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21 Jun 2004 : Column 1202W—continued
Counterfeit Notes
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of counterfeit notes in circulation; and what steps he is taking to make counterfeiting more difficult. [179221]
Ruth Kelly: The Bank of England, which produces and issues most UK banknotes, records the number of counterfeit notes discovered in circulation. In recent years, this number has remained at a very small fraction of 1 per cent. of the total number of notes in circulation.
The Bank ensures that its notes are designed to discourage counterfeiters. The current series of notes in circulation have certain security features, which not only make it difficult to counterfeit notes, but also make it easy to determine whether or not a note is genuine.
To assist the public with identifying counterfeit notes, a leaflet entitled "Know your Banknotes" is available upon request or downloadable from the Bank's website. This describes the identity and security features of current notes, and provides advice on how to check for counterfeits.
When notes are introduced or withdrawn from circulation, this is advertised prominently in the national and local press and via posters and leaflets. This also minimises the risk of counterfeits of old series notes being passed and accepted.
Death Certificates
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether death certificates issued in other EU countries are admissible in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [179571]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the General Registrar for England and Wales, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Robertson dated 21 June 2004:
As Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking whether death certificates issued in other EU countries are admissible in the UK. (179571)
Certificates issued by doctors certifying the cause of death in other EU countries can't be accepted by a registrar in England or Wales for the purposes of formally registering a death. Registrars may register only those deaths which have taken place in their district and which have been certified by a registered medical practitioner who looked after the deceased during their last illness, or by a coroner.
Certificates of deaths registered in other EU countries may be admissible in the UK for more general purposes. It is for the organisation requesting the death certificate to be satisfied that it meets their requirements.
Employment (North-west)
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new jobs have been created in (a) St Helens South, (b) St Helens, (c) Merseyside and (d) the North West in each year since 2001. [178113]
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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. Shaun Woodward dated 21 June 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about jobs created in the North West. (178113)
While statistics of new jobs created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes in numbers of jobs from year to year.
The attached table shows the information requested, relating to jobs in St Helen's South Parliamentary Constituency, St Helen's unitary authority, the Merseyside Government office region and the North West Government office region for 2000 to 2002.
The majority of the increase in jobs in St Helen's South seen between 2000 and 2002 occurred in the real estate, renting and business activities sector. At least one major business site in this sector was opened in the area during the period.
| Number of employees | Change | Change | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workplace location | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2000–01 2 | 2001–02 2 |
| St Helen's South | 34,900 | 42,000 | 44,700 | 7,100 | 2,800 |
| St Helen's unitary authority | 56,100 | 63,400 | 67,200 | 7,300 | 3,800 |
| Merseyside | 503,100 | 526,800 | 550,300 | 23,700 | 23,500 |
| North West | 2,846,000 | 2,894,700 | 2,974,100 | 48,700 | 79,400 |
(10) Employee jobs only, not self-employed jobs
(11) The change figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred separately from rounded levels for individual years
Source:
Annual Business Inquiry (ABI)
Environmentally Sustainable Purchasing
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of progress by Government departments in implementing recommendations of the Office of Government Commerce paper Quick Wins in Greening Government Purchasing and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs/Office of Government Commerce Joint Note on Environmental issues in Purchasing; and if he will make a statement. [179706]
Mr. Boateng: Ministers in all departments have signed up to the approach outlined in the Office of Government Commerce paper Quick Wins in Greening Government Purchasing and the DEFRA/OGC Joint Note on Environmental issues in Purchasing. DEFRA will be collecting information on implementation from all departments for inclusion in the Sustainable Development in Government Report, which will be published in the autumn.
Pensioner Concessions
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will fund (a) free old age pensioner travel and (b) free television licences for all old age pensioners at the next budget. [179525]
Ruth Kelly: The Chancellor of the Exchequer receives many proposals for measures to include in his Budget.
The Government are committed to ensuring that older and disabled people have full opportunities to maintain their independence and utilise our public transport network while improving local transport for all.
The Transport Act 2000 brought in the statutory minimum requirement for local authority concessionary fares to ensure that older and disabled people are entitled to half fares or better on their local bus services, with no additional charge being levied for the pass.
Anything provided above the statutory minimum is a matter for local authorities.
We believe that in England the current system offers the best combination of ensuring that pensioners receive a full opportunity to benefit from public transport, while also allowing decisions to be made that fully reflect local circumstances.
The Chancellor announced the introduction of free TV licences for those aged over 75, in his pre-Budget report in November 2000. Over 3.5 million pensioner households benefit from access to free TV licences, at a cost of some £380 million a year.
Road Fuel Duty
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of defraying for a year a one pence per litre increase in duty on petrol and diesel. [179147]
John Healey:
Estimates of the revenue yield from an increase in road fuel duty rates were published in table 6 of the "Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs" alongside the 2003 pre-Budget report, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
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Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much additional tax revenue accrues to the Treasury from each one pence rise in (a) the market price of crude oil and (b) the pump price of (i) petrol and (ii) diesel. [179148]
John Healey: The overall impact of higher oil and road fuel prices on tax revenues and the public finances is complex as they will increase some tax revenues and Government expenditures while decreasing others, depending on their wider impact on the economy in general. Reliable estimates of the impact of changes in prices are not available.
Suicide
Mr. Willis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many suicides of (a) under 18s and (b) those aged 14 to 18 were recorded in the UK in each year since 1997. [178941]
Ruth Kelly [holding answer 15 June 2004]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Phil Willis, dated 21 June 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many suicides of (a) under 18s and (b) those aged 14 to 18 were recorded in the UK in each year since 1997. (178941)
The most recent available data are for the calendar year 2002. Figures for each year from 1997 to 2002 are given in the attached table.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intentional self harm at ages under 18 | ||||||
| (a) All | 48 | 64 | 55 | 75 | 50 | 64 |
| (b) 14 and over | 47 | 60 | 52 | 70 | 47 | 59 |
| Injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted 4 at ages under 18 | ||||||
| (a) All | 68 | 59 | 56 | 63 | 46 | 49 |
| (b) 14 and over | 47 | 41 | 40 | 47 | 35 | 36 |
(12) The cause of death for intentional self harm was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, (ICD-9) codes E950-E959and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84. ICD-JO was introduced in Scotland in 2000 and in Northern Ireland, and England and Wales in 2001.
(13) The cause of death for injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E980-E989 for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and E980-E989 excluding E988.8 for England and Wales, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes Y10-Y34 for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and Y10-Y34 excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending for England and Wales.
(14) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year for Scotland and Northern Ireland and for deaths occurring in each calendar year for England and Wales.
(15) In routine statistics, ONS defines suicides as deaths from suicide and deaths from 'injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted'. Past research has shown that the majority of deaths in which the intent could not be determined (Coroner's open verdicts in England and Wales) in adults are cases where the harm is self-inflicted but there was insufficient evidence to prove that the deceased deliberately intended to kill themselves. The proportion among children is unknown although it is unlikely that any very young children deliberately intended to kill themselves.
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