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17 May 2004 : Column 739W—continued

TREASURY

Ammonium Nitrate

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser were discovered by Customs and Excise being imported into the United Kingdom in each year since 2000. [172748]

John Healey: The number of tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer imported into the UK between 2000 and 2002 is shown in the following table. There were no import control restrictions in place between 2000 and 2003. However, regulations were introduced on 1 May 2003 requiring ammonium nitrate fertilizer with high nitrogen content to have satisfied a Detonation Resistance Test (DRT). Import figures for 2003 are not yet available.
Imports into the UK of ammonium nitrate fertilizer

	Tonnes
2000	1,242,471.9
2001	1,143,713.6
2002	813,923.3

Source:
Overseas Trade Statistics, HM Customs and Excise

Carers

Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of carers in the United Kingdom, broken down by the number of hours of care provided per week. [172752]

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. Gordon Marsden, dated 17 May 2004:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the estimate of the number of carers in the United Kingdom, broken down by the number of hours of care provided per week. (172752)

Figures from the "Census 2001 Key Statistics for local authorities in England and Wales" indicate that there were 5,884,450 people in the United Kingdom providing unpaid care.

The information below has been extracted from the CD supplement to the "Census 2001 Key Statistics for local authorities in England and Wales", which is available in the House of Commons Library. The table shows the distribution of these carers according to the number of hours of care provided per week.

Number of people providing unpaid care in the United Kingdom United Kingdom    All Carers

	Provision of unpaid care
Area	All Carers	Provides care: 1 to 19 hours	Provides care: 20 to 49 hours	Provides care: 50 or more hours
United Kingdom	5,884,450	3,971,829	661,952	1,250,669

Source :
Table KS08 Census 2001 Key Statistics for local authorities in England and Wales




 
17 May 2004 : Column 740W
 

Child Tax Credits

Mr. Wareing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Liverpool, West Derby have received child tax credits. [173671]

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.

Council Tax

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average council tax was as a percentage of gross income for (a) pensioner and (b) non-pensioner households in all quintile groups in each financial year since 1997–98. [172877]

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. Edward Davey, dated 17 May 2004:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the average council tax was as a percentage of gross income for (a) pensioner and (b) non-pensioner households in all quintile groups in each financial year since 1997–98.1 am replying in his absence. (172877)

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.

Pensioner households have been defined as those where the Household Reference Person is retired or unoccupied and aged 65 or more and male, or 60 years of age or more and female, and economically inactive. All other households are defined as non-pensioner households. The Household Reference Person is identified during the interview and is defined as the member of the household who:

a. owns the household accommodation, or

b. is legally responsible for the rent of the accommodation, or

c. has the household accommodation as an emolument or perquisite, or

d. has the household accommodation by virtue of some relationship to the owner who is not a member of the household.

If there are joint householders, the Household Reference Person will be the householder with the highest income. If the income is the same, then the eldest householder is taken.

The following table shows the estimated gross and net council tax for pensioner households, non-pensioner households and all households in Great Britain 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 each group of households.
 

17 May 2004 : Column 741W
 

Council tax as a percentage of gross income for pensioner⁽¹⁴⁾ and non-pensioner households

		Quintile groups of all households ranked by equivalised disposable income
Great Britain(15)	Households	Bottom		2nd		3rd		4th		Top	All households
Quintile points(16) (equivalised disposable income, per year)
1997–98	Pensioner		7,701		9,503		11,707		15,393
	Non-pensioner		9,177		13,623		18,449		25,508
	All households		8,564		11,936		16,442		23,588
1998–99	Pensioner		8,031		9,765		12,298		16,742
	Non-pensioner		9,509		14,328		19,400		26,804
	All households		8,832		12,582		17,281		24,384
1999–00	Pensioner		8,475		10,316		13,008		17,213
	Non-pensioner		9,909		15,215		20,401		28,596
	All households		9,193		13,221		18,324		26,295
2000–01	Pensioner		8,492		10,621		13,259		17,951
	Non-pensioner		10,807		15,832		21,349		29,712
	All households		9,821		13,893		19,134		27,296
2001–02	Pensioner		9,459		11,742		14,244		18,703
	Non-pensioner		11,647		17,133		22,784		31,396
	All households		10,647		14,943		20,231		28,840
2002–03	Pensioner		10,096		12,524		15,285		20,203
	Non-pensioner		11,910		17,591		23,526		32,707
	All households		11,242		15,541		20,977		29,745
Gross council tax as a percentage of gross income
1997–98	Pensioner	8.5		6.4		5.2		3.9		2.8	4.4
	Non-pensioner	5.4		3.1		2.3		1.8		1.3	2.1
	All households	6.3		4.1		2.8		2.1		1.4	2.4
1998–99	Pensioner	8.8		6.5		5.4		4.2		2.8	4.5
	Non-pensioner	5.5		3.2		2.4		1.9		1.3	2.1
	All households	6.5		4.3		2.9		2.2		1.4	2.4
1999–00	Pensioner	9.9		7.2		5.6		4,3		2.9	4.8
	Non-pensioner	6.2		3.4		2.5		2.0		1.3	2.2
	All households	7.3		4.5		3.0		2.3		1.4	2.6
2000–01	Pensioner	10.4		7.1		5.6		4.6		2.9	4.9
	Non-pensioner	5.6		3.2		2.5		2.0		1.4	2.2
	All households	7.0		4.3		2.9		2.2		1.5	2.6
2001–02	Pensioner	9.8		7.0		5.9		4.6		3.0	5.0
	Non-pensioner	6.0		3.3		2.5		2.0		1.3	2.2
	All households	7.2		4.4		3.1		2.3		1.4	2.6
2002–03	Pensioner	9.8		7.0		5.7		4.6		3.1	5.0
	Non-pensioner	6.0		3.5		2.7		2.1		1.4	2.4
	All households	7.1		4.6		3.2		2.4		1.6	2.7
Net council tax(17) as a percentage of gross income
1997–98	Pensioner	5.2		4.0		3.8		3.0		2.6	3.3
	Non-pensioner	2.6		2.5		2.2		1.8		1.3	1.8
	All households	3.3		2.9		2.5		2.0		1–4	2.0
1998–99	Pensioner	6.3		4.4		3.8		3.3		2.5	3.5
	Non-pensioner	3.0		2.6		2.3		1.9		1.3	1.9
	All households	3.9		3.1		2.6		2.1		1.4	2.1
1999–00	Pensioner	6.9		4.8		4.1		3.4		2.7	3.7
	Non-pensioner	3.2		2.9		2.4		2.0		1.3	2.0
	All households	4.2		3.4		2.7		2.2		1.4	2.2
2000–01	Pensioner	7.1		4.9		4.3		3.7		2.7	3.9
	Non-pensioner	3.1		2.8		2.4		2.0		1.4	2.0
	All households	4.2		3.3		2.7		2.2		1.5	2.2
2001–02	Pensioner	7.0		5.0		4.2		3.8		2.8	4.0
	Non-pensioner	3.7		2.9		2.4		2.0		1.3	2.0
	All households	4.7		3.3		2.8		2.3		1.4	2.2
2002–03	Pensioner	7.1		4.6		3.9		3.6		3.0	3.9
	Non-pensioner	3.7		3.0		2.6		2.1		1.4	2.1
	All households	4.6		3.4		2.9		2.4		1.6	2.4

⁽¹⁴⁾ Household reference person is economically inactive and over minimum state pension age.
⁽¹⁵⁾ Council tax is not paid in Northern Ireland.
⁽¹⁶⁾ Equivalised disposable income at the boundary point between two quintile groups.
⁽¹⁷⁾ 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 National Statistics website.





 
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