the NHS in collecting data about the four-hour accident and emergency waiting time target. [135419]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Since October 2002 there has been one clarification to the criteria used by the national health service in collecting total time data. In addition monitoring has been extended beyond major accident and emergency (A&E) units to include all A&E and minor injuries units (MIU) services during this period.

A clarification took effect from January 2003. This provided a definition of an inpatient ward type 2 and 3 A&Es (specialist A&Es, MIU and walk in centres) were included in total time monitoring on a voluntary basis from the same month. Monitoring of total time in type 2 and 3 A&Es became mandatory from April 2003.

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Ambulances

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average length of time ambulances took to reach (a) the patient and (b) the hospital to which the patient needed to be taken in (i) the North West region, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) St. Helens in the last 12 months; [137989]

(2) in what proportion of 999 calls made to the Merseyside Ambulance Service in the most recently measured 12 months for which figures are available an ambulance was unnecessary. [138007]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information is not available. The latest published performance data held by the Department is for 2002–03. This can be found on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0313.pdf. This includes response by category of call by national health service trust.

Information relating to inappropriate calls is not available.

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) frontline ambulances, (b) patient transport vehicles, (c) fast response cars, (d) medical motorbikes, (e) medical cycles and (f) special baby care units were available in Merseyside in each year since 1997. [138009]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown in the table.

	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03
Frontline ambulances in fleet (including spares)	109	109	109	112	112	112
Patient Transport Service vehicles in fleet (including spare)	172	172	178	178	178	178
Solo Rapid Response Cars in fleet (including spare)	0	0	12	13	13	18
Motorcycles	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cycles	0	0	0	0	0	0
Special Baby Care Unit	0	0	0	0	0	0

Source:

Mersey Regional Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

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