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1 Mar 2005 : Column 1057W—continued
EU Budget
Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the EC draft budget for 2005 to be completed. [218737]
Mr. Timms: The 2005 EC budget was adopted by the European Parliament, following conciliation with the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, on 16 December 2004.
EU Communications
Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what budget was allocated for EU Communications in each of the past five financial years; and what is budgeted for the next financial year. [218782]
Mr. Timms: The annual budget of the European Communities details the resources allocated to EU Communications each calendar year. Copies of the EC budgets for 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 are available in the Library of the House. The 2005 EC budget will be deposited following its publication which is expected in March.
EU Committees
Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Customs Co-operation Sub-committee (i) EEC-Korea, (ii) EEC-United States of America and (iii) EEC-Israel met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement; [218436]
(2) how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Customs Co-operation Committee—EEC-Andorra met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement. [218460]
Dawn Primarolo:
The committees are the responsibility of the European Commission. Member states are not involved.
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European Constitution
Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2005, Official Report, column 701W, on the European Constitution, when the Foreign and Commonwealth Office budget for informing the public about the EU and the EU constitutional treaty was agreed with the Treasury; and what methodology was used to calculate the budget. [218783]
Mr. Timms: For the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the 2002 spending review set an overall resource budget of £1,503 million and an overall capital budget of £136 million for 2004–05. Decisions on allocations from within these totals are for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list budgets the Treasury has agreed with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for financial year 2004–05 which could be used to fund the provision of public information on the EU constitution. [218784]
Mr. Timms: The 2002 Spending Review set the Foreign and Commonwealth Office an overall resource budget of £1,503 million and an overall capital budget of £136 million for 2004–05. Decisions on allocations from within these totals are a matter for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Health Expenditure
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the UK's GDP was spent on health in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) public and (b) private expenditure; and what estimate he has made of the current EU average health expenditure as a proportion of GDP. [218125]
Mr. Boateng: The information about UK health spending is in the following table.
According to the latest figures from the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), average total health expenditure in the EU in 2002 was 8.5 per cent. of GDP.
Notes:
1.The public expenditure figures are taken from the National Statistics release of 2 December 2004.
2.Private spending is calculated in a similar way as for ONS Health Accounts. From 2003–04, it is assumed to carry forward as a constant share of GDP.
3.The EU figure is a simple average of the then 15 EU countries; it is not weighted by country population.
Malaria Vaccines
Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what agreements with the private sector he has reachedsince his announcement on 24 November 2004 on the advance purchases of malaria vaccines; and what deadline he has set for these agreements to be reached. [218144]
Mr. Timms:
The Chancellor announced last November that the UK Government, working with other Governments, was ready to enter into legally binding advance purchase contracts in order to speed up the development of malaria vaccines. The UK intends to take this forward during the course of its Presidency of the G7/8 and as a first step, at their meeting in London in February, G7 Finance Ministers agreed to explore the use of advance purchase commitments. The UK Government will also continue to consult stakeholders, including the pharmaceutical industry, on the parameters of these contracts.
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Ministerial Visits
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to visit the London borough of Havering this year. [209493]
Mr. Gordon Brown: Treasury Ministers make many visits across the UK and will continue to do so this year.
Mr. Nelson Mandela
Llew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met Mr. Nelson Mandela; and what matters were discussed. [215264]
Mr. Gordon Brown: President Mandela spoke to the G7 Finance Ministers' meeting ahead of their meeting on Friday 4 February to urge them to take action on 100 per cent. multilateral debt relief, trade justice and additional aid to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
Near Cash
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition he uses of near cash. [218781]
Mr. Boateng: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Norfolk (Mr. Simpson) on 5 July 2004, Official Report, columns 600–01W.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply substantively to the question tabled by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead on 7 February, reference 215780. [218694]
Dawn Primarolo: I did so on 23 February.
Revenue and Customs
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations he plans to hold with trade unions on the move to strategic zones within Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. [217137]
Dawn Primarolo: The concept of strategic zones for the Department's compliance work has been widely discussed with staff and trade unions, and is now receiving additional focus in ongoing departmental planning. The Union of Senior Revenue Officials (USRO) recently described the consultation on the subject as 'exemplary'. The planning work will also define the boundaries of the zones and identify the scope to move work into them and the implications for departmental presence elsewhere. This work will then be discussed by the Department's board and with Ministers for further consideration.
Savings
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of the SavingsGateway in each of the first five years after itslaunch. [218254]
Mr. Timms:
In the pre-Budget report the Chancellor announced the launch of the larger Saving Gateway pilot for 2005. Evidence gathered through this pilot will be used to evaluate the future role matching could play
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in Government support for savings, both for those on low incomes and more generally. The new pilot will cost £15 million and all accounts opened will last for 18 months.
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2005, Official Report, column 1186W, on savings plans, what methodology was used to calculate (a) that the estimated current cost of tax-exempt savings plans with an annual premium limit of £300 is around £70 million per year and (b) that increasing the limit to £600 per annum would cost an extra £30 million; and if he will make a statement. [218047]
Mr. Timms: The estimated £70 million annual cost of TESPs is based on assets under management data provided by the Association of Friendly Societies combined with assumptions on average returns and the rate of tax that would have been paid on them in an alternative taxed savings vehicle. The estimated £30 million cost of increasing the limit to £600 is based upon assumptions about the additional number of TESPs that would be opened and additional contributions made to take advantage of the higher limit.
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