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27 Apr 2004 : Column 866W—continued
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much, on average, it costs the Government to respond to a parliamentary question. [169139]
Ruth Kelly: As at April 2003, the average cost of answering a written parliamentary question and an oral parliamentary question was £138 and £322 respectively.
Tax Credits
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his forecast is of the expenditure on the childcare element of the working tax credit in 2004–05. [168366]
Dawn Primarolo: The level of childcare support provided through the childcare element of Working Tax Credit in 2003–04 is estimated to be over £700 million.
No separate forecast has been made for 2004–05.
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Heywood and Middleton have received child tax credit. [168517]
James Purnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Stalybridge and Hyde have received child tax credit. [168765]
Dawn Primarolo:
I refer my hon. Friends to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Burton (Mrs. Dean) on 15 March 2004, Official Report, column 98W.
27 Apr 2004 : Column 867W
Business Taxation
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Heywood and Middleton have benefited from the 100 per cent. tax exemption for the purchase of computer and internet equipment. [168518]
Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available.
James Purnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Stalybridge and Hyde have benefited from the 100 per cent. tax exemption for the purchase of computers and internet equipment. [168764]
Dawn Primarolo: The requested information is not available.
Customs and Excise (Court Cases)
Mr. John Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many defendants in cases brought by HM Customs and Excise have had to pay the costs of the criminal receivership of their assets when they have been acquitted where the case against them was withdrawn in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003. [168079]
John Healey: HM Customs and Excise do not collect the information requested centrally. However, court appointed receivers in Customs cases have identified the following 14 cases where defendants have borne the fees of a receiver in circumstances in which they were acquitted or were not convicted for any reason:
| Defendants | |
|---|---|
| (a) | |
| 2001 | 2 |
| (b) | |
| 2002 | 9 |
| (c) | |
| 2003 | 3 |
In two of the above cases liability for the receivers' fees is disputed.
Discretionary Trusts
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change the rules regarding the setting-up of discretionary trusts; and if he will make a statement. [168048]
Dawn Primarolo: Setting up discretionary trusts is a matter for the would-be settlers. If they proceed, however, they may in due course have to notify the Inland Revenue for inheritance tax purposes and to pay any tax due. We have no plans to change these rules.
Employment Statistics
James Purnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of unemployment was in each year since 1997 in Stalybridge and Hyde. [168763]
Ruth Kelly:
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
27 Apr 2004 : Column 868W
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. James Purnell, dated 27 April 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions. However, the LFS sample size is too small to give reliable estimates of unemployment in the Stalybridge and Hyde Parliamentary Constituency.
ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for local areas including parliamentary constituencies.
The table below gives the annual average number of JSA claimants for the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency for each year since 1997.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 2,170 |
| 1998 | 1,826 |
| 1999 | 1,855 |
| 2000 | 1,565 |
| 2001 | 1,348 |
| 2002 | 1,294 |
| 2003 | 1,309 |
Incinerator Tax
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the proposed incinerator tax was not referred to in December's pre-budget report. [167759]
John Healey: The Government announced in PBR 2002 that it would commission a study into the environmental and health effects of all waste management and disposal options. It remains the Government's intention to consider the case for using economic instruments for incineration in light of this work, taking account of the views of stakeholders.
PBR 2003 noted that the first of two stages of this work was being reviewed, with the aim of publishing the complete study in the spring.
Income Tax
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior citizens in Heywood and Middleton qualified for the 10 pence rate of income tax in each year since its introduction. [168516]
Dawn Primarolo: All income taxpayers benefit from the 10 pence starting rate. The Survey of Personal Incomes estimates there are about 8,000 and 9,000 state retirement pension age taxpayers in the Heywood and Middleton constituency in 2000–01 and 2001–02 respectively. Figures for 1999–2000 are currently not available.
James Purnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior citizens in Stalybridge and Hyde qualified for the 10p rate of income tax in each year since its introduction. [168766]
Dawn Primarolo:
All income taxpayers benefit from the 10p starting rate. The Survey of Personal Incomes estimates there are about 3,000 state retirement pension
27 Apr 2004 : Column 869W
age taxpayers in the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency in 2001–02. A reliable answer cannot be given for 2000–01 because in the Survey of Personal Incomes the sample size of pensioners living in this constituency is relatively small compared to other constituencies. Figures for 1999–2000 are currently not available.
National Insurance Call Centres
Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the location is of each of the national insurance call centres; how many people work at each; how many complaints were received concerning each one in 2003; and if he will make a statement. [168558]
Dawn Primarolo: Longbenton Contact Centre which is located at Benton Park View, Longbenton, Newcastle upon Tyne is the only Contact Centre dedicated to handling calls concerning national insurance contributions. It is the first point of contact by telephone for most unsolicited queries relating to national insurance contributions.
Presently there are 441 staff employed in Longbenton Contact Centre. In 2003, 58 complaints were received.
New Cars (LPG)
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the extra cost of re-engineering a new car for LPG is entered on the P11D form for company cars in a similar way to luxury items. [167731]
John Healey: The extra cost of converting a new car to run on LPG after it is first registered does not have to be entered on the P11D form for company cars.
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