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10 Oct 2005 : Column 285W—continued
Freedom of Information
Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests have been answered by the Department; and in how many cases information was (a) wholly exempted, (b) partly exempted and (c) the requests were answered in full. [14956]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2248W by the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs.
Game Rearing Farms
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answers of 15 June 2005, Official Report, column 387W, and 16 June 2005, Official Report, column 553W, from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on game-rearing farms, why some established game farms and other premises selling birds to other estates are not listed in the 2005 rating lists. [16504]
Dawn Primarolo: Valuation officers of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) are responsible for the valuation of non-domestic property for rating purposes. Game farms are not exempt from rating but the respective valuation officers have some difficulty in identifying game farms as most of them are situated in remote rural areas and operate on land which is exempt from rating as agricultural land. Local billing authorities are responsible for notifying valuation officers when such changes take place, but this does not always occur.
The VOA has undertaken various initiatives over recent years to identify commercial game farms and to enter them in the non-domestic rating lists. Where the valuation officer is aware of a property that may be operating as a commercial game farm, and it is not assessed for non-domestic rates, then the circumstances will be investigated by the valuation officer and action will be taken to assess the game farm, if appropriate.
Gershon Review
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servant posts have been cut in the implementation of the recommendations of the Gershon review. [15755]
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Mr. Des Browne: In Budget 2005 the Chancellor announced that Departments have delivered the first 12,500 reduction in civil service posts, towards the Government's planned gross reduction of 84,000 civil service posts by 2008. Departments will report on further progress in their autumn performance reports.
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of the cost savings made under the recommendations of the Gershon report has been in each month since the report's publication. [15757]
Mr. Des Browne: In Budget 2005 the Chancellor announced that £2 billion of Gershon efficiency gains had already been achieved as at the end of 2004–05. Progress is not calculated on a monthly basis but departments will report on further progress in their Autumn Performance Reports.
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made towards the savings identified in the Gershon review. [15758]
Mr. Des Browne: Efficiency targets were set out for each department in the Spending Review 2004 White Paper. In Budget 2005 the Chancellor announced that £2 billion of Gershon efficiency gains had already been achieved as at the end of 2004–05 and departments will report on further progress in their Autumn Performance Reports.
Gift Aid
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what regulations and guidance determine the number of occasions in each year when Gift Aid claims may be made by each charity; and what the average period of time was between the receipt of a Gift Aid claim and the consequent tax relief being passed to each charity, in the last year for which information is available; [16542]
(2) how many staff were required to administer Gift Aid claims for tax relief in the last year for which information is available; when HM Revenue and Customs' computer programmes were last upgraded to take account of the need to manage Gift Aid claims; and how many staff in (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) his Department are involved in the development or review of policy relating to Gift Aid; [16543]
(3) how many individual donations to charities attracted Gift Aid in the last year for which information is available; what the average (a) donation and (b) additional benefit to the charity as a result of tax relief was per donation; and what information is required to be forwarded to HM Revenue and Customs by charities with each claim. [16544]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
In Budget 2005 the Chancellor announced the creation of an Integrated Business Stream within HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for all activity with respect to charitable organisations and donations, including repayment of tax to charities. In 2004–05 the HMRC Charities Business Stream employed the equivalent of 20 full-time staff in administering 119,361 Gift Aid claims. Gift Aid claims are processed on a dedicated computer system. Minor updates to that system take place regularly. The last major update of the system was in 2000.
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The HMRC Charities Business Stream employs the equivalent of three full-time staff in relation to the policy maintenance of all direct tax charitable reliefs, including Gift Aid.
There are two full-time staff in the Treasury's Charity Tax Unit, which is responsible for developing policy in relation to tax relief for giving to charity and the taxation of charities. Other officials also contribute to work in this area as part of their normal duties. It is not possible to quantify the resource devoted by the Treasury specifically to Gift Aid.
When a charity first makes a claim for the repayment of tax under Gift Aid, HMRC is required to complete various security checks. This can cause a delay in making the repayment. However, in 2004–05 93 percent. of subsequent claims were processed within 10 days.
The records maintained by HM Revenue and Customs do not identify individual donations. In 2004–05 there were 119,361 Gift Aid claims by charities with £625 million repaid in relation to these claims—an average repayment of £5,236 per claim. A single claim can relate to one donation or many thousands of donations.
A charity making a claim for a repayment under the Gift Aid scheme must complete HMRC form R68 (2000) giving the charity's details, the total amount of the claim and the period to which it relates. It must also complete a schedule—the R68 (New Gift Aid)—giving details of donors and their donations.
Gift Aid legislation does not place restrictions on how often a charity may reclaim tax under the Gift Aid scheme. In practice HMRC will normally accept claims made as frequently as a charity chooses. Where claims are for very small amounts HMRC may ask the charity to restrict claims to one per year.
Home Accident Surveillance System
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanism the Office of National Statistics has put in place to replace the previous work undertaken by the Home Accident Surveillance System. [15927]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician. I have asked her to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. David Drew, dated 10 October 2005:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what mechanism the Office for National Statistics has put in place to replace the previous work undertaken by the Home Accident Surveillance System. (15927)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is not (and has never been) responsible for surveillance of accidents. I therefore have no plans for ONS to replace the system formerly operated by the Department for Trade and Industry.
Most serious accidents, in the home or elsewhere, result in patient contact with the National Health Service (NHS). The NHS are progressively putting in place electronic patient care records to reflect all clinical contacts with the NHS. These will include those relating to treatment for accidents. Aggregate figures will be available through the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Home Owners
Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many home owners there were in the UK in each year since 1979. [6407]
Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
The stock of owner-occupied dwellings is set out in the following table. The stock figures included vacant dwellings and second homes, which are estimated to be about 3 to 4 per cent. of the total stock.
Since 1997 the number of homeowners has increased by 1 million. The Government have pledged to increase the number of homeowners by 2 million by 2010.
(92)Provisional.
Notes:
1.Figures from 1979 to 1990 are as at 31 December each year.
2.Figures from 1991 to 2004 are as at 31 March each year.
Source:
Census figures and estimates of gains and losses between censuses.
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