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Employment (Yorkshire)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) men and (b) women were in work in (i) City of York parliamentary constituency, (ii) City of York Council area and (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber in (A) May 1997 and (B) each May since then. [188954]

Mr. Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Hugh Bayley, dated 16 September 2004:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) men and (b) women were in work in (i) City of York Parliamentary Constituency, (ii) City of York Council area and (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber in (A) May 1997 and (B) each year since. I am replying in his absence. (188954)

The attached table gives the estimates of people in employment by gender in the City of York Parliamentary Constituency, York Unitary Authority and Yorkshire & Humberside region for the twelve months ending February each year from 1997 to 2004.

As with any statistical sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are subject to sampling variability. In particular, for smaller areas such as York Parliamentary Consistency, changes in the estimates from year to year may arise from sampling fluctuations and the pattern of change over a run of years should be considered rather than changes in individual years.

People in employment by gender in the City of York parliamentary constituency, York Unitary Authority and Yorkshire and Humberside region; 12 months ending February each year; not seasonally adjusted Thousand

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
All persons
City of York PCA	44	45	48	45	51	51	54
York UA	83	77	83	83	93	93	93
Yorkshire and Humberside	2,151	2,170	2,212	2,211	2,259	2,265	2,280
Male
City of York PCA	22	24	28	25	27	28	29
York UA	44	43	45	44	49	49	50
Yorkshire and Humberside	1,163	1,178	1,202	1,197	1,208	1,221	1,233
Female
City of York PCA	22	21	20	20	24	24	25
York UA	39	34	38	39	44	43	43
Yorkshire and Humberside	988	993	1,010	1,014	1,051	1,044	1,047

Source:
ONS—Labour Force Survey.

Allergy Relief Products

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the VAT rate on allergy relief products was in each year between 1974 and 1996; and if he will make a statement; [188933]

(2) if he will apply a zero VAT rate on allergy relief products; and if he will make a statement. [189151]

John Healey: Allergy relief products prescribed by a doctor and dispensed by a registered pharmacist have been VAT zero-rated since VAT was introduced in 1973.
 
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Allergy relief products administered to patients in the course of medical care or treatment in a clinic or hospital have always been exempt from VAT.

A number of specific zero rates are available for goods designed specially for use by chronically sick or disabled people. Many allergy sufferers are not chronically sick or disabled; however, these reliefs may apply to allergy relief products in certain limited circumstances.

Since the introduction VAT, in the UK, allergy relief products supplied in all other circumstances are liable to VAT at the standard rate which, since 1 April 1991, has been 17.5 per cent. Prior to that, the standard rate of VAT was as follows: from 1 April 1973—10 per cent.; from 29 July 1974—8 per cent.; from 18 June 1979—15 per cent.

Long-standing formal agreements with our European partners allow us to keep our existing VAT zero rates, but do not allow us to extend them or introduce any new ones. It is therefore not possible to extend the scope of our zero rates to allergy relief products which do not currently benefit from zero-rating.

Civil Service (Job Losses)

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which services within his Department will be (a) affected by and (b) subject to job losses consequent on the cuts in the civil service announced in the Spending Review. [189632]

Mr. Boateng: Full details of the workforce changes announced in the Spending Review are being worked through, and we are consulting all stakeholders including unions and staff.

Departments will come forward in due course with details of workforce changes once plans are finalised.

Diesel (Taxation)

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of taxation per litre is on diesel produced naturally from used cooking oil. [189292]

John Healey: The duty rate for diesel produced from biomass or waste cooking oil and used as a road fuel is 27.10 pence per litre providing that it meets the specification for biodiesel as set out in HM Customs and Excise Public Notice 179E "Biodiesel and Bioblend". If it does not meet the specification, it is dutied as a fuel substitute at the same rate as ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD) which is 47.10 pence per litre.

Milk Tokens

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many eligible claimants of tax credit have been waiting for over six months for their milk tokens. [189279]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue provides the Department of Health (DoH) with monthly extracts from its database of people who, on the basis of information they report to the Revenue as tax credits claimants, are entitled to milk tokens.
 
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The number of cases for which such notification to DoH is delayed for six months after the calculation of the award is thought to be very small. I understand from DoH that they currently have no delays in issuing milk tokens to eligible claimants based on data supplied by the Revenue.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland on 22 July on the value of applications made to the Crown Estate's Research Committee. [189472]

Mr. Timms: I did so on 14 September 2004, Official Report, column 1508W.

Tax Collection (Costs)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of collection of (a) national insurance, (b) income tax, (c) capital gains tax and (d) inheritance tax was in each year since 1997. [189430]

Dawn Primarolo: For years up to and including 2001–02, the costs of collecting income tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax and national insurance contributions can be found on page 45 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2002 (published in December 2002). Figures for 2002–03 are contained within Appendix 2 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2003 (published in December 2003).

Tax Credit

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action is being taken to ensure that the Inland Revenue's computer system is able to cope with the complexity of tax credit claims and payments; how many overpayments of tax credit have been made in the current financial year; what the value of those overpayments is; and how many overpayments are subject to recovery. [188897]

Dawn Primarolo: The new IT systems for tax credits have been introduced as planned and are delivering the processes for finalising tax credit awards for 2003–04 and renewing claims for 2004–05. Information about the number of overpayments in relation to 2004–05 tax credits awards will be available after those awards are finalised.

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the tax credit appeal by the constituent of the hon. Member for Birkenhead, Mr. Matthew Morrison of Beckwith Street, Birkenhead, lodged on 19 April, will be heard. [189280]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue aims to settle tax credit appeals by agreement with the customer, wherever possible. For appeals that go to tribunal, the Appeals Service aims to hear cases within 12 weeks of receipt of a submission. The Inland Revenue wrote to Mr Morrison about his case on 24 August 2004.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value is of tax credit overpayments not recovered because the Inland Revenue accept that the
 
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overpayment arose because of a mistake by the Inland Revenue and the person could reasonably have thought their award was right. [187842]

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested for 2003–04 awards is not yet available.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value is of compensation awarded for tax credit errors made by the Inland Revenue. [187844]

Dawn Primarolo: Compensation payments can be made for mistakes or unreasonable delays. For payments during 2003–04, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Hamilton South (Mr. Tynan) and to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) on 20 July 2004, Official Report, columns 190–91W.

Later payments up to the end of August 2004 totalled £570,000.

Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement regarding the performance of the Tax Credits Office at Preston, and in particular its Disputes Team, with reference to the case of a constituent of Onslow Crescent in Solihull whose name has been communicated to him. [189159]

Dawn Primarolo: The Tax Credit Office (TCO) aims to reply to 80 per cent. of complaints within 15 working days and is on line to achieve this target this year.

The TCO is in contact with the hon. Member and his constituent about his constituent's claim.

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