| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
19 Jul 2005 : Column 1685W—continued
Economic Conditionality
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action is being taken to promote the UK position on economic conditionality at the International Monetary Fund. [12464]
Vera Baird: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to promote the Government's policy on economic conditionality within the International Monetary Fund. [13593]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: As set out in the recently published policy paper Partnerships for Poverty Reduction: rethinking conditionality", the Government believes that the relationship between donors and each developing country should be a partnership, based on shared commitments and priorities taken from the country's own poverty reduction strategy, and that progress should be measured against benchmarks from that strategy.
This approach was endorsed recently in the G8 statement on trade from the recent Gleneagles summit. This stated that this kind of flexibility will
help least developed countries to decide, plan and sequence their overall economic reforms in line with their country-led development programmes and their international obligations".
The IMF is currently undertaking a review of their approach to conditionality to be discussed later this year. In the context of this review and individual country discussions, the UK will work in the IMF Executive Board to promote the new approach proposed by the UK. The UK will also use the annual meetings of both the IMF and the World Bank in September 2005 to promote this approach.
19 Jul 2005 : Column 1686W
Economic Inactivity
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of men and women aged (a) 16 to 44 and (b) 45 to 64 years who were (i) employed and (ii) economically inactive reported a limited longstanding illness from 1979 to the most recent available date. [11441]
John Healey [holding answer 11 July 2005]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Frank Field, dated 19 July 2005:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question about employed and economically inactive men and women with longstanding illness in the UK. (11441)
For the years 1995 to 1997 the long-term health problem definition included those people whose problem affected the kind of paid work they did. In the 1998 the definition of long-term health problem was extended to include problems affecting the amount of paid work that could be done. For the years 1999 onwards the figures are based on LFS questions designed to reflect the criteria of the Disability Discrimination Act.
The proportion of disabled people in table 2 are on a consistent basis, which is comparable from 1999 onwards. However, table 1 shows a clear discontinuity due to questionnaire changes. This should be taken into account if comparisons are made over time.
These estimates from the labour force survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
(70) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59.
(71) Long-term health problems defined by self-classification of LFS respondents as limiting the kind of paid work they can do.
(72) In 1998 the definition of long-term health problems was extended to include problems affecting the amount of paid work that could be done.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey.
(73) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59.
Note:
Based on DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) disabled" includes those who have a long term disability (12 months or more) which substantially limits their day-to-day activities, and people who have a long-term disability, which affects the kind or amount of work they might do.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey
Energy-saving Products
Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to introduce a stamp duty rebate for the installation of energy saving products at the time of home purchase. [12636]
John Healey:
The Government keeps all taxes under review.
19 Jul 2005 : Column 1688W
Gift Aid
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money was received by charities via Gift Aid in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004. [13263]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The amounts donated by individuals and tax repaid to charities under Gift Aid for the years 2000–01 to 2004–05 are shown in the table. The figures
19 Jul 2005 : Column 1689W
for 2004–05 are provisional. HM Revenue and Customs do not have data for corporate Gift Aid donations during this period.
Statistics on Gift Aid are published on the HM Revenue and Customs website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/charities/table10–3.xls
| Total gift aid donations | Tax repaid | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 996 | 222 |
| 2001–02 | 1,884 | 415 |
| 2002–03 | 2,300 | 506 |
| 2003–04 | 2,666 | 586 |
| 2004–05 | 2,838 | 625 |
Handcuff Exports
Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what investigations Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs have undertaken of breaches of strategic export controls in relation to the export of oversized handcuffs from the UK to (a) the United States of America and (b) Hong Kong. [13557]
Dawn Primarolo: HMRC has investigated one case concerning alleged exports of oversized handcuffs from the UK to the United States of America and no cases involving exports to Hong Kong.
Import Duties
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the import duties that apply to goods manufactured outside the EU; and what the purpose is of each. [12470]
Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
The EU's import duties are set out in the EU's common external tariff and comprise over 15,000 separate tariff lines with varying duty rates. It is not practical to list all of them individually. The information can be found in the UK Customs Tariff published by HMSO on behalf of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). A copy is currently available in the Libraries of the House.
The European Community has exclusive competence for commercial policy including the setting of import duties. Import duties are a source of Government revenue. The level of duty reflects both the degree of sensitivity of the product concerned and also what was negotiable over time through various rounds of multilateral trade negotiations.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |