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Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many child trust fund vouchers had been issued to parents and carers as at 30 June 2005; how many child trust fund accounts had been opened as at 30 June 2005; and if he will make a statement. [12086]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply he received from the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 28687W. Figures are published quarterly.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many child trust funds have been established in (a) the UK, (b) the Yorkshire region and (c) Huddersfield. [12076]
John Healey: On the number of accounts opened in the UK I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 28687W.
The information requested in connection with the Yorkshire region and Huddersfield is available only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with banks about the take-up of child trust funds. [12077]
John Healey: The Government are continually engaged with a wide range of key stakeholders active in the child trust fund market and maintains close contact with providers and distributors to monitor activity.
Nearly one third of vouchers have already been used and awareness of the fund is virtually universal, with many parents now seeing the child trust fund as the primary savings vehicle for their child.
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to promote action to tackle climate change within (a) the World Bank, (b) the International Monetary Fund and (c) the Bank of International Settlement. [13041]
John Healey:
The Prime Minister has made tackling climate change one of the twin themes of the UK's presidency of the G8 in 2005. Among the international financial institutions, the World Bank and the regional development banks play the lead role in addressing climate change through policy advice and through their financing operations. At the G8 pre-Summit Finance Ministers' meeting, chaired by the Chancellor, Finance Ministers called on the World Bank and multilateral development banks (MDBs) to increase dialogue with their major borrowers on energy issues and put forward specific proposals at their annual meetings in September that encourage cost-effective investments in lower carbon infrastructure. Building on this, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz will co-chair a meeting in September with the UK as G8 presidency on the financing workstream within the 'Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development', which was launched at Gleneagles. In addition, the
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Bank and MDBs will also take forward work with others to create a new framework for mobilising investment in clean energy. The UK will work with the institutions to ensure that these initiatives are taken forward effectively.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what conditions those sub-Saharan African countries which have yet to have total multilateral debt cancellation have to meet before they may achieve such debt cancellations; [11968]
(2) which sub-Saharan countries have had multilateral debt cancelled following the recent G8 meeting; and which sub-Saharan countries are yet to have multilateral debt cancelled. [11976]
John Healey: Under the G8 debt agreement 100 per cent. stock cancellation will be delivered by relieving post-completion point HIPCs that are on track with their programmes of repayment obligations. 18 completion point heavily indebted poor countries will become eligible for multilateral debt relief once the G8 debt agreement is approved by the boards of the World bank, IMF and African development bank, 14 of these countries are in Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia). A further nine countries are expected to become eligible over the next two years as they reach completion point of the HIPC initiative, all of these are in Africa (Cameroon, Chad, DRC, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe). A further 11 countries are pre-decision point in the HIPC initiative, but would also become eligible when they reach completion point. Of these 11, nine are in Africa (Burundi, CAR, Comoros, Congo, Cote D'ivoire, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan and Togo),
It is essential that the resources freed up by debt relief are used to support poverty reduction. For this reason, the G8 debt agreement provides debt relief only to those countries that have demonstrated their commitment to reducing poverty through implementing a successful poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP). The countries that qualify for the G8 debt agreement will have reached completion point of the heavily indebted poor countries initiative and have demonstrated their commitment to poverty reduction and sound financial management.
Under the G8 initiative, non HIPC sub-Saharan African countries do not receive multilateral debt relief. However, the UK's continuing bilateral policy of paying the debt service from loans for the AfDB and IDA is open to all low-income countries that are eligible only for concessional IDA lending and are following policies of sound public expenditure management.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Bills were sponsored by his Department in each session since 1979. [10542]
John Healey:
Details relating to the Sessions 197996 are not available. Information relating to primary legislation presented to Parliament by Treasury Ministers since 1997 is set out in the table. It does not
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include the Finance, Tax Law Rewrite and Consolidated Fund Bills, which are considered by Parliament on an annual basis.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the life expectancy rates for each year between (a) 1980 to 1985, (b) 1990 to 1995 and (c) 1999 to 2004 were for (i) males and (ii) females for (A) Scotland, (B)England, (C) Wales, (D) Northern Ireland and (E)the UK. [10881]
John Healey: The following table gives past and projected period expectations of life at birth for males and females in the UK and each of the constituent countries for the years 1980 to 1985, 1990 to 1995 and 1999 to 2004 inclusive.
The period expectation of life figures shown are based on the mortality rates experienced or projected by age and gender for the years stated and are the number of years people would be expected to live from birth if they experienced those mortality rates throughout their remaining lifetimes.
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