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26 Feb 2004 : Column 528W—continued
LEADER OF THE HOUSE
Ministerial Meetings
Adam Price: To ask the Leader of the House how many meetings he has had in his capacity as Leader of the House in the past eight months. [153624]
Mr. Hain: I undertake a wide range of meetings with interested parties. These include meetings with Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, House officials and Cabinet colleagues.
26 Feb 2004 : Column 529W
Opposition Days
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Leader of the House (1) for how long (a) the Opposition front-bench speakers, (b) the Government front-bench speakers and (c) other front-bench speakers spoke in Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974; [157062]
- (2) how many back-bench members were called to speak, excluding interventions, in Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974; [157063]
(3) how much parliamentary time was allowed for Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974; [157064]
(4) how much parliamentary time was taken by back-bench speeches, excluding interventions, in Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974; [157065]
(5) how many interventions to their speeches were granted by (a) Government Ministers and (b) Opposition front-bench speakers in Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974. [157066]
Mr. Hain: This information is a matter of public record, but could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
TREASURY
Alcoholic Drinks (Duty)
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the loss of duty payable to the Government consequent on the purchase of (a) beer, (b) wine and (c) spirits in France by United Kingdom residents in the last year for which figures are available. [155233]
John Healey: The most recent estimates of the loss of duty and VAT payable to the Government consequent on purchases of beer, wine and spirits made in all EU member states and on ferries by UK cross-border shoppers during 2001–02 are contained in "Measuring and Tackling Indirect Tax Fraud" (December 2003), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Business Skills
Ms Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's policy is on developing business skills in young people; and if he will make a statement. [155586]
John Healey: The Government are implementing a range of policies to develop business skills in young people, including the recommendations of the Davies Review of Enterprise and the Economy in Education. Enterprise Learning Pathfinders began in this academic year and, from September 2005, all pupils will experience at least five days of enterprise education before they leave school. The Government also provide funding for Enterprise Advisers for disadvantaged schools and in Enterprise Areas, supports organisations such as Young Enterprise and Enterprise Insight, and is setting up a National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship.
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Customs and Excise
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will change the policy of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise that genuine mistakes made in good faith are not reasonable excuses for surcharge purposes. [156047]
John Healey: The VAT system aims to encourage payment of the right tax at the right time. As well as safeguarding revenues, this provides equity for all taxpaying businesses. A business may be penalised if it does not pay the right tax at the right time: the misdeclaration penalty penalises significant or repeated errors in the amount of tax paid and the default surcharge penalises late payment.
The VAT penalty system has safeguards to ensure that businesses are not treated over-harshly. For the smallest businesses, several warnings are issued before a late payment penalty is issued—so that a business would not be penalised until its fifth default. Both misdeclaration penalties and default penalties can be withdrawn if there is a reasonable excuse for an error or delay. In this context, reasonable excuses can include compassionate circumstances or unforeseen events. However, this would not include mistakes of the type to which the hon. Gentleman refers since the penalties are, in part, designed to encourage accuracy.
Earnings Statistics
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of (a) male, (b) female and (c) all full-time workers in (i) Scotland, (ii) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (iii) Great Britain had hourly gross earnings (A) including and (B) excluding overtime of below (1) £7.58, (2) £5.68 and (3) £4.20. [156219]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Ms Annabelle Ewing, dated 26 February 2004:
- As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the proportion of (a) male, (b) female and (c) all full-time workers in (i) Scotland, (ii) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (iii) Great Britain had hourly gross earnings (A) including and (B) excluding overtime of below (1) £7.58, (2) £5.68 and (3) £4.20. (156219)
- I attach two tables showing the proportion of male and female workers whose average gross hourly pay in 2003 falls below the stated thresholds in Great Britain, Scotland and in Scottish local authorities. Estimates for pay including and excluding overtime are shown separately.
- Average earnings are estimated from the 2003 New Earnings Survey (NES) and are provided for full-time employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period. This is the standard definition used for NES tables. The NES does not collect data on the self-employed and people who do unpaid work.
- The New Earnings Survey publication criteria ensures that all estimates are undisclosive and of reliable quality, and suppresses estimates that do not meet these criteria. A number of estimates have been removed from the table for this reason. The information is based on the 2003 NES, the latest survey for which data are available.
26 Feb 2004 : Column 531W
| Male employees' pay thresholds | Female employees' pay thresholds | All employees' pay thresholds | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area | £7.58 | £5.68 | £4.20 | £7.58 | £5.68 | £4.20 | £7.58 | £5.68 | £4.20 |
| Great Britain | 26.4 | 8.5 | 1.2 | 36.8 | 14.7 | 1.9 | 30.3 | 10.9 | 1.4 |
| Scotland | 29.8 | 10.3 | 1.2 | 39.2 | 15.3 | 1.5 | 33.8 | 12.5 | 1.3 |
| Local Authorities | |||||||||
| Aberdeen City | 23.8 | 10.0 | — | 32.7 | 11.2 | — | 27.3 | 10.4 | — |
| Aberdeenshire | 35.4 | 9.8 | — | 46.8 | 26.1 | — | 40.0 | 16.4 | — |
| Angus | 38.4 | 11.6 | — | 44.2 | 18.2 | — | 41.1 | 14.7 | — |
| Argyll and Bute | 39.7 | — | — | 41.7 | — | — | 40.5 | 11.6 | — |
| Scottish Borders, The | 43.0 | 15.1 | — | 57.3 | 25.6 | — | 50.0 | 20.2 | — |
| Clackmannanshire | — | — | 50.0 | — | — | 35.7 | 17.9 | — | |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 49.2 | 15.6 | — | 52.1 | 26.0 | — | 50.5 | 20.2 | — |
| Dundee City | 26.3 | 10.3 | — | 37.4 | 16.3 | — | 31.1 | 12.9 | — |
| East Ayrshire | 31.0 | 17.2 | — | 38.9 | 18.1 | — | 34.6 | 17.6 | — |
| East Dunbartonshire | 25.0 | — | — | 29.5 | — | — | 27.3 | — | — |
| East Lothian | 36.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 32.0 | — | — |
| East Renfrewshire | 36.1 | — | — | 41.7 | — | — | 38.9 | 13.9 | — |
| Edinburgh, City of | 26.3 | 11.0 | 1.4 | 31.7 | 10.1 | — | 28.5 | 10.6 | 1.2 |
| Falkirk | 32.6 | 13.9 | — | 38.5 | 11.9 | — | 35.2 | 13.0 | — |
| Fife | 29.7 | 8.5 | — | 46.5 | 12.5 | — | 36.7 | 10.2 | — |
| Glasgow City | 27.4 | 9.8 | 1.1 | 34.9 | 12.1 | — | 30.8 | 10.8 | 1.1 |
| Highland | 33.6 | 11.8 | — | 45.8 | 18.7 | — | 38.7 | 14.7 | — |
| Inverclyde | 37.8 | 14.9 | — | 36.8 | 22.8 | — | 37.4 | 18.3 | — |
| Midlothian | 30.5 | — | — | 35.9 | — | — | 32.7 | 14.3 | — |
| Moray | 44.7 | — | — | 58.6 | 31.0 | — | 50.3 | 16.8 | — |
| North Ayrshire | 23.7 | — | — | 37.5 | 18.1 | — | 29.6 | 11.8 | — |
| North Lanarkshire | 33.2 | 10.2 | — | 38.6 | 10.9 | — | 35.2 | 10.5 | — |
| Orkney Islands | — | — | — | — | — | — | 37.5 | 25.0 | — |
| Perth and Kinross | 30.8 | 11.5 | — | 48.0 | 25.5 | — | 38.4 | 17.7 | — |
| Renfrewshire | 30.8 | 10.6 | — | 39.8 | 17.1 | — | 34.3 | 13.1 | — |
| South Ayrshire | 23.5 | — | — | 37.5 | 12.5 | — | 29.6 | 8.9 | — |
| South Lanarkshire | 24.2 | 8.3 | — | 44.9 | 19.0 | — | 33.2 | 13.0 | 2.1 |
| Stirling | 29.7 | — | — | 37.3 | 23.5 | — | 32.8 | 16.8 | — |
| West Dunbartonshire | 29.7 | — | — | 48.4 | 19.4 | — | 38.9 | 15.1 | — |
| West Lothian | 30.3 | 9.0 | — | 46.3 | 12.6 | — | 36.7 | 10.4 | — |
| Western Isles | — | — | — | — | — | — | 37.5 | — | — |
| Male employees' pay thresholds | Female employees' pay thresholds | All employees' pay thresholds | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area | £7.58 | £5.68 | £4.20 | £7.58 | £5.68 | £4.20 | £7.58 | £5.68 | £4.20 |
| Great Britain | 27.9 | 9.5 | 1.3 | 37.4 | 15.1 | 1.9 | 31.5 | 11.6 | 1.5 |
| Scotland | 31.6 | 11.6 | 1.3 | 39.9 | 16.0 | 1.6 | 35.1 | 13.5 | 1.4 |
| Local Authorities | |||||||||
| Aberdeen City | 25.1 | 11.0 | — | 32.3 | 11.2 | — | 27.9 | 11.0 | — |
| Aberdeenshire | 39.0 | 13.4 | — | 46.8 | 27.9 | — | 42.2 | 19.3 | — |
| Angus | 38.4 | 15.1 | — | 45.5 | 19.5 | — | 41.7 | 17.2 | — |
| Argyll and Bute | 42.5 | — | — | 41.7 | — | — | 42.1 | 14.9 | — |
| Scottish Borders, The | 45.3 | 18.6 | — | 57.3 | 26.8 | — | 51.2 | 22.6 | — |
| Clackmannanshire | — | — | — | 50.0 | 38.5 | — | 35.7 | 19.6 | — |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 50.0 | 18.0 | — | 52.1 | 28.1 | — | 50.9 | 22.5 | — |
| Dundee City | 29.4 | 10.8 | — | 37.4 | 15.6 | — | 32.8 | 12.9 | — |
| East Ayrshire | 34.5 | 19.5 | — | 40.3 | 19.4 | — | 37.1 | 19.5 | — |
| East Dunbartonshire | 29.5 | — | — | 29.5 | — | — | 29.5 | — | — |
| East Lothian | 39.7 | — | — | — | — | — | 34.0 | 11.0 | — |
| East Renfrewshire | 33.3 | — | — | 41.7 | — | — | 37.5 | 13.9 | — |
| Edinburgh, City of | 27.7 | 11.6 | 1.7 | 32.4 | 10.1 | — | 29.7 | 11.0 | 1.4 |
| Falkirk | 33.3 | 16.7 | — | 39.4 | 11.9 | — | 36.0 | 14.6 | — |
| Fife | 32.5 | 8.5 | — | 48.0 | 12.9 | — | 39.0 | 10.3 | — |
| Glasgow City | 28.5 | 10.5 | 1.1 | 35.8 | 12.8 | — | 31.8 | 11.5 | 1.1 |
| Highland | 35.0 | 12.3 | — | 47.1 | 19.4 | — | 40.0 | 15.2 | — |
| Inverclyde | 36.5 | 20.3 | — | 38.6 | 22.8 | — | 37.4 | 21.4 | — |
| Midlothian | 30.5 | 13.6 | — | 35.9 | — | — | 32.7 | 16.3 | — |
| Moray | 48.2 | 11.8 | — | 58.6 | 32.8 | — | 52.4 | 20.3 | — |
| North Ayrshire | 25.8 | — | — | 42.3 | 21.1 | — | 32.7 | 14.3 | — |
| North Lanarkshire | 35.2 | 10.8 | — | 39.1 | 10.9 | — | 36.6 | 10.8 | — |
| Orkney Islands | — | — | — | — | — | — | 37.5 | 25.0 | — |
| Perth and Kinross | 32.3 | 14.6 | — | 49.0 | 24.5 | — | 39.7 | 19.0 | — |
| Renfrewshire | 32.8 | 11.1 | — | 39.0 | 18.7 | — | 35.2 | 14.0 | — |
| Shetland Islands | — | — | — | — | — | 30.3 | — | — | |
| South Ayrshire | 23.5 | — | — | 37.5 | 14.8 | — | 29.6 | 9.9 | — |
| South Lanarkshire | 26.8 | 9.1 | — | 44.9 | 19.5 | — | 34.7 | 13.6 | — |
| Stirling | 36.1 | 16.7 | — | 39.2 | 23.5 | — | 37.4 | 19.5 | — |
| West Dunbartonshire | 29.7 | — | — | 50.0 | 21.0 | — | 39.7 | 15.9 | — |
| West Lothian | 35.4 | 9.7 | — | 46.3 | 14.7 | — | 39.7 | 11.7 | — |
| Western Isles | — | — | — | — | — | — | 41.0 | — | — |
26 Feb 2004 : Column 533W
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