House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 18 Oct 2005 (pt 25)

18 Oct 2005 : Column 907W—continued

Vaccines

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have been given (a) the single MMR vaccine and (b) the three separate vaccines in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [17800]

Caroline Flint: Information about the uptake of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunisations and other childhood immunisations is published annually in the Department's statistical bulletins. The latest bulletin, NHS Immunisation Statistics, England: 2004–05", is available in the Library and on the Department's website at:

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/PublicationsStatisticsArticle/fs/en? CONTENT_ID=4119649&chk=r6rlW4.

Quarterly figures on MMR Uptake from April 2005 to June 2005 are available on the Health Protection Agency website at:

http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/vaccination/cover_sha.htm.

The Department does not routinely collect information on uptake of single vaccines.

TREASURY

Child Trust Fund Vouchers

Julie Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) £250 and (b) £500 child trust fund vouchers have been converted into accounts in (i)England and (ii) Wales. [19332]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: All children eligible for the child trust fund receive a £250 voucher. Children from low income families receive an additional £250 paid directly into their child trust fund account when the family's child tax credit award has been finalised. Information on the number of child trust fund vouchers issued and the number of accounts opened, including the latest data as at 31 August, is published quarterly on the HMRC website at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm

Data at a sub-UK level would be available only at disproportionate cost.

18 Oct 2005 : Column 908W

Civil Service Personnel

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the planned reduction of civil service personnel has begun. [19358]

John Healey: 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.

Correspondence

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Yeovil of 25 April 2005 on behalf of a constituent, Mrs. Sally Noel, regarding her request for a public inquiry, and to subsequent letters written by the hon. Member on this issue on 24 June, 9 August, 6 September and 16 September. [18683]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have already done so.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Paymaster General will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) of 1 August, regarding Chard Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative. [19281]

Dawn Primarolo: I have done so.

Mr. Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his Department's policy to copy hon. Members in on correspondence arising from an intervention by hon. Members on behalf of their constituents. [19342]

Dawn Primarolo: It is the usual practice of Treasury Ministers and their officials to copy to hon. Members correspondence relating to their constituencies and their constituents. Where it is appropriate to do so, the letters concerned are also deposited in the Library of the House,

Following the debate on tax credits which the hon. Gentleman secured on 7 June in Westminster Hall, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) wrote to a number of individuals whose cases had been raised in the House. Those letters should have been copied to the hon. Members concerned, including the hon. Gentleman. Iunderstand that they were not. I apologise for this oversight on the part of HMRC.

Departmental Rebranding

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on rebranding in (a) his Department and (b) related agencies in each of the last five years. [18080]

John Healey: For the Treasury and National Savings and Investments, I refer respectively to the answers given by the then Financial Secretary (Ruth Kelly) to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1553W, and to the

18 Oct 2005 : Column 909W

hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) on 26 February 2002, Official Report, column 1209W. Neither the Treasury nor NS&I has incurred any

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expenditure on rebranding in the intervening years. For the Chancellor's other departments and their agencies, the figures are set out in the following table.
£000

2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05

HM Revenue and Customs ⁽¹⁰⁾— 1,096 749 481 501

Office for National Statistics nil nil nil 122 53

Royal Mint nil nil nil nil 10

Government Actuary's Department nil 33 nil nil nil

Valuation Office Agency nil nil nil nil nil

Debt Management Office nil nil nil nil nil

Office of Government Commerce nil nil nil 15 nil

OGCbuying.solutions ⁽¹¹⁾— nil nil nil 102

⁽¹⁰⁾Branding spend for HM Revenue and Customs prior to 2001–02 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
⁽¹¹⁾OGCbuying.solutions only came into existence in 2001.

	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05
HM Revenue and Customs	⁽¹⁰⁾—	1,096	749	481	501
Office for National Statistics	nil	nil	nil	122	53
Royal Mint	nil	nil	nil	nil	10
Government Actuary's Department	nil	33	nil	nil	nil
Valuation Office Agency	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil
Debt Management Office	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil
Office of Government Commerce	nil	nil	nil	15	nil
OGCbuying.solutions	⁽¹¹⁾—	nil	nil	nil	102

Departmental Vehicles

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vehicles for which the Department is responsible are fitted with retreaded tyres. [17981]

John Healey: The Treasury do not own any vehicles. For information on the use of retread tyres in vehicles provided to the Department by the Government Car and Despatch Agency I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 11 October 2005 which he received from the chief executive of the GCDA, reference UIN15087 and UIN15088. Copies of this letter are available in the Library.

Devolved Administrations (Funding Formula)

Lembit Öpik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer(1) what plans his Department has to reform the Barnett formula of funding for the devolved administrations; [17299]

(2) what assessment his Department has made of alternative systems of funding for the devolved administrations; and if he will make a statement. [17300]

Mr. Des Browne: The Government keep all aspects of public expenditure under review. However the Government have no plans to replace the Barnett formula. The formula is updated on a regular basis to reflect the ONS mid-year estimates of population and revised comparability factors. The Government's funding policies for the devolved administrations were set out in the updated Statement of Funding Policy published by the Treasury in July 2004.

Earnings Statistics

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of (i) women and (ii) men in work who had earnings below the lower earnings limit in each year since 1992–93. [18630]

Dawn Primarolo: The number and proportions of individuals earning below the lower earnings limit is provided in the table.

Weekly lower earnings limit (£) Total
(thousand) Males (thousand) Females (thousand) Percentage of males earning below the lower earning limit⁽¹²⁾ Percentage of females earning below the lower earning limit⁽¹³⁾

1994–95 57 398 76 322 0.7 3.1

1995–96 58 391 76 315 0.7 2.9

1996–97 61 459 101 358 0.9 3.3

1997–98 62 841 180 661 1.5 6.0

1998–99 64 801 173 628 1.4 5.6

1999–2000 66 745 153 591 1.3 5.2

2000–01 67 693 153 540 1.2 4.6

2001–02 72 641 147 494 1.2 4.2

2002–03 75 668 161 507 1.3 4.3

2003–04 77 624 158 466 1.3 3.9

2004–05 79 581 139 442 1.1 3.7

⁽¹²⁾The number of males earning below the lower earning limit as a percentage of all male employees.
⁽¹³⁾The number of females earning below the lower earning limit as a percentage of all female employees.


	Weekly lower earnings limit (£)	Total (thousand)	Males (thousand)	Females (thousand)	Percentage of males earning below the lower earning limit⁽¹²⁾	Percentage of females earning below the lower earning limit⁽¹³⁾
1994–95	57	398	76	322	0.7	3.1
1995–96	58	391	76	315	0.7	2.9
1996–97	61	459	101	358	0.9	3.3
1997–98	62	841	180	661	1.5	6.0
1998–99	64	801	173	628	1.4	5.6
1999–2000	66	745	153	591	1.3	5.2
2000–01	67	693	153	540	1.2	4.6
2001–02	72	641	147	494	1.2	4.2
2002–03	75	668	161	507	1.3	4.3
2003–04	77	624	158	466	1.3	3.9
2004–05	79	581	139	442	1.1	3.7

Estimates in the table have been provided by the office for National Statistics and UK estimates prior to 1994 are not available.

The significant increase in the 1997–98 estimates is due to improvements in data sampling. Since spring 1997 questions on earnings in the LFS are asked of

18 Oct 2005 : Column 911W

respondents receiving their first and fifth (final) interviews. Prior to this they were only asked of people in their fifth interview.

The estimates are based on gross weekly earnings in the main job reported in the labour force survey. Figures represent a snapshot and are seasonally unadjusted—individuals' earnings may vary during the year.

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