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20 Jun 2005 : Column 700W—continued
Carbon Capture
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the terms of reference are of his study of the economic viability of carbon capture and storage; and if he will make a statement. [4701]
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John Healey: As the Chancellor announced in the Budget, the Government are examining how they might support the development of carbon capture and storage in the Climate Change Programme Review, including the potential for new economic incentives. This assessment will consider the reliability and potential of CCS technology as a means of reducing carbon emissions, the barriers to its commercial deployment and the case for Government support through economic incentives. Carbon capture and storage will also be eligible for funding through the £25 million Carbon Abatement Technology Strategy that was launched by the Minister for Energy on 14 June.
Child Trust Funds
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many parents and carers in (a) the London borough of Haringey and (b) Hornsey and Wood Green constituency have been issued with Child Trust Fund vouchers; what the total value is of the vouchers issued up to 30 April; and if he will make a statement; [4801]
(2) how many of the parents and carers in (a) the London borough of Haringey and (b) Hornsey and Wood Green constituency who received Child Trust Fund vouchers by 30 April he estimates have set up relevant savings accounts with them; and if he will make a statement. [4802]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information based on individual local authority or parliamentary constituency is only available at disproportionate cost.
For available information on the number of vouchers issued and accounts opened I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 286–87. On the value of the vouchers which have been issued I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole (Annette Brooke) on 9 June 2005, Official Report, column 680W.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of uptake by parents and carers in Strangford constituency of the Child Trust Fund has been since its introduction; and if he will make a statement. [5328]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information on Child Trust Fund voucher usage by parliamentary constituency is only available at disproportionate cost. UK-wide information is available and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 286–87W.
Civil Servants
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made with the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Gershon Report since his last statement to the House. [5414]
Mr. Des Browne:
The OGC Efficiency Team is currently working with departments to assess progress on the Efficiency Programme, and an announcement will be made later in the year.
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Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the civil servants he pledged to move from London to other parts of the United Kingdom in his last Budget have been relocated; and what the timetable is for further such relocations. [5417]
Mr. Des Browne: The Budget announced that over 4,300 posts overall would be moved out of London and the south-east by the end of 2004–05 and that Departments had agreed relocation plans for a further 3,500 posts, meaning that over 7,800 relocations had already been confirmed. Just over 4,600 posts have now been relocated from London and the south-east to other parts of the United Kingdom. The remainder of the original target of 20,000 is on course to be achieved by 2010.
EU Budget Contributions
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the contribution per capita of each member state of the European Union is to the total EU budget in the last year for which figures are available; and what the per capita receipts from disbursement of EU funds were in each country. [4858]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The estimated contribution and receipts per capita of each member state for the last year for which figures are available, 2003, is as follows:
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value has been of the (a) gross contribution to the European Union budget and (b) net contribution after receiving subsidies and structural funds of (i) the United Kingdom, (ii) France and (iii) Germany expressed as (A) a percentage of the gross national product and (B) per head of population in each year since 1995. [4964]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The estimated gross and net contribution for the United Kingdom, France and Germany as a percentage of gross national income and per capita in each year since 1995 are as follows. It should be noted that in line with ESA 95, gross national income has replaced gross national product.
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G8 Summit
Colin Challen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost, including security costs, will be of staging the G8 Summit. [5368]
Mr. Des Browne: At this stage it is not known what the total cost of staging the G8 Summit will be.
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conditions are attached to his debt write-off proposals for the most heavily indebted poor countries; and if he will make a statement. [5749]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
I am pleased to announce that the G8 have agreed to complete the process of debt relief for the heavily indebted poor countries by providing additional development resources which will provide significant support for countries' efforts to reach the goals of the Millennium Declaration (MDGs), while ensuring that the financing capacity of the International Financial Institutions is not reduced.
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For International Development Association (IDA) and African Development Fund (AfDF) debt, 100 per cent. stock cancellation will be delivered by relieving post-Completion Point HIPCs that are on track with their programmes of repayment obligations.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of conditional debt write-off on heavily indebted poor countries over the past three years. [5757]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The experience of the last five years of the HIPC Initiative has shown that debt relief can be an extremely effective tool in support of poverty-alleviation. The debt burden of the world's poorest countries is being reduced by some US$70 billion dollars overtime, allowing the savings from debt relief to fund country-owned strategies aimed at reducing poverty. Poverty reducing expenditures in HIPCs have on average increased from 6.4 per cent. of GDP in 1999 to 7.9 per cent. of GDP in 2003, a level about three times that spent on debt service. These increases in expenditure are increasingly being reflected in improved outcomes in HIPCs themselves.
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