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Law and Order Expenditure

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the per capita spending on law and order was in each year since 1997 in (a) England and Wales, (b) the North East and (c) Hartlepool. [218787]

Mr. Timms: The information is as follows:

Spending in England and Wales

To enable proper comparison to other regions, the following data shows total per capita spending on Public Order and Safety that can be identified as spending for a region within England and Wales. This is different from total per capita-spending as it excludes expenditure that cannot be identified as spending for a region.
£

EnglandWales
1998–99246240
1999–2000245237
2000–01265260
2001–02300295
2002–03323320




Source:
Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2004, ONS Population Data





 
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Spending in the North East

Per capita spending on Public Order and Safety in the North East is outlined as follows. This shows only expenditure that can be identified as spending for the North East.
£
1998–99279
1999–2000301
2000–01319
2000–02345
2002–03387




Source:
Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2004




Figures are not provided for 1997–98 as there are not comparable sources of data across all of these fields for this year.

Data is collected on the basis of Public Order and Safety" as HMT functional analyses are based on the UN standard classification of the functions of Government. Public Order and Safety includes police, fire, administration of justice, prison and offender programmes and immigration and citizenship.

Regional data for 2003–04 will be announced in PESA 2005 later this year.

Data is not held for spending in Hartlepool.

Further information can be found in PESA 2004 (Table 8.10) and a full definition of identifiable and non-identifiable spending can be found in paragraph 8.15 of PESA 2004.

MRSA

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many recorded deaths from MRSA there have been in the East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey area in each of the past five years. [219408]

Mr. Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Chris Grayling, dated 2 March 2005:


 
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Number of deaths where MRSA was a contributory factor,(8) East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey Primary Care Trust, 1999–2003(9)

Number of deaths where MRSA was a contributory factor
1999(10)
2000(10)
20015
2002(10)
2003(10)


(8) Identified using the methodology described in Griffiths C, Lamagni TL, Crowcroft NS, Duckworth G and Rooney C (2004) Trends in MRSA in England and Wales: analysis of morbidity and mortality data for 1993–2002. Health Statistics Quarterly" 21, 15–22.
(9) Figures are for deaths occurring in the years 1999 to 2003.
(10) Fewer than 5 deaths
Source:
Office for National Statistics




Pensions

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will defer the proposed reforms to the public sector pension scheme pending further consultation. [219279]

Mr. Timms: Each public service pension scheme is the subject of a separate review led by the responsible Department. Schemes have been consulting on proposals for reform. In some cases consultation is over, in other cases consultation is still in progress. To allow consideration of all the relevant issues, including the appropriate timetables for implementing reforms, it is right for the reviews to continue, accepting representations from all those affected, as at present.

Population Census

Mr. Amess: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about the conclusions of the last Census on the population of towns. [219429]

Mr. Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Amess, dated 2 March 2005:

Public Sector Accounts

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the changes made to the definitions of capital spending in the Public Sector Accounts since May 1997. [218916]


 
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Mr. Boateng: The Public Sector Accounts are drawn up by the ONS. They are based on the definitions in the European System of Accounts (ESA 95), which are determined by Eurostat. Interpretation of these standards is a matter for the ONS.

School Buildings

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes he has made to the scope and definitions of the repair of school buildings in the Public Sector Accounts since May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [218915]

Mr. Boateng: The Public Sector Accounts are drawn up by the Independent ONS. They are based on the definitions in the European System of Accounts (ESA 95), which are determined by Eurostat. Interpretation of these standards is a matter for the ONS.

Tax Credits

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many recipients of (a) working and (b) child tax credit award notices issued in 2003–04 who queried the accuracy of the Revenue's calculations and received no response within the 30-day period are being asked to make repayment; and if he will make a statement. [218543]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue (IR) do not hold the information in the format requested.

The IR's Code of Practice 26 ("What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?") sets out their approach to handling overpayments of tax credits.

Mr. Pope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total value of over-payments of working tax credits in the last year for which figures are available. [218549]

Dawn Primarolo: For working tax credit and child tax credit, I refer my hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Members for Northavon (Mr. Webb) and Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 15 November 2004, Official Report, columns 946–48W.

For the previous system of working families' and disabled person's tax credits, I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 12 November 2003, Official Report, column 394W.

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy for child care provided by grandparents to be considered eligible for the working tax credit child care element. [218610]

Dawn Primarolo: The child care element of working tax credit is only available for the costs of formal child care and is in line with the Government's commitment to promote good quality and safe provision.

Relatives can provide a high standard of child care in a safe environment but the Government do not wish to impose requirements of registration on family members.

If grandparents are registered childminders, then the cost of their services will count as eligible child care for the purposes of claiming the child care element of the
 
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working tax credit. However, if the child care is being provided from the child's home, then it will not be treated as eligible child care.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how long it took on average for an adjudication decision on a tax credit to be made in the last year for which figures are available. [218642]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue's aim is to decide 55 per cent. of all new tax credits claims, renewals and changes of circumstances within five working days of receipt, and 95 per cent. within 30 working days. They published their performance for 2003–04 against these targets in their Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2004 and this is available at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk. They are on course to meet the targets for 2004–05.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the Stroud constituency have current cases in the adjudication process for tax credit overpayments. [218644]

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.


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