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14 May 2004 : Column 614W—continued
Childcare Tax Credit
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many spot checks the Inland Revenue has carried out on child care providers to check that the childcare tax credit has been properly used in each quarter since the introduction of the childcare tax credit. [171603]
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Dawn Primarolo: Of working tax credit awards for 2003–04 that included help with child care costs, there were about 350,000 instances in which claimants reported making payments to child care providers. For all of these, Inland Revenue has contacted the child care provider by letter or telephone to check child care.
Civil Service
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Answer of 1 April 2004, Official Report, column 1677W, on the Gershon Review, when he expects the first reductions in the number of civil servants to be made as a result of the Lyons Review. [171393]
Mr. Boateng: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave in the House on 13 May 2004, Official Report, column 466.
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 1 April, Official Report, column 1677W, on the Gershon Review, when he expects the first reductions in the number of civil servants to be made towards the reduction of 14,000 civil servants in the Inland Revenue and HM Customs. [171394]
Mr. Boateng: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave yesterday in the House Official Report, column 453—and in particular that implementing the job reductions will be included in the remit of the first executive Chairman of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Council Tax
Dr. Vincent Cable:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update the information set out in the Answer of 10th June 2003, Official Report,
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columns 746–47W, on council tax, to take account of the effects of taxes and benefits on household income in 2002–03. [172602]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Dr. Vincent Cable, dated 14 May 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Chancellor of the Exchequer asking for an update for 2002–03 of the figures for council tax as a percentage of gross income for Great Britain, together with a breakdown for England, Scotland, and Wales, given in the previous answer of 10 June 2003. (172602)
Estimates have been produced from the Office for National Statistics' analysis "The effects of taxes and benefits on household income" published on the National Statistics website on 6 May 2004 at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. The analysis includes measures of income inequality for the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey.
The current analysis presents data for the category 'Council tax and Northern Ireland rates', as opposed to the category 'Local taxes' used in previous analyses. This is because, from this year, charges made by water authorities for water, environmental and sewerage services have been excluded. This treatment conforms to the National Accounts classification and definition of taxes where water rates and related charges are considered a charge for services rather than a tax. They have therefore been excluded from the calculation of disposable income. This reply is based on the new methodology and I have included updated figures on this basis for 2001–02 for comparison.
The following table shows the estimated gross and net council tax for all households in Great Britain and (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales, for each income quintile where households are ranked by equivalised disposable income. The net council tax figures are gross council tax less benefits and discounts. The table also shows the equivalised disposable income quintile point boundaries, which have been calculated separately for Great Britain and each country. For example, the 1st quintile point for each country is the income below which one fifth of households in that country are estimated to lie.
(8) Net council taxes after deducting benefits and discounts
Source:
Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.
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Operation Gestalt
Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the assistance being provided by (a) the Government and (b) government agencies to the Metropolitan Police with regard to Operation Gestalt. [172421]
John Healey: It is for the Metropolitan Police Service to determine the nature and extent of their inquiries and the information they require. The Commissioners of Customs and Excise have made it clear that the police will have their full co-operation in any investigation.
Tax Credits
Mr. David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Inland Revenue expects to finalise awards of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit in respect of 2003–04. [172897]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield (Richard Burden) on 19 November 2003, Official Report, columns 1099–1100W.
Tax Credits (Blackpool, South)
Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Blackpool, South have received the child tax credit. [173065]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Burton (Mrs. Dean) on 15 March 2004, Official Report, column 98W.
Teenage Pregnancy
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the percentage change in conceptions among girls under (a) 18 and (b) 16 years in Kent is since 2001. [172214]
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. Julian Brazier, dated 14 May 2004:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the percentage change in conceptions, among girls under (a) 18 and (b) 16 years, in Kent is since 2001. (172214)
The table gives the numbers and rates of conceptions in 2001 and 2002 (the latest year for which figures are available) among girls aged under 16 and under 18 in Kent. The table also shows the percentage change in the rates of conception between these two years.
Numbers of conceptions are estimated from registrations of births and notifications of abortions. Miscarriages before the 24th week of gestation are not included.
| Conceptions at ages: Under 16 | Conceptions at ages: Under 18 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Rate(9) | % change in rate | Number | Rate(10) | % change in rate | |
| 2001(11) | 205 | 8.0 | -12 | 986 | 39.3 | -5 |
| 2002(12) | 183 | 7.0 | 945 | 37.2 | ||
(9) Rate per 1,000 females aged 13 to 15
(10) Rate per 1,000 females aged 15 to 17
(11) Provisional figures
(12) Provisional estimate based on incomplete abortion data
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