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10 Nov 2004 : Column 707W—continued
Social Service Volunteer Drivers
Ms Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that increases to Inland Revenue mileage allowances for social service volunteer drivers reflect fuel price increases; and if he will make a statement. [196291]
Dawn Primarolo: Volunteer drivers are not taxed on payments to reimburse them for costs of using their own cars. For convenience, organisations can reimburse volunteer drivers using the statutory approved mileage allowance rates that apply to employees generally. But, if the actual costs of using their own car exceed the rates, volunteer drivers can be reimbursed the higher amount without giving rise to a tax charge.
VAT
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost would be to the Treasury in a year of a reduction in VAT on all home repair maintenance and improvement works to (a) 12 per cent. 10 per cent. and (c) five per cent. [197450]
Dawn Primarolo: Customs do not collect data on VAT from individual goods and services, therefore no such estimates are available.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what commodities have been subject to changes in the rate of VAT since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [197216]
Dawn Primarolo: Details of changes to the rate of VAT on supplies of goods and services are published annually in the Financial Statement and Budget Report (FSBR), which is available in the Library of the House.
In addition, clarification of the VAT treatment of specific goods and services, including clarification of the boundaries for zero or reduced rates, results from court judgements and decisions of the VAT Tribunal. A full list of these minor changes for the period since 1997 could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
10 Nov 2004 : Column 708W
Working Hours
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the number of hours in the average working week has been in each year since 1992; what figure was used for the number of workers in each year for the purposes of that calculation; and what the total number of hours worked in the economy was in each of those years. [194834]
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. David Willetts, dated 10 November 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about employment. (194834)
The attached table from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides the information requested for the three-month period ending August each year from 1992 to 2004. Average actual weekly hours are calculated using the number of people in employment who have reported hours of work. This employment figure excludes a small number of people on Government supported training and employment programmes who, in the Labour Force Survey reference week, were attending college and were not asked for their hours of work.
These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
(10) Average and total hours worked in the reference week are calculated including overtime and excluding lunch breaks.
2 See text of answer for explanation of these employment figures.
(11) Total actual hours for all people are calculated as the sum of hours for men and women separately.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey
10 Nov 2004 : Column 709W
HEALTH
Boots Medical Services
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on patient confidentiality in relation to NHS records of the transfer of optical and dental patients from Boots Opticians laser eye clinics and Boots dental clinics to Optical Express; and if he will make a statement. [197374]
Ms Rosie Winterton: A number of the optical and dental treatments provided by Boots plc are on a private basis and therefore outside the scope of national health service services. Where Boots or Optical Express (DCM optical Clinic and Matland Ltd.) are providing services to NHS patients, they will be required to comply with NHS standards of patient confidentiality as part of their contracts with the NHS.
Departmental Estate
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the properties occupied by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2004; and what the (A) area and (B) annual rental value (1) in aggregate and (2) in each case was in each year. [196073]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 4 November 2004]: The properties occupied by the Department and its agencies in 1997 and 2004 are as follows.
The areas and annual rentals are shown in the following table.
| Department | Agencies | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | |||
| Area (square metres) | 114,730 | 17,003 | 131,733 |
| Rental (£000) | 14,135 | 877 | 15,012 |
| 2004 | |||
| Area (square metres) | 95,743 | 10,708 | 106,451 |
| Rental (£000) | 16,540 | 1,720 | 18,260 |
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