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27 Oct 2004 : Column 1298W—continued
Siemens Business Services
Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on proposals by Siemens Business Services to transfer National Savings and Investment jobs to India. [192910]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement made by Siemens on 13 August 2004.
Single Mothers
Mr. Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single mothers aged (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 30 and (c) over 30 years are in receipt of child benefit in (i) Angus constituency and (ii) Scotland. [193451]
Dawn Primarolo: The numbers requested cannot be obtained from the records held. The child benefit data system does not hold up-to-date data on whether each recipient is single or part of a couple. The latest available figures covering all recipients in each local authority, for November 2003, appear on the Inland Revenue website, at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/child benefit/menu.htm.
Special Advisers
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many unpaid special advisers the Department has; what their names are; and which Government (a) bodies, (b) committees and (c) strategy groups each unpaid adviser (i) belongs to, (ii) advises and (iii) works alongside. [194066]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer which the former Financial Secretary (Ruth Kelly) gave the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith) on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 246W.
Stamp Duty/Inheritance Tax
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the estimated tax yield from (a) stamp duty on domestic property and (b) inheritance tax is for each
27 Oct 2004 : Column 1299W
year to 2008–09 on the assumption that home price inflation is (i) zero, (ii) minus 10 per cent. per annum and (iii) plus 10 per cent. per annum; [194151]
(2) what assumptions the Government have made about the level of (a) stamp duty receipts on domestic property and (b) inheritance tax receipts in the period to 2008–09. [194152]
Dawn Primarolo: Forecast receipts from inheritance tax and stamp duty for 2004–05 are given in Table C8 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/CF2/16/bud04 chc 312.pdf. Forecasts for 2005–06 will be given in the pre-Budget report towards the end of the year. The breakdown of stamp duty into receipts on residential property and the effects of the alternative house price assumptions are not available.
Tax Credits
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit compensation payments have been authorised since April; and what the (a) total and (b) average value of those payments was. [193662]
Dawn Primarolo: 10,200 payments were authorised between April and September 2004, inclusive. Their total value was £670,000 and the average value was £65.
Teenage Pregnancy (Barking and Dagenham)
Jon Cruddas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the teenage pregnancy rate in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has been in each year since 1997. [194421]
Mr. Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Jon Cruddas, dated 27 October 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the teenage pregnancy rate in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has been in each year since 1997. (194421)
The most recent year for which conceptions statistics are available is 2002 and figures for this year are provisional estimates. The data requested are given in the table below.
| Year | Number | Rate(11) |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 193 | 69.0 |
| 1998 | 156 | 54.6 |
| 1999 | 180 | 61.2 |
| 2000 | 216 | 67.5 |
| 2001 | 215 | 63.6 |
| 2002(12) | 236 | 73.3 |
(11) Rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 17
(12) Provisional estimates
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Caravan and Camping Exempted Organisations
Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Association of Caravan and Camping Exempted Organisations was consulted in his review of permitted development rights; and if he will list the organisations which were consulted. [193908]
Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has made no proposals to amend permitted development rights for caravan sites. A research report into permitted development, commissioned from consultants, was published last year on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website, www.odpm.gov.uk. This was the initial phase of a review of permitted development by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. A list of those whom the researchers contacted has been made available in the Library of the House. We intend to consult early next year on changes to certain permitted development rights, but not on the rights to station caravans. If we decide to propose changes in that area, we would again go out to public consultation. The Association of Caravan and Camping Exempted Organisations will be welcome to contribute its views on any proposals we make.
E-targets
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when all local authorities are expected to supply land searches electronically. [193808]
Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister continues to encourage local authorities to subscribe to the National Land Information Service (NLIS) as the best way of e-enabling land searches. In turn this should improve the speed of response and efficiency of the service. NLIS has already been used for over three million searches and achieved an estimated 30–35 per cent. of the e-conveyancing market share. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister anticipates that as part of the overall e-government target all local authorities should offer e-enabled land searches by December 2005.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on local authorities' progress towards the Government's e-targets. [193809]
Phil Hope: The target for local authorities in England is 100 per cent. capability in electronic delivery of priority services by December 2005, in ways that customers will use. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister anticipates all authorities reaching this target. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will have new data on their progress in the new year. Authorities have been requested to submit this year's Implementing Electronic Government statements by 20 December.
High Hedges
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister by what date Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 relating to high hedges will be fully implemented. [194338]
Phil Hope:
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is now finalising regulations and guidance and expects the complaints system to be fully operational early in 2005.
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Housing Bill
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in what form electronic versions of sellers' packs must be made available; who will have access to this information; and how the vendor will recover his or her costs from the purchaser. [193886]
Keith Hill: There is no requirement for home information packs to be kept in an electronic format. Potential buyers may ask for a copy of the pack and the Housing Bill provides that this may be provided in an electronic format if the potential buyer agrees to it. This will assist efficiency and minimise costs. The Bill also specifies circumstances in which a copy may be refused, allows conditions to be attached and for a reasonable charge covering the costs of making and sending a copy to be made.
Local Government Finance
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to use data from the 2001 census in calculating the local government finance settlement; and if he will make a statement. [193514]
Mr. Raynsford: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 19 October 2004, Official Report, columns 570–71W.
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