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23 Jun 2005 : Column 1129W—continued
Income Tax Returns
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of individuals filed their self-assessment returns on time in each of the last five years for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [7087]
Dawn Primarolo:
The figures of returns issued before 31 October each year and received on time are as follows:
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| Return year | Percentage filed by 31 January |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 90.6 |
| 2002–03 | 90.6 |
| 2001–02 | 90.5 |
| 2000–01 | 90.6 |
| 1999–2000 | 90.0 |
Money Laundering
Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received regarding concerns about money laundering through landlords' use of the insurance premium tax system. [6643]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Treasury have received no representations regarding concerns about money laundering through landlords' use of the insurance premium tax system.
Tax Underpayments
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the underpayment of
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(a) direct tax and (b) national insurance contributions in each of the last 10 years for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [7103]
Dawn Primarolo: There is no reliable estimate of the direct tax and national insurance contributions underpaid in any of the last 10 years. However, as was acknowledged by the NAO Fraud Study published last year, HMRC is as well advanced as overseas fiscal authorities in its thinking and work on fraud measurement.
VAT
Mr. Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend the 100 per cent. VAT refund on repairs to listed religious buildings and to listed buildings of non-religious and secular significance. [6665]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government are negotiating with our EU partners to achieve a reduced rate of VAT for repairs to listed places of worship. The Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme is due to continue until March 2008, unless a reduced rate is achieved earlier. The Government recognises the importance of these buildings within their communities and that the need to use specialist craftsmen and costly materials means that their upkeep can be a heavy burden, particularly on small congregations. The same considerations do not apply to all listed buildings. Approved alterations to certain charity, or residential, listed buildings are VAT zero-rated.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has further to expand the VAT exemption scheme in Northern Ireland to cover all church buildings. [7158]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury gave on 4 April 2005, Official Report, column 1168W, to the former right hon. Member for Upper Bann (Mr. Trimble).
CABINET OFFICE
Central Office of Information
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what tenders have been issued by the Central Office of Information on behalf of the (a) Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) Department for Constitutional Affairs concerning communications activity relating to EU matters. [2102]
Mr. Hutton: The Central Office of Information (COI) has issued tenders on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in relation to the United Kingdom (UK) presidency of the European Union (EU), as follows:
recruiting a public relations agency to inform consumer and regional media on the presidency priorities;
COI has separately issued tenders in relation to:
activity to raise awareness of the facts about the EU and to inform the public on where to access EU information.
COI has not issued any tenders on behalf of the Department for Constitutional Affairs on EU matters.
Departmental Relocation
Mr. Gale: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of his Department's posts (a) have been relocated and (b) are under consideration for relocation from London to the deprived areas of the south-east. [6251]
Mr. Hutton: The Cabinet Office is implementing the Lyons Review recommendations to relocate 250 posts out of London and the south-east by 2010. This will not exclude consideration of relocating some posts to relatively deprived areas in the south-east.
TRANSPORT
Borough Market
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has for the Borough Market site if the deficiencies identified by the public inquiry inspector, in respect of the proposed Thameslink route, cannot be remedied. [5098]
Derek Twigg: Network Rail as the promoters of the Thameslink route modernisation scheme have revised their proposals to address the deficiencies identified at the earlier public inquiry. Their latest proposals, including those in respect of the Borough Market area, will be considered at the re-opened inquiry which starts in September. Once the inquiry inspector has reported, the various applications relating to this scheme will require joint decisions by this Department and ODPM. The Department cannot anticipate the outcome.
Concessionary Bus Travel
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what distribution formula is proposed for the free bus travel scheme for over 60s from April 2006; and what indicative allocations have been set for each local authority for 2006–07. [6385]
Ms Buck: Final decisions on the distribution of the extra funding—which will be done through the Revenue Support Grant process—have not been made.
Container Ports
Vera Baird:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of likely container port demand in the UK; [6783]
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(2) what assessment he has made of the change in volume of container traffic which is likely to arise from the current applications for port expansion in the south of England. [6877]
Dr. Ladyman: The forthcoming review of ports policy, due to be launched once preliminary work has been completed, will address the key questions around existing and future port capacity and demand.
To that end, my Department has commissioned consultants to produce national port traffic forecasts by region. These forecasts will include demand for container traffic through to 2030 in southern England as well as nationally, and will be published as part of the review.
Council Road Budgets
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities underspent on their road maintenance budgets in the last financial year; and by how much in each case. [7114]
Mr. Darling: Information on local authorities' spending on road maintenance in 2004–05 will not be available until early next year.
EU Driver Licensing Committee
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2005, Official Report, column 9W, on the EU Driver Licensing Committee, when he expects a decision to be taken in relation to revisions to the medical standards set out in Annex III to European Directive 91/439/EEC. [6731]
Ms Buck: The timetable for the work of the EU Committee on the Driving Licence is a matter for the European Commission. Before any decision is taken on medical standards, we intend to consult the Secretary of State's Honorary Medical Advisory Panels on any proposals which may be made for change to these standards.
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