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Employment Agency Staff

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the employment agencies which his Department has used to supply temporary staff in each financial year since 1996–97 to the most recent date for which figures are available. [163812]

Ruth Kelly: The following agencies have supplied temporary staff to the Department. This list has been compiled from readily available records. Analysis of all records to compile a comprehensive list would entail disproportionate cost.





















Focus Groups and Opinion Polls

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995–96 to 2003–04; and if he will make a statement. [162749]

Ruth Kelly: Detailed information in the form requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Individual Savings Accounts

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his best estimate is of the cost to the Exchequer of

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the 10 per cent. credit that individual savings accounts receive on dividend distributions that will be abolished from April in each year since its introduction. [163077]

Ruth Kelly [holding answer 23 March 2004]: Estimates of the cost of the 10 per cent, credit received by Individual Savings Accounts since their introduction is given in the following table:

£ million
1999–200010
2000–0130
2001–0260
2002–0360
2003–04(46)70

(46) Provisional.

Insurance Premium Tax

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been raised in Insurance Premium Tax in each financial year since 1997–98 from (a) mortgage indemnity guarantee policies, (b) buildings insurance policies, (c) contents insurance policies and (d) private health insurance policies. [163596]

Ruth Kelly: The information requested is not available. Insurance Premium Tax receipts do not separately identify the categories of insurance to which they relate.

National Trust

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has had from the National Trust on facilitating through financial incentives the rescue of chattels at risk in National Trust properties, where owners have retained chattels. [160516]

John Healey: Treasury Ministers have received representations from the National Trust relating to the recommendations in Sir Nicholas Goodison's report "Securing the Best for Our Museums: Private Giving and Government Support", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

The Government are carefully considering Sir Nicholas' recommendations in the context of the 2004 Spending Review and alongside other ongoing work on taxes.

Pensions (Equitable Life)

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made, following the publication of the Penrose Report, of (a) the percentage change in the value of an Equitable Life pension and (b) the average percentage change in the value of a with profits policy across the industry taken out (i) 20 years ago, (ii) 10 years ago and (iii) five years ago, broken down by (A) guaranteed annual return and (B) non-guaranteed annual return products. [161470]

Ruth Kelly [holding answer 15 March 2004]: The information is not available in the form requested.

Equitable Life, in common with most closed life insurance funds, does not publish comparative information of this sort.

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Stamp Duty

Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what projections he has made for revenue from stamp duty on (a) property and (b) share transactions in each of the (i) last five and (ii) next three financial years. [163598]

Ruth Kelly: Estimates of the revenue from stamp duty on both property and share transactions in each of the last five financial years up to and including 2002–03 are given at http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/stamp duty/03IR151.pdf.

Estimated and projected revenues for total stamp taxes in 2003–04 and 2004–05 are published in table C8 of the Budget 2004 report. The breakdown between duty on land and property and share transactions is as follows:

£ billion

2003–042004–05
Stamp taxes on:
Land and property4.96.2
Shares2.63.2

Tax Collection

Mr. Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the administration costs have been, in each of the last five years, of collecting unpaid taxes.[R] [149810]

Dawn Primarolo: For years up to and including 2001–02, details of the duties collected by the Department and the associated costs of administering those duties can be found in Table 1 at Appendix 1 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2002 (published in December 2002).

For 2002–03, comparative figures are:

£ million
Net receipt of Inland Revenue duties219,194.8
Total cost of administering Inland Revenue duties2,431.9

Unclaimed Assets

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the sum of unclaimed assets in (a) national savings and (b) other Government securities was on the latest date for which figures are available. [164338]

Ruth Kelly: "Unclaimed monies" in the National Savings and Investments Product Accounts refer to monies where: the product has been redeemed by the Treasury; monthly interest or prizes are due; or to un-cashed Savings Stamps; and where the sums are transferable to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt. Total unclaimed monies as at 31 March 2003 were £31.9 million.

The estimated total of unclaimed, including issued but unpresented, redemption monies and dividends on gilts on the latest date for which figures are available was around £45 million.

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Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has held with the banks on the use of unclaimed bank accounts; and what discussions he has had with the life insurance and pensions industry on the use of unclaimed policies. [161822]

Ruth Kelly [holding answer 16 March 2004]: Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives from the financial services industry and discuss a range of issues, including the use of unclaimed assets.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the value of (a) unclaimed (b) premium bond winnings, (i) state pensions, (ii) national savings bonds and (iii) other unclaimed private savings which represents a public sector liability. [161823]

Ruth Kelly [holding answer 16 March 2004]: National Savings and Investments (including Premium Bond Prizes) "Unclaimed monies" in the National Savings and Investments Product Accounts refer to monies where: the product has been redeemed by the Treasury; monthly interest or prizes are due; or to un-cashed Savings Stamps; and where the sums are transferable to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt. Total unclaimed monies as at 31 March 2003 were £31.9 million made up of:

£000
British Savings Bonds2,685
Income Bonds1,344
Pensioners Guaranteed Income Bonds17
Premium Bonds22,085
Savings Stamps5,781
Total31,912

Unclaimed State Pensions

Information regarding the value of unclaimed State Pensions is not available. This is because there is no entitlement to a State Pension until a claim is made. Anyone who claims after reaching State Pension age may be able to receive a higher amount of State Pension when they do claim.

Government Stocks (Gilts)

The estimated total of unclaimed redemption money and dividends on gilts is around £31 million.

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