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60-year-olds

Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single (a) women and (b) men will reach the age of 60 years between 21 September and 25 December. [143078]

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Mr Len Cook to Mr Steve Webb, dated 9 December 2003:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the number of single women and single men who will reach the age of 60 years between 21 September and 25 December 2003.

It is estimated that there will be 20,400 single women and 17,100 single men in England and Wales who will reach the age of 60 during this period. Single has been defined to include single (never married), widowed and divorced.

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These figures are estimates. They have been derived using the latest national population projections produced by the Government Actuary's Department.

Data from the Office for National Statistics on the pattern of births in 1943 indicates the proportion of the projected total number of 59-year old men and women in June 2003 who will reach the age of 60 between 21 September and 25 December 2003. Date from the national population projections by marital status produced by the Government Actuary's Department have been used to estimate the proportion who are single.

80-year-olds

Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single (a) women and (b) men will reach the age of 80 years between 21 September and 25 December. [143079]

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Steve Webb dated 9 December 2003:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the number of single women and single men who will reach the age of 80 years between 21 September and 25 December 2003.

It is estimated that there will be 29,500 single women and 9,800 single men in England and Wales who will reach the age of 80 during this period. Single has been defined to include single (never married), widowed and divorced.

These figures are estimates. They have been derived using the latest national population projections produced by the Government Actuary's Department.

Data from the Office for National Statistics on the pattern of births in 1923 indicates the proportion of the projected total number of 79-year-old men and women in June 2003 who will reach the age of 80 between 21 September and 25 December 2003. Data from the national population projections by marital status produced by the Government Actuary's Department have been used to estimate the proportion who are single.

Big Conversation

Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what visits (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department (i) have made and (ii) plan to make using public funds in connection with the Big Conversation; how many civil servants accompanied each Minister in respect of such visits; what the cost to public funds was of visits by (A) each Minister and (B) civil servants in connection with the Big Conversation; and if he will make a statement. [143100]

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House today.

Companies' Tax

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to propose legislation to

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require companies to publish in their annual reports a table showing the annual pre-tax profits and tax paid in each country. [142707]

Dawn Primarolo: The legal requirements for companies' published annual accounts are covered by the Companies Act which is within the responsibility of the Department of Trade and Industry. I am not aware of any plans on their part to change the legislation in the way you suggest.

Computers (Tax Relief)

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition of computer is used by the Inland Revenue for the purposes of the changes to tax relief on employer-loaned computers introduced in the March 1999 budget. [142248]

Dawn Primarolo: The tax law (section 320 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003) which sets out the benefits tax exemption for computers loaned to employees by employers does not define the term. In cases of doubt the Inland Revenue will have regard to the particular facts. In addition to the computer itself, the exemption also covers printers, scanners and other devices designed for use with a computer.

Customs and Excise

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps Her Majesty's Customs takes to check imported postal packets; and how many cases of (a) imports of banned items and (b) potential tax evasion were detected in the last three financial years. [142422]

John Healey: HM Customs and Excise control imported postal packets at the Royal Mail's two international postal depots at Coventry and Mount Pleasant.

Customs controls are applied to all postal packets imported into the UK from outside the European Union using well-established risk assessment techniques to identify consignments for examination. In addition, Customs examine declarations affixed to packets to ensure that the correct customs duty, excise duty and VAT are charged and collected. This process includes risk-based testing of packets with incomplete or missing declarations.

Customs records do not identify the number of individual packets on which tax may have been evaded as a result of mis-description or under-evaluation.

Packets containing banned items, including drugs, tobacco products, obscene material and firearms, are seized by Customs. The following table gives the numbers of packets containing banned items which were seized in the last three years.

	Packets identified and seized
2000–01	21,768
2001–02	20,008
2002–03	18,218

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Euro

Mrs. Liddell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the recent work of the Standing Committee on Euro Preparations. [143234]

Ruth Kelly: The Chancellor's Standing Committee on Euro Preparations met on 23 October. It welcomed new members appointed by the Chancellor, and discussed next steps for preparations, the third outline National Changeover Plan and the work of the new Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Euro Preparations committees. They also considered the seventh Report on Euro Preparations, which was published by HM Treasury on 18 November.

Minutes of the meeting will be available shortly on www.euro.gov.uk.

Mrs. Liddell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the recent work of the (a) Scottish, (b) Welsh and (c) Northern Ireland euro preparation committees. [143235]

Ruth Kelly: Information about the work of the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Euro Preparations Committees was published in Chapter 3 of the Seventh Report on Euro Preparations, issued by HMT on 18 November. Minutes of the meetings are available at www.dfpni.gov.uk (Northern Ireland), www.wales.gov.uk (Wales) and www.scottishsecretary.gov.uk (Scotland).

Film Industry

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the titles of each film production which has benefited from film industry tax relief for each year since 2001–02; and if he will make a statement. [142299]

Dawn Primarolo: Details of individual films that have benefited from tax relief cannot be disclosed for reasons of taxpayer confidentiality. Exemption 15 (Statutory and other restrictions) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applies. There are two main reliefs, section 42 of the Finance (No.2) Act 1992 and section 48 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1997, available for expenditure incurred on the production or acquisition of the master version of a British qualifying film. DCMS certifies British qualifying films under the terms of the Films Act 1985. A list of qualifying films for the period since 1997 has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Iraq

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to re-assess Iraq's debt repayments to the UK to assist the reconstruction of the country. [141558]

Mr. Boateng: The Government has made clear that we are seeking a fair and sustainable solution to Iraq's debt problems.

We believe the most effective way to deliver a solution is for the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and other responsible international organisations, to complete first their assessment of Iraq's needs, resources and obligations. That would then be followed by a comprehensive debt restructuring by the Paris Club of official creditors and comparable treatment from other

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official and private creditors. G7 finance ministries have asked creditors to make their best efforts to complete the process by the end of 2004.

The Government believes that Iraq's debts should be dealt with under the new "Evian approach" to debt restructuring agreed by the Paris Club in October, which offers a long-term solution for countries with the most serious debt problems, including debt reduction where a need is clearly demonstrated. The Prime Minister has made clear that he hopes creditors will be generous in recognising Iraq's needs for the future.

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