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Film Industry

Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his intention that films already in their principal photography stage and entered into in good faith under existing section 42 arrangements should be excluded in the changes to sale and leaseback arrangements under section 42 relief for film-making investment. [202144R]

Dawn Primarolo: In his pre-Budget report on 2 December the Chancellor announced two measures targeted at film tax avoidance schemes that typically use sale and leaseback arrangements. These measures do not apply to films that were in principal photography at the date of the PBR announcement.

Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he intends to take to ensure that the achieved relief for film investment under the new section 48 arrangement should amount to 20 per cent. [202146R]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue issued a technical note on 21 September 2004 with details of a proposed new tax credit for British qualifying films with
 
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a budget up to £20 million. In his pre-Budget report on 2 December, the Chancellor confirmed that the Government are engaged in discussions with industry representatives to increase its understanding of the industry and to develop the detail of the operation of the credit.

Gender Pay Gap

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the gender pay gap among staff in his Department. [202506]

Mr. Timms: HM Treasury has undertaken two gender pay reviews. These reviews take place within three months of the pay settlement. Both reviews have shown no significant differences in pay between the genders.

Government Borrowing

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Government have borrowed from the national insurance fund in each year since 1998–99. [201907]

Dawn Primarolo: Most of the national insurance fund account is invested in gilts. This reduces the need for Government borrowing elsewhere. Details of investments from the national insurance fund account are in the annual accounts of the national insurance fund investment account published annually by the Stationery Office.

Inland Revenue

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what efficiency savings have been made in the Inland Revenue in each of the last seven years; and if he will make a statement; [202960]

(2) what the cost was of running the Inland Revenue in each of the last seven years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [202961]

Dawn Primarolo: Details of the costs of running the Inland Revenue together with information on efficiency savings and productivity improvements are available in Inland Revenue annual reports on the Inland Revenue website at http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk and the House Library.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff have been employed by the Inland Revenue in each of the last seven years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [202962]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 December 2004, Official Report, columns 126–27W.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent efficiency assessments have been made of working practices in the Inland Revenue; and if he will make a statement. [202963]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue has a broad, proactive and continuous approach to the assessment of the efficiency of our working practices.
 
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Staff and managers are encouraged to continually improve the efficiency of their work. In addition, major current programmes such as Modernising Payroll Processes for Customers (MPPC) and the e-Services Programme will focus on improving working practices, thus delivering efficiencies and improving the quality of services and the choice offered to our customers.

Recent reviews of business practices covered a wide range of services and operations across the Inland Revenue as part of the Modernising Government and Public Service Reform agendas. Although the prime focus of this work was not efficiency but better quality service, potential efficiencies were identified. The reviews included a focus on the processes and behaviours surrounding the channels by which customers contact and transact with the Department, to enable customers to fully meet their obligations and receive their entitlements.

A series of pilot process reviews has been implemented, following latest international best practices, of the Revenue's major processes and activities with the aim of delivering improvements in customer services and operational efficiency.

International Finance Facility

Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) which G7 countries support the International Finance Facility; [202664]

(2) what discussions he has had with the Secretariat for the Commission for Africa regarding the International Finance Facility; [202666]

(3) what discussions he has had with the (a) World Bank and (b) African Development Bank on the International Finance Facility; [202667]

(4) what discussions he has had with (a) UN agencies and (b) non-governmental organisations regarding the International Finance Facility. [202668]

Mr. Timms: The UK is building a broad coalition of support for the International Finance Facility (IFF) in preparation for the UK presidencies of the G7/8 and EU in 2005. As part of this process, the IFF has been widely discussed within the G8 group of leading industrialised nations, the European Union, the United Nations, the G20 group of leading and emerging economies, the Commonwealth, at international meetings of the IMF and World Bank, with emerging market and developing countries, and with international organisations such as the UNDP, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the WHO and NEPAD.

40 countries—including France and, last week, Italy—have given their support to the IFF. We have also received the support of a wide range of non-governmental organisations, faith groups and the business community.

Discussions at the recent annual meetings of the World Bank and IMF increased support for the IFF, which was affirmed in the World Bank's final paper on Aid Effectiveness and Financing Modalities to be both technically feasible and the most advanced proposal for frontloading aid.
 
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Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who will assess the poverty reduction plans of recipient countries for them to receive funds from the International Finance Facility. [202670]

Mr. Timms: The detailed mechanics of how disbursement decisions are made would depend on the IFF's governance structure, which would be for agreement by donors at the establishment of the IFF. The UK's proposal is that the IFF will use existing disbursement mechanisms that have been tried, tested and shown to be effective. It will not seek to become a new body for disbursing aid with new criteria that developing countries will need to meet.

Job Vacancies (Strathkelvin and Bearsden)

Mr. Lyons: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many unfilled job vacancies there were in Strathkelvin and Bearsden in the last period for which figures are available. [202544]

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. John Lyons, dated 7 December 2004:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about job vacancies in Strathkelvin and Bearsden. I am replying in his absence. (202544)

Figures for vacancies in total are only available from the ONS Vacancy Survey, which provides information at national level only. For local areas, figures for vacancies held by the Jobcentre Plus administrative system are available for periods up to April 2001. However, due to changes to that system, more recent figures are only available on a reliable basis for newly notified vacancies.

In April 2001 there were 11,258 unfilled vacancies which had been registered to Jobcentres in the Glasgow travel to work area. An equivalent figure for Strathkelvin and Bearsden is not available.

The Jobcentre Plus vacancy figure represents only those vacancies notified to Jobcentres, not all vacancies in an area.

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