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10 Dec 2003 : Column 486W—continued
Student Loans
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of average earnings the threshold for repayment of a student loan was at (a) the time it was introduced and (b) the latest date for which figures are available. [143175]
Alan Johnson: The first point at which borrowers could be required to repay income contingent loans was April 2000. At that time the threshold of £10,000 was 44 per cent. of average earnings (£22,475 1 ). In April 2003 the threshold (£10,000) was 40 per cent. of average earnings (£25,134 1 ).
- 1 As used in the setting of the repayments threshold for mortgage style student loans.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
European Insolvency Directive(Legal Action)
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's estimate is of the cost of defending the legal action that the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation and Amicus brought in relation to the implementation of Article 8 of the 1980 European Insolvency Directive. [142502]
Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
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At such an early stage in the proceedings, it is not possible to provide an estimate of the costs of defending the action brought by ISTC and Amicus.
Audit
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with (a) UK firms and (b) representatives of the accountancy profession on the decision to raise the audit exemption threshold to £5.6 million; and if she will publish the minutes of such meetings. [140884]
Ms Hewitt: On 11 July 2003 the Government published a consultation document on the proposal to increase the audit exemption threshold. The consultation document was sent to some 870 organisations, businesses and individuals, including UK firms and representatives of the accountancy profession. There were 90 responses of which 35 were from UK firms and 11 from bodies representing the accountancy profession. A summary of the responses is available on the Department's website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/cld/published.htm
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the change in cost to UK businesses of the reduction in the timescale for rotation of audit partners from seven to five years. [140885]
Ms Hewitt: The regular rotation of audit partners plays an important role in upholding auditor independence. The Government welcomed the recommendation by the Coordinating Group on Audit and Accounting Issues (CGAA) last January to reduce the timescale for the rotation of the lead audit partner from seven to five years. The professional audit bodies implemented the recommendation immediately through revised guidance. They pointed out that audit firms would incur some costs in terms of familiarisation and planning (which would vary according to size of firm) in moving to the new five year cycle, but agreed with the CGAA that, as the requirements only relate to firms that are auditing listed and public interest entities, the benefits in terms of safeguarding auditor independence from the client outweighed any such transitional costs.
Meanwhile the Auditing Practices Board have drafted a new ethical standard which formalises the reduction from seven to five years, and are currently consulting on this and other ethical standards.
Business Employment
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of businesses employing more than (a) five people, (b) 50 people, (c) 100 people and (d) 250 people in St. Helens in each year since 1992. [141306]
Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
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Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Shaun Woodward, dated 10 December 2003:
- As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of businesses employing more than (a) five people, (b) 50 people, (c) 100 people and (d) 250 people in St. Helens in each year since 1992. (141306)
- The attached table gives the information you requested for 2003, but only the total number of businesses is available for earlier years.
| Employment size band | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total | <5 | 5–49 | 50–99 | 100–249 | >250 |
| 1992 | 3,055 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1993 | 2,985 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1994 | 2,820 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995 | 2,815 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996 | 2,730 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1997 | 2,755 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1998 | 2,790 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1999 | 2,780 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2000 | 2,775 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2001 | 2,750 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2002 | 2,715 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2003 | 2,675 | 1,765 | 820 | 40 | 25 | 20 |
Notes:
Employment size bands not published prior to 2003.
Counts are of enterprises with main address in St. Helens.
Counts are rounded to the nearest five to avoid disclosure.
Source:
Size Analysis of UK Businesses (ONS)
Disadvantaged Communities
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets her Department has set for creating more enterprise in disadvantaged communities; and what progress has been made towards these targets. [143002]
Nigel Griffiths: The target is to narrow the gap between VAT registrations in the 20 per cent. most and 20 per cent. least deprived wards in England by one percentage point per year.
The figures for the last two years for which data are available illustrate that the gap between the two VAT registration rates has narrowed and meets the target, (see Figure 1).
| 20 per cent. most deprived wards | 20 per cent. least deprived wards | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 31 | 49 |
| 2001 | 30 | 46 |
Sources:
ONS Inter Departmental Business Register (special analysis), the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000, and population estimates from the Office for National Statistics
Between 2000 and 2001, the gap in the rates narrowed by one percentage point and therefore progress is on track.
Further details on this target can be found in the DTI Autumn Performance Report (ref. CM 6067), published on Friday 5 December 2003 and on the DTI website shortly.
10 Dec 2003 : Column 489W
Hunting
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate her Department has made of the (a) number of small businesses which are dependent on hunting for their survival and (b) number of jobs that would be lost in the event of a ban on hunting with hounds. [142830]
Alun Michael: I have been asked to reply.
There are many businesses providing goods and services for the whole range of rural activities. No reliable estimate is possible of how many such businesses are so dependent on hunting that they would fail if hunting is regulated or banned. The Burns Report (paragraph 3.8) said
- "Hunting, as an economic activity, is so small as to be almost invisible in terms of national aggregates."
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Direct employment by the hunts | 710 |
| Direct employment by the followers | 1,497 |
| Indirect employment | 1,992 |
| Individual employment | 1,525 |
| Total | 5,724 |
Evidence subsequently presented to the public hearings held in Portcullis House suggested that Burns' estimates were too high and that the number of jobs associated with hunting was much smaller.
Insurance Liability
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had within the last year with representatives of the insurance industry on the limitations of insurability in respect of (a) nuclear issues and (b) climate change issues; and if she will make a statement. [141213]
Nigel Griffiths: DTI Ministers have not had any discussions with the insurance industry on the limitations of insurability in respect of climate change issues.
With regard to insurability in respect of nuclear issues, UK nuclear operators have a statutory obligation to cover their liability by insurance. DTI officials have maintained close contact with the insurance industry over the last 12 months and are satisfied that sufficient cover is available.
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