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1 Feb 2005 : Column 762W—continued
Tax Credits
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are claiming working tax credit in each constituency in Northern Ireland. [211523]
Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of in-work families receiving tax credits in each constituency in Northern Ireland appear in Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses. December 2004". This can be found on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. The estimates are based on a sample of cases, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.
Tax Returns
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers in Northern Ireland failed to meet the 31 January 2004 deadline for return of Inland Revenue tax returns. [211891]
Dawn Primarolo: Information broken down by regions is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Nationally 8,581,000 returns were received by the filing deadline out of an expected 9,474,000. This represents 90.6 per cent.
VAT (Schools and Colleges)
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will equalise the rates of value added tax paid by colleges of further education with the rates paid by schools. [213068]
Dawn Primarolo: The rate of VAT on goods and services bought by schools and Further Education Colleges (FECs) is generally the same. However, FECs can in certain circumstances benefit from the zero rate for the construction of new buildings.
VAT incurred by FECs and schools is included in the funding they receive from central Government. In the case of FECs this is through their block grant funding, in the case of schools it is through the local government VAT funding mechanism.
There are no plans to change the VAT treatment of schools and FECs.
1 Feb 2005 : Column 763W
TRANSPORT
Railway Stations
13. Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway stations have (a) opened and (b) been re-opened since 1 May 1997. [211851]
Charlotte Atkins: Since 1 May 1997 12 new stations have opened and 16 stations have re-opened.
Road Building (Essex)
15. Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on proposed new major road building in Essex. [211853]
Mr. Jamieson: We have recently announced the programme of major transport schemes which we propose to take forward in the East of England, including schemes on both the strategic and local road networks. A number of these schemes will benefit Essex.
Nottingham Express Transit
16. Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the development of the Nottingham Express Transit (NET) in Greater Nottingham. [211854]
Charlotte Atkins: The Department has received a bid for the extensions and is working closely with the scheme's promoters on the procurement and financing aspects. Once the Department has considered fully all of the necessary information a decision on whether to provide approval in principle for the extensions will be made based on value for money, the wider benefits and affordability.
M6
17. Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for increasing the capacityof the M6 motorway between junctions 11 and20. [211855]
Mr. Jamieson: I launched a public consultation in July 2004 on an Expressway concept as an alternative to widening the M6 between junction 11a and 19. This consultation closed on 21 October. The responses are currently being analysed. When this is complete I will publish my response.
Midland Mainline
18. Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve rail services on the Midland Mainline route. [211856]
Charlotte Atkins:
The Midland Main Line/East Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy recently published by the Strategic Rail Authority will be used to inform the Invitations to Tender for the new Thameslink/GN and Midland Mainline franchise. Bids for the franchises will be require commitments on performance, train and crew reliability and operational viability.
1 Feb 2005 : Column 764W
Gatwick Express
19. Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact the Strategic Rail Authority's proposals for the Gatwick Express will have on airport users. [211857]
Charlotte Atkins: The Strategic Rail Authority has considered the impacts on Gatwick airport users while developing the proposals in the Draft Brighton Mainline Route Utilisation Strategy. Representations from consultees on the subject of airport users will be taken into account while the Strategy is finalised.
Traffic Commissioners
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the role of the Traffic Commissioners and their accountability to local councils. [211852]
Charlotte Atkins: Traffic Commissioners are responsible for licensing operators of heavy goods vehicles and public service vehicles. They act in a quasi judicial capacity and are independent of central and local government. Local authorities have the right to object to applications for a licence.
Civil Aviation Authority
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Civil Aviation Authority has spent on defending legal actions against it from employees in each of the last five years. [213179]
Charlotte Atkins: The Civil Aviation Authority's costs in the last five years are as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 6,375 |
| 2001 | 7,305 |
| 2002 | 8,303 |
| 2003 | 117,901 |
| 2004 | 13,740 |
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons personal files held by the Civil Aviation Authority on its staff are not regarded as filing systems within the meaning of the Data Protection Act 1998. [213180]
Charlotte Atkins: Personal files held by the CAA on its staff are paper files containing various material, including sickness absence forms, pay review letters and correspondence with the Human Resources Department. The personal files relating to each employee are stored in reverse chronological order.
The personal files are not regarded as filing systems within the meaning of the Data Protection Act 1998 (the Act") because they do not fulfil the requirements of being a relevant filing system" as defined in Section 1(1) of the Act. This definition is as follows:
any set of information relating to individuals to the extent that, although the information is not processed by means of equipment operating automatically in response to instructions given for that purpose, the set is structured, either by reference
- to individuals or by reference to criteria relating to individuals, in such a way that specific information relating to a particular individual is readily accessible."
A searcher would be required to leaf through the documents in a personal file in reverse chronological order to find any particular information. Accordingly the personal files cannot be regarded as a relevant filing system" within the meaning of the Act.
The Information Commissioner has agreed with the CAA's view.
Mobile Phones
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research the Government had carried out on (a) the extent of and (b) the safety implications of the use of mobile telephones by cyclists while cycling. [209599]
Mr. Jamieson: We are not aware of evidence specifically on cyclists and the safety of using mobile phones. But the Highway Code already tells cyclists to keep both hands on the handlebars except when signalling or changing gear. The police have powers under sections 28 and 29 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, as amended, to deal with cyclists they consider to be riding dangerously, or carelessly or inconsiderately, through using mobile phones or for any other reason.
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