---

15 Nov 2004 : Column 956W—continued

NUTS 2

Mr. Moore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the review by the Office of National Statistics and Eurostat of NUTS 2 statistical areas to (a) begin and (b) be completed. [198043]

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. Michael Moore, dated 15 November 2004:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on when the review by the Office for National Statistics and Eurostat of NUTS2 statistical areas is expected to (a) begin and (b) be completed. I am replying in his absence. (198043)

There is scheduled to be a general review of NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) by Eurostat in the second half of 2006 with its implementation planned for 1st January 2008. The ONS will consult widely as it did in 1998 before submitting a UK response.

NUTS is the statistical geography that is used across the 15 "old" EU member states. There is also a proposal COM (2004) 592 dated 15 September 2004 before the European Council and the European Parliament to amend Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 to extend NUTS to the 10 "new" EU member states. This regulation formalised a 3 level hierarchy (NUTS levels 1 to 3) through its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities on 21 June 2003.

Personal and Retirement Savings

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of Government policy on (a) personal and (b) retirement saving. [197486]

Mr. Timms: The Government provides tax support of £2 billion every year for savers through Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and other products, resulting in increased take-up of ISAs for both the low-income and the young. The Government also provides generous tax relief for pension saving worth over £11 billion in net terms to individuals and employers and is simplifying the pensions regime by replacing eight regimes with just one, providing greater choice and flexibility to 15 million pension savers.

The Government's wide-ranging support for savings and pensions includes empowering individuals with financial information, improved access to advice, and savings products that are simple and easy to understand. With ISAs, pensions simplification and by implementing the recommendations of the Sandier review, the Government is delivering new incentives, greater choice and simpler products for all savers and pensioners. In addition, the pension credit provides for the first time a reward for saving for people with modest savings and small occupational pensions.
 
15 Nov 2004 : Column 957W
 

Redundancies (West Midlands)

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the latest figures for the number of redundancies in the West Midlands. [197468]

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. Jim Cunningham dated 15 November 2004:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about redundancy. I am replying in his absence. (197468)

Based upon Labour Force Survey interviews carried out during the three months ending August 2004, it is estimated that 11,000 people resident in the West Midlands had been made redundant in the past three months.

These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.

Tax Credit Office (Preston)

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how long the Director of the Tax Credit Office in Preston has been in his post. [197881]

John Healey: The Director of the Tax Credit Office was appointed to the post on 6 May 2002.

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2004, Official Report, columns 655–56W, on correspondence, what percentage of replies to hon. Members from the tax credit office in Preston in the 12 months prior to 1 April went out within 15 working days. [197882]

John Healey: The information requested is not available.

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Inland Revenue officials are employed in the Tax Credit Office in Preston; and if he will list the names of (a) the director, (b) the deputy director and (c) the four next most senior officials in the office. [197936]

John Healey: The Inland Revenue employs the equivalent of around 2,700 full-time staff in the Tax Credit Office, which is based in Preston and Liverpool.

My right hon. Friend the Paymaster General has asked the Director of the Tax Credit Office to write to the hon. Member separately explaining the structure of the Tax Credit Office and their processes for dealing with correspondence from hon. Members.

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2004, Official Report, columns 655–56W, on correspondence, for what reasons it would not be practical for the Director of the Tax Credit Office to reply personally to hon. Members writing on behalf of constituents. [197937]

John Healey: The Director of Child Benefit and Tax Credit Operations has overall responsibility for the Tax Credit Office and the Child Benefit Office. Taking into account all the other duties of the Director it is not practical for him to reply personally to all of these letters and his Customer Relations Manager usually replies on
 
15 Nov 2004 : Column 958W
 
his behalf. This is normal departmental practice, and the Director remains responsible for the replies sent out by his office.

Tax Credits

Vera Baird: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people claimed the new deal for 50-plus employment credit between April 2002 and March 2003; and how many people claimed the working tax credit 50-plus element between April 2003 and March 2004. [197381]

John Healey: I understand from the Department for Work and Pensions that about 31,000 people in the United Kingdom aged 50 or more received the New Deal 50-plus employment credit after returning to work between April 2002 and March 2003.

For the number finally benefiting from the 50-plus return to work element in working tax credit, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right honourable Friend the Paymaster General to the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) on 28 October 2004, Official Report, column 1382W.

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance has been offered on how long a claimant should be waiting after submitting a completed tax credit application form before they are advised of (a) the outcome of their claim and (b) their first payment; and if he will publish that guidance. [197788]

John Healey: The Inland Revenue aim to decide 55 per cent. of all tax credit claims and change of circumstances in five working days and 95 per cent. in 30 working days. These targets were published in the Inland Revenue Spring Departmental Report May 2004.

The Department is currently on track to achieve these targets.

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for tax credits have been awaiting a decision on the outcome of their claim for (a) one month, (b) two months, (c) three months, (d) four months, (e) five months and (f) six months or more. [197789]

John Healey: Payments are made automatically on the first scheduled payment date after a claim is decided.

Tobacco Duty

Mr. Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total amount of duty on tobacco products evaded and avoided since 2000, broken down by (a) revenue lost through cross-border shopping and (b) revenue lost through smuggling and fraud. [196979]

John Healey: Estimates of tobacco revenue lost through legitimate cross-border shopping and through smuggling and fraud, for the last three financial years, are contained in HM Customs and Excise's paper Measuring and Tackling Tax Losses published alongside the pre Budget report in December 2003, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.
 
15 Nov 2004 : Column 959W
 

---