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20 Jul 2005 : Column 1828W—continued
Child Trust Fund
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many applications there have been for the new child trust fund nationally since its introduction; and how many children are eligible to receive it; [13566]
(2) how many applications there have been for the new child trust fund (a) nationally and (b) in Houghton and Washington East constituency since its introduction; and how many children (i) in the UK and (ii) in that constituency are eligible to receive it. [13567]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
Children are eligible for the child trust fund if they were born on or after 1 September 2002, a child benefit award has been made for them and they live in the UK and are not subject to immigration restrictions.
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A CTF voucher is needed to open a child trust fund account and all eligible children receive one automatically once a child benefit award is made. No separate application is needed. So far around 1.7 million vouchers have been issued and I am encouraged by the fact that around one third of these vouchers have already been used and that awareness of the fund is virtually universal and many parents now see the child trust fund as the primary savings vehicle for their child. This positive action will help us to achieve our goal that every child—regardless of their background—gets the best start in life.
Information on the number of CTF vouchers issued by parliamentary constituency is only available at disproportionate cost. However for information on the number of children born to mother resident in each UK constituency since 1 September 2002 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Battersea (Martin Linton) on 30 November 2004, Official Report, columns 87–88W.
EU Directive 2001/17/EC
Peter Viggers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's policy is on EU Directive 2001/17/EC. [13046]
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to implement EU Directive 2001/17/EC; and by what method he proposes to implement it. [13368]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Directive 2001/17/EC was implemented in the UK by the Insurers (Reorganisation and Winding-Up) Regulations 2004 for all insurance undertakings, apart from Lloyd's. Lloyd's unique structure did not prove readily compatible with the provisions of these regulations without further complex adaptation and refinement. Following consultation on draft regulations earlier this year, we intend to make the Insurers (Reorganisation and Winding-Up) (Lloyd's) Regulations 2005 using powers under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act.
GDP (North-East)
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the GDP per head is in (a) England, (b) the North East region, (c) the Tees Valley sub region and (d) Hartlepool. [13435]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Iain Wright, dated 20 July 2005:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about GDP per head for England, the North East region, the Tees Valley sub region and Hartlepool. (13435)
The latest published information for GVA per head for England and the North East is for 2003. The Tees Valley is in the NUTS2 area of Tees Valley and Durham. Hartlepool is in the NUTS3 area of Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees, which is currently the lowest geographic level at which GVA per head is published. The latest published information for these two areas is for 2002.
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The estimates in the table are based on the regional Gross Value Added 1 (GVA) estimates published in December 2004. These are available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=7359
| 2002 | (49)2003 | |
|---|---|---|
| England | 15,633 | 16,339 |
| North East | 12,078 | 12,736 |
| Tees Valley and Durham | 11,184 | — |
| Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees | 12,019 | — |
(48) Information presented here is Gross Value Added (GVA) which is Gross Domestic Product (GDP) less taxes (plus subsidies) on products.
(49) Provisional
Income Tax
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average wage is in Beverley and Holderness. [13292]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Graham Stuart, dated 20 July 2005:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question what was the average wage in Beverley and Holderness is. (13292)
Average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period, by their place of work. This is the standard definition used for Annual Survey of Hours and Earning tables. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
I attach a table showing the average gross weekly earnings for full time employees in Beverley and Holderness in 2004. The data is also available on the National Statistics website on table 9:
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It has a one per cent sample of all employees.
| Beverley and Holderness | |
|---|---|
| Median | 387.7 |
| CV percentage* | (50)9.7 |
| Mean | 440.1 |
| CV percentage* | (50)5.0 |
(50) Guide to quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) is given to indicate the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality.
The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV e.g. for an average of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent., we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220.
Notes:
1. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, (ASHE), carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a 1 per cent. sample of all employees.
2. The ASHE replaces the New Earnings Survey (NES) from October 2004. The main difference between the ASHE and NES being that estimates are weighted to population totals from the Labour Force Survey.
3. Average gross weekly earnings for Adult Full-Time Employees whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence.
Source:
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, ONS
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IT Projects
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of his Department's IT projects are categorised as red light; and if he will make a statement. [10780]
John Healey: The Treasury has a strong record in adopting OGC policy and best practice initiatives and all the Department's Mission Critical, High and Medium Risk Projects are subject to OGC Gateway Reviews.
The purpose of the 'traffic light' system is to bring to the attention of the Senior Responsible Owner significant or urgent issues that need to be addressed, and any designation of 'red', 'amber' or 'green light' conveys no suggestion as to whether a project should be continued. Information on our projects will continue to be published.
20 Jul 2005 : Column 1832W
National Statistics
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of theExchequer what the total population was of each of the counties surrounding London in each year since 1975. [13761]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Geoffrey Robinson, dated 20 July 2005:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the total population of all the counties surrounding London in each year since 1975. (13761)
The attached table provides population estimates for mid-1975 to mid-2003 for the counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Essex and Kent and the former county of Berkshire.
The Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) between 1995 and 1998 resulted in major changes to some county boundaries. Therefore data has been provided on both former and current county boundaries for later years to enable comparison over time.
The most recent population estimates published are for mid-2003. (Estimates for mid-2004 will be published on 25 August 2005.)
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(51) Mid-2003 population estimates are the latest data available. Mid-2004 population estimates will be published on 25 August 2005.
(52) Population estimates for 1981 to 2000 have been revised in light of the 2001 census. These figures are on 2001 boundaries. Figures for 1975 to 1980 are on 1981 boundaries.
(53) The Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) between 1995 and 1998 resulted in major changes to some county boundaries. From 1997 Milton Keynes UA was no longer included in Buckinghamshire. From 1998 Medway UA was no longer included in Kent and Southend-on-Sea UA and Thurrock UA were no longer included in Essex. Also in 1998 Berkshire ceased to exist and was split into Reading UA, Bracknell Forest UA, West Berkshire UA, Slough UA, Windsor and Maidenhead UA and Wokingham UA.
(54) The data for 1975 to 1980 and for 1981 to 2003 are not directly comparable due to a number of boundary changes (in addition to the Local Government Reorganisation) between 1981 and 2001. There have been no boundary changes since mid-2001 affecting these counties.
Notes:
1. Population estimates are shown in thousands and rounded to the nearest 100 people.
2. Figures may not add exactly due to rounding.
Source:
Office for National Statistics
20 Jul 2005 : Column 1835W
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the population of (a) Stroud District and (b) Gloucestershire was in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [13616]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Drew, dated 20 July 2005:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the populations of (a) Stroud and (b) Gloucestershire in each of the last five years for which figures are available. (13616)
The most recent population estimates published are for mid-2003. (Estimates for mid-2004 will be published on 25 August 2005.) Therefore, the table below provides population estimates for Stroud and Gloucestershire for mid-1999 to mid-2003.
| Thousand | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stroud | Gloucestershire | |
| 1999 | 107.7 | 561.0 |
| 2000 | 107.9 | 564.6 |
| 2001 | 108.0 | 565.0 |
| 2002 | 108.2 | 565.9 |
| 2003 | 108.8 | 568.5 |
Note:
Population estimates are shown in thousands and rounded to the nearest 100 people.
Source:
Office for National Statistics
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