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28 Feb 2005 : Column 937W—continued
Teacher Recruitment
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the cost of the fast track teacher recruiting programme in each year from 2001–02 to 2009–10; and if she will make a statement. [216742]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The Fast Track teaching programme invests in developing effective leadership in schools; it is not primarily a recruitment programme.
The cost of Fast Track for the years 2001–04 and estimated costs for 2004–06 are shown as follows. We are reviewing the cost of the programme for future years.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 8.27 |
| 2002–03 | 8.07 |
| 2003–04 | 12.9 |
| 2004–05 | (10)18.4 |
| 2005–06 | (11)23.0 |
(10)estimated end of year forecast
(11)estimate
Teacher Training Agency
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the administration budget of the Teacher Training Agency was in the last financial year for which figures are available; and what allocations have been made for each year to 2009–10. [216740]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The Teacher Training Agency's grant letter for 2005–06 says the following about the TTA's administrative costs taking into account efficiency savings levels measured against the 2004–05 baseline.
Administrative costs here mean all costs involved in running the TTA's business as distinct from delivering front-line services."
Figures for 2008–09 and 2009–10 are not available.
TREASURY
Alcohol/Tobacco Smuggling
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action his Department is taking to clarify the rules on the importation of cigarettes and alcohol for personal use only following visits to Europe; and if he will make a statement. [217735]
John Healey:
Information for travellers is available from the National Advice Service, the Customs website (www.hmce.gov.uk) and in posters and public notices available at major ports and airports within the UK and some European airports.
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Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals have been prosecuted for bringing (a) too many cigarettes and (b) too much alcohol into the UK from Europe in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [217736]
John Healey: The information is not readily available in the format requested. HM Customs and Excise central records collate the number of prosecutions but do not distinguish the specifics of smuggling within and from outside Europe.
For details of the number of prosecutions since 2001, I refer the hon. Member to the Customs and Excise annual report 2003–04, which is available in the House of Commons Library.
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many privately owned vehicles have been destroyed following seizure at UK ports by HM Customs and Excise due to suspicion of smuggling cigarettes and alcohol purchased in Europe; and if he will make a statement; [217738]
(2) how many privately owned vehicles have been seized and subsequently returned to the owner by HM Customs and Excise at UK ports on suspicion of smuggling cigarettes and alcohol from Europe in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement; [217739]
(3) how many privately owned vehicles have been seized by HM Customs and Excise at UK ports due to suspicion of smuggling cigarettes and alcohol from Europe in each year since 2001. [217740]
John Healey: HM Customs and Excise records on seized vehicles do not distinguish between privately owned vehicles and those owned by commercial entities.
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) annual and (b) monthly cost of using private security firms to secure and patrol the vehicles seized by HM Customs and Excise at UK ports has been in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [217737]
John Healey: HM Customs and Excise have a single contract for the storage of all goods, including all vehicles, which are seized throughout the UK, not just UK ports.
Costs for private security to secure and patrol the vehicles seized by HM Customs and Excise at UK ports are included in the overall costs of this contract and are not available individually.
Correspondence
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ask the Director of Child Benefit and Tax Credit Operations to reply to a letter from the hon. Member for Totnes dated 4 February about Mr. and Mrs. R. Bridle of Brixham, regarding alleged overpayment of tax credits; and for what reason Mr. Bridle was advised that this matter would be dealt with in six to eight weeks. [218306]
Dawn Primarolo:
The Tax Credit Office (TCO) aims to deal with 80 per cent. of letters from customers within 15 days and 95 per cent. within 40 days. Where it looks as if they will be unable to reply quickly, TCO aims to
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acknowledge receipt of the customer's letter and say when they expect to be able to reply. TCO will reply to the hon. Member and his constituent shortly.
Departmental Policies
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Clwyd, South constituency, the effect on the constituency of policies pursued by his Department at the Council of Ministers since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [215719]
Mr. Timms: The Chancellor of the Exchequer attends the ECOFIN formation of the Council of Ministers. One policy that benefits the Clwyd, South constituency is Structural Funds and Cohesion Policy, agreed as part of the EU budget. At ECOFIN, the UK has consistently argued both that the overall EU budget should be constrained, and focused on value for money, and also that spending should provide a good budgetary deal for the UK. In the current Financial Perspective, part of my hon. Friend's constituency is included in the west Wales and the valleys area, for which the Government secured objective 1 status at the Berlin European Council in 1999. The outcome also included funding through objective 3, which applies in the parts of Clwyd, South not covered by objective 1, and objective 2 which also applies in some parts of Clwyd, South. Based on this, in subsequent spending reviews, the Treasury has made available extra allocations, outside the Barnett formula, for the Welsh Objective 1 programmes, including in the 2004 Spending Review £106 million for 2005–06, £128 million for 2006–07 and £147 million for 2007–08.
This has allowed the Objective 1 programme so far, for example, to commit £1 billion to 1,300 projects reporting the creation and safeguarding of some 84,000gross jobs. This funding, together with other Government policies, has helped to support the Clwyd, South economy, to reduce unemployment from 1,422 in 1997 to 1,058 in 2000 and to 752 now—overall, since May 1997, claimant unemployment has fallen by 48 per cent., while long-term unemployment and long-term youth unemployment have fallen by 88 and 81 per cent. respectively.
Energy Products Directive
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the amount of revenue forgone in respect of rebated diesel for private leisure craft in each year since the Energy Products Directive came into force; [218521]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of private leisure craft which have used rebated red diesel in each year since the Energy Products Directive came into force. [218531]
John Healey:
No robust estimate of the revenue forgone has been possible due to a lack of data.The Government do not hold any figures for numbers of private pleasure craft. The British Marine Federation has estimated that there are approximately 451,000 private pleasure boats in the UK, although this figure includes all types of boats, not just those using red diesel.
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