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7 Jun 2004 : Column 20W—continued
Gun Trafficking
Ms Abbott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reassess procedures for clearance of parcels entering the United Kingdom via private companies. [175543]
John Healey:
HM Customs and Excise operate import controls at UK ports of entry and international postal depots for goods and packages entering the
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UK from outside the European Union, within the framework of EU customs procedures established by agreement with our European partners.
The European Commission is currently reviewing the customs declaration procedures for the import and export of small consignments, and has issued a proposal intended to align more closely the customs procedures currently used by express couriers and the Royal Mail. Customs are consulting with both private and national carriers about the implications of these proposals.
Gershon Review
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the 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 Gershon Review. [176514]
John Healey: All Departments continue to work closely with Sir Peter Gershon to prepare detailed efficiency proposals for consideration in the 2004 Spending Review. Departments' agreed efficiency targets, including details of any workforce reductions, will be published in parallel with the Spending Review settlement.
GEC/BAE/Govan Shipyard
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what (a) his and (b) his officials' involvement was in informal and oral approaches made to GEC over the purchase of Govan shipyard in 1999; [174262R]
(2) what meetings took place between (a) Mr. Ed Miliband and (b) Treasury officials and Mr. Martin Sixsmith in 1999; and what the dates of the meetings were; [174298]
(3) what briefings he gave in 1999 on the GEC interest in the Govan shipyard; and what the dates of the briefings were; [174299]
(4) what briefings his Department gave in 1999 on the GEC interest in the Govan shipyard; [174264R]
(5) on what date his Department received the minutes of the meeting between Mr. George Simpson of GEC and the Prime Minister to discuss the merger of BAE and GEC; [174265R]
(6) what meetings Treasury officials had with the taskforce chaired by Sir Gavin Laird set up by the Government to look for potential buyers for the Govan shipyard in 1999; and what the dates of the meetings were; [174300]
(7) what meetings his Department had with Sir Gavin Laird to discuss the future of the Govan shipyard in 1999; and on what dates; [174301]
(8) on which dates in 1999 he met Mr. George Simpson of GEC; if he will publish minutes of the meetings; and if he will list the attendees at those meetings; [174295]
(9) what communications (a) he and (b) his representatives and advisers had with GEC in 1999 over (i) the proposed merger of BAE-GEC and (ii) Govan shipyard; and if he will publish the communications; [174296]
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(10) what meetings (a) his Department and (b) its representatives and advisers had with the management of Govan/Kvaerner to discuss the future of the Govan shipyard in 1999; [174302]
(11) what communications (a) he and (b) his representatives and advisers had with Kvaerner, their representatives and advisers over the proposed closure of the Govan shipyard in 1999; and if he will publish the communications; [174297]
(12) what role (a) he and (b) his representatives, and advisers had in the negotiations over the future of Govan in 1999. [174303]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer which he received from the Prime Minister on 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1522W.
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's involvement was in approving the GEC-BAE merger in 1999. [174263R]
John Healey: The decision was made by the then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in his capacity set out in the Fair Trading Act 1973.
Income Tax
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue produced by an additional one pence on the rate of income tax in each London borough and metropolitan authority. [176231]
Dawn Primarolo: The requested information is given in the table:
(6) The 'savers' and dividends tax rates have been left unchanged for this analysis.
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Estimates are based upon the 2001–02 Survey of Personal Incomes. The effects of the illustrative changes can be scaled up or down over a reasonably wide range. The results exclude any behavioural response to the tax change.
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior citizens in Blackpool, North and Fleetwood qualified for the 10p rate of income tax in each year since its introduction. [176402]
Dawn Primarolo:
All income taxpayers benefit from the 10p starting rate. The Survey of Personal Incomes estimates there are about 9,000 and 10,000 state retirement pension age taxpayers in the Blackpool, North and Fleetwood constituency in 2000–01 and 2001–02 respectively. However, year on year comparisons should be treated with caution because of sampling variation. Figures for 1999–2000 are currently not available.
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Repairs (VAT)
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce the level of VAT on repairs and maintenance to five per cent. [175933]
John Healey: EU Member States are permitted to introduce reduced rates of VAT only on a prescribed list of goods and services set out in Annex H of the EC Sixth VAT Directive. A review of this list is currently underway and we have been negotiating hard for the inclusion of repairs to listed places of worship.
The current list includes a category for the "supply, construction, renovation and alteration of housing provided as part of a social policy". The Government have used this provision to target relief at areas of specific need, such as certain residential conversions and the renovation of housing that has been empty for more than three years.
The European Commission has made proposals to clarify the housing provision by removing the distinction that housing should be provided as part of a social policy and by specifying the inclusion of the repair and maintenance of housing. If that proposal were agreed, we would examine the potential costs and benefits of applying a wider relief in the UK, focusing on those measures which offer the best targeted and most efficient support for our key social objectives.
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