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1 Mar 2004 : Column 710W—continued
Large Business Office
Mr. Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1556W on the Large Business Office, when (a) Sir Nicholas Montagu KCB, (b) Mr. David Hartnett CB, (c) Mr. Steve Heminsley and (d) Mr. John Yard were informed of the audit performed by the Inland Revenue's internal auditors upon the accuracy of the reported compliance data of the Large Business Office for 2001–02. [156616]
Dawn Primarolo: The normal procedures for informing IR senior management of issues were followed.
The Deputy Chairman responsible for the Large Business Office was informed at the commissioning of the audit in April 2002. She was advised over progress in her monthly meetings with the Director and in the relevant quarterly narratives made by the Director during 2002.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the grounds were for changing his policy on the level of support for liquefied petroleum gas; and if he will make a statement; [157165]
- (2) what taxation policies he plans to bridge the time gap between the current subsidy of green road fuels and future development of compressed natural gas and hydrogen; [157166]
(3) what policies he is considering to address fuel poverty (a) in remote and rural areas and (b) for disabled drivers who use liquefied petroleum gas; [157167]
(4) if he will make it his policy to compensate people who have converted their vehicles to run on liquefied petroleum gas for the removal of taxation support for liquefied petroleum gas. [157451]
John Healey: In the last pre-Budget report (Cm6042) the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an Alternative Fuels Framework, which sets out the rationale for Government support for alternative fuels, and places environmental benefits at its core. In recognition of the importance to investors of providing
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long-term certainty in the market, the framework includes an unprecedented commitment to a three-year rolling guarantee on the fuel duty differentials for all alternative fuels.
The UK offers the biggest duty incentive for road fuel gases, including liquefied petroleum gas, in Europe. This incentive cost the Exchequer £75 million in duty forgone in 2002–03 alone. The Government also give valuable support to this sector through grants for vehicle conversions (the Powershift scheme), reduced rates of vehicle excise duty for gas powered vehicles, and company car tax reliefs.
Fuel duty rates are being considered as part of the Budget process, taking account of all relevant economic, social and environmental factors including the likely impacts on different population groups.
Lung Cancer
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the five year survival rate for lung cancer was (a) in each year between 1993 and 1996 and (b) in the most recent period for which figures are available. [156380]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Iris Robinson, dated 1 March 2004:
- As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning five years survival rate for lung cancer (a) in each year between 1993 and 1996 and (b) in the most recent period for which figures are available. (156380)
- Figures for the UK as a whole are not available. Figures are available for each of the component countries of the UK, but these are not directly comparable because of differences in coverage and other reasons.
- The latest available lung cancer survival figures for adult patients in England and Wales, diagnosed during 1991–99 and followed up to 31 December 2001, are given in the table below. Survival figures are not published by single year of diagnosis.
| 1991–95 | 1996–99(22) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients(23) | Survival (percentage) | Number of patients(23) | Survival (percentage) | |
| Men | 95,903 | 5.2 | 67,862 | 5.8 |
| Women | 48,151 | 5.4 | 39,455 | 6.4 |
(22) Five years' potential follow-up was only available for those diagnosed in 1996, but the most up-to-date estimates for shorter-term survival probabilities were used for patients diagnosed in later years (complete analysis).
(23) Eligible patients included in the survival analysis; criteria for excluding records, for example where the registration is of a second (different) primary cancer, are given in Health Statistics Quarterly 2000; 6: 71–80. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme health/HSQ6Book.pdfSource:
Office for National Statistics.
Figures for Northern Ireland are published in 'Fitzpatrick DA, Gavin AT. Survival of Cancer Patients in Northern Ireland 1993–1996. Belfast: Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, 2001' and are available on the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry website: http://www.qub.ac.uk/nicr/intro.htm
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N2+2 Consultation Document
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to publish his consultative document on N2+2. [157398]
Ruth Kelly: My written statement to Parliament of 4 November 2003 on the two year review of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 said that the Treasury would consult publicly on proposals for legislative change. We have issued two public consultation documents: on 26 January 2004 "Informal capital raising and high net worth and sophisticated investors: a consultation document on proposed changes to the Financial Promotion Order", and on 27 February 2004 "Financial Services and Markets Act two year review: changes to secondary legislation".
Office for National Statistics
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the buildings owned by the Office for National Statistics, broken down by (a) purpose and (b) value; and if he will make a statement. [156762]
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. David Laws, dated 1 March 2004:
- As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the buildings owned by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), broken down by (a) purpose and (b) value.
- The value and purpose of Office for National Statistics (ONS) buildings are as follows:
| Site | Purpose | Building value | Landvalue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southport, Merseyside | Office | 3.166 | 1.071 |
| Christchurch, Dorset | Store | 1.323 | 0.811 |
| Titchfield, Hampshire | Office | 5.658 | 1.946 |
| Newport, South Wales | Office | 7.408 | 3.268 |
Note:
These building were valued in 2000 by GVA Grimly, a firm providing estates and valuation services, in accordance with established professional standards. These valuations are adjusted annually using Treasury indices, and are shown for the Financial Year 2002–04.
Data for the buildings occupied in London by ONS at Drummond Gate and Bessborough Tower, Pimlico and the Family Records Centre, Islington are not included in this table as they are leased, and not owned by the ONS.
Refurbishment works carried out by ONS on its leased properties in Pimlico were capitalised, and their written-down value at 31 March 2003 was £22.946 million. The value of these works is not shown in the above table, but was included in an estimate of the total value of ONS buildings given in answers to a previous Written Question on this subject (Official Report, 22 January 2003, column 417W).
The General Register Office (GRO) is part of ONS, and is responsible for the registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales. It operates from the ONS sites in Southport, Merseyside and Islington, London.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of spending on the Office for National Statistics for each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06; and if he will make a statement. [156763]
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Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 1 March 2004:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning spending on the Office for National Statistics for each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06. I am replying in his absence.
- The requested information is shown in the attached table. The figures shown include expenditure on the General Register Office, part of the Office for National Statistics, which is responsible for administering the system for registering births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales.
| Financial year | Expenditure (£ million) |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 97.8 |
| 1998–99 | 101.6 |
| 1999–2000 | 108.4 |
| 2000–01 | 154.7 |
| 2001–02 | 209.9 |
| 2002–03 | 147.5 |
| 2003–04(24) | 155.0 |
| 2004–05(24) | 177.0 |
| 2005–06(24) | 191.0 |
(24) Figures for 2003–04 onwards are for planned expenditure, as published in Table 1 of the ONS Spring 2003 Departmental Report (Cm 5931)
Notes:
1. Expenditure is calculated as the total of the net resource budget and the capital budget.
2. Figures from 1998–99 to 2002–03 include additional provision for planning, fieldwork and initial processing of the 2001 Census of Population in England and Wales. The period of peak expenditure on the Census occurred between 2000 and 2002.
3. Figures from 2003–04 onwards include additional provision from the government Spending Review settlement of 2002, for ONS to invest in a programme of modernisation to enhance our systems and processes. A total of £75 million has been provided for this purpose over the three years from 2003–04.
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