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1 Sept 2004 : Column 699W—continued
Transport Expenditure
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much public money was spent on transport in each of the last 25 years. [186157]
Mr. Jamieson: Figures for total managed expenditure on transport between 1983–84 and 2002–03 (estimated outturn) are available in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses published annually by Her Majesty's Treasury. Figures for earlier years are not available on a comparable basis.
Transport Funding (Warrington)
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much Government funding has been allocated for transport improvements in Warrington in each of the past five years. [180082]
Mr. McNulty: Funding for transport improvements allocated to the local authority in each of the last five years is as follows:
| Improvement | Maintenance | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 2.2 | 2.8 |
| 2002–03 | 2.2 | 2.5 |
| 2001–02 | 2 | 2.4 |
| 1999–2000 | 0.9 | 1.8 |
There have been three Government funded major schemes taken forward via Warrington's Local Transport Plan and the previous Transport policies and Programme systems. 1. Urban Traffic Management and
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Control (DfT funding of £5.195 million 2001–2002-this project has incurred expenditure to date, and is on-going)The following projects have yet to gain full approval from DfT, but have received provisional funding to the maximum cash figures stated; 2. Bridgefoot bypass (£5.895 million provisionally approved DfT funding 2001–2002); 3. Central Bus Interchange (£6.338 million provisionally approved DfT funding 2003/2004).
TREASURY
Aviation Fuel
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he supports the budget proposal from the European Commission for an EU tax on airline fuel. [186176]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer he received from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 22 June 2004, Official Report, column 1315W.
National Debt
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of (a) national debt and (b) debt interest payment was in each of the last 25 years at today's prices. [186101]
John Healey: Figures for public sector net debt and central Government debt interest payments in current prices are available on the Office for National Statistics website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/tsdtables1. asp?vlnk=fsf
Table 1.1 A: Public Sector Finances (series RUTN and RUTO) shows figures for public sector net debt in £ billion and as a percentage of GDP. Table 1.1C: Central Government (series NMFX) shows debt interest payments in £ billions.
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Figures for GDP deflators at market prices are available on the HM Treasury website: http:// www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/economic data and tools/gdp deflators/data gdp fig.cfm
Public Relations
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the salary costs to the Department were for employees working in public relations and publicity in each year since 1997. [183856]
John Healey: The Treasury currently has a communications team consisting of a press office and a publishing and internet branch.
The press office manages the Treasury's and Treasury Ministers' communications with the media. For information on salary costs, I refer the hon. gentleman to the answer by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell on 30 June 2004, Official Report, column 286W.
The publishing and internet branch manages the Treasury's formal publications of documents and other material, and maintains its public internet site. Total basic salaries for that branch were £268,000 for 2001–02, £314,000 for 2002–03 and £236,000 for 2003–04. Comparable figures for previous years are not available.
Retail Spending/Household Income
Mr. Kenneth Clarke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the change in the level of (a) retail spending and (b) household income has been in each of the last seven years. [186214]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Kenneth Clarke, dated 5 August 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on the change in the levels of retail spending and household income in each of the last seven years. (186214)
The information available is shown in the table below. Retail spending is measured by the value of retail sales. Household income is measured as the total resources in the combined household and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) sector account, ie before deduction of tax etc. The accounts for the household and NPISH sectors are currently combined: separate estimates are not available.
| Value of retail sales: annual percentage change | Household income(8): annual percentage change | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 6.3 | 5.6 |
| 1998 | 3.9 | 5.3 |
| 1999 | 3.3 | 5.6 |
| 2000 | 3.6 | 7.5 |
| 2001 | 5.9 | 6.0 |
| 2002 | 4.9 | 3.5 |
| 2003 | 2.4 | 4.3 |
(8) Household income of the combined household and non-profit institutions serving households sectors.
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Trade Codings
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 4 May 2004, Official Report, column 1484W, what proportion of trade recorded under these codings has been assessed to be (a) miscoding and (b) illegal importation; and how many prosecutions have resulted. [185674]
John Healey: HM Customs and Excise have examined the trade records for code 43031010 since 1 January 2003 and have found that all transactions have arisen as a result of miscoding. A similar analysis in respect of imports and exports in previous years would require examination of the records of the transaction held by the importer or exporter and could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
Customs have no information or record of any illegal importation and their assessment is that the low values of trade recorded in the period since 1998 have arisen from either:
(a) further examples of miscoding, or
(b) legitimate imports or exports involving either adult seal skins, non commercial trade or trade in goods that have resulted from traditional hunting by the Inuit people.
No trade has been recorded against codes 43017010, 43021941 or 43023051 since 1998.
There have been no prosecutions since 1998 in respect of breaches of the prohibition established by the Import of Seal Skins Regulations 1996.
Trainee Inspector of Taxes Programme
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated (a) advertisement and recruitment costs and (b) employment costs, including national insurance, will be for the Inland Revenue's Trainee Inspector of Taxes Programme for July 2004. [185931]
Dawn Primarolo: The information is as follows.
A variety of media were used to advertise the Inland Revenue's Tax Inspector Recruitment Programme, including a national broad-sheet newspaper and recruitment/diversity web-sites, some of which were sourced free of charge. The total cost of advertising is estimated at £14,000.
The cost of the recruitment campaign is estimated at £314,000. This estimate is based on an expected volume of 10,000 applications. The recruitment campaign started on 19 July 2004 and the final costs cannot yet be confirmed.
The employment costs, including national insurance are estimated at £4.9 million per annum.
The Inland Revenue is currently implementing a number of changes in order to deliver efficiencies in costs and jobs. These particular jobs are part of a Spend to Save Strategy announced in this year's budget.
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