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24 Oct 2005 : Column 53W—continued
Public Service Agreements
Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with Health Ministers on the operation of their public service agreements; and if he will make a statement. [20596]
Mr. Des Browne: The Chancellor holds regular discussions with Health Ministers on a range of policy matters.
Regional Economic Performance
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will establish a system of six-monthly published reports on regional economic performance including productivity, wage levels, investment influences, employment levels and public spending per capita. [20508]
John Healey: The Government publish progress against their regional economic performance PSA target every six months in the Departmental Reports and Autumn Performance Reports for HM Treasury, DTI and ODPM. The most recent progress report is provided in HM Treasury: Departmental Report, June 2005 (Cm. 6540).
Total identifiable public expenditure on services by region per capita is provided on an annual basis by the ONS. The most recent data is set out in table 8.2 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2005 (Cm 6521).
Regional Pay Variations
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what monitoring he undertakes of (a) local and regional variations in pay and (b) the account taken of extra costs for retention and recruitment that arise in the South East and London in public sector pay (i) remits and (ii) settlements. [19839]
Mr. Des Browne: The Government monitors many aspects of public sector pay and is working with Departments to encourage and promote greater emphasis of regional and local issues when setting pay.
Where individual Departments and agencies are facing localised recruitment and retention problems for their staff or the work force groups that they represent, their proposals for addressing these are scrutinised on a case-by-case in their individual pay remits by the Treasury (in the case of pay remits) and the independent Pay Review Bodies (in the case of certain other work force groups in the public sector).
The Independent Review of Public Sector Relocation carried out by Sir Michael Lyons in 2004 highlighted the extra costs associated with employing staff in London
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and the South East and the financial savings that will result over the medium term from the relocation of 20,000 posts. The Government is on course to meet this target.
Revenue and Customs
Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the progress of the merger of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise. [20722]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for East Devon (Mr. Swire) on 13 October 2005, Official Report, column 551W.
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been recruited to work within Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [21221]
Dawn Primarolo: In the last five financial years, the total number of recruits (including both permanent and non-permanent staff) to HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland was:
| Headcount | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 225 |
| 2001–02 | 174 |
| 2002–03 | 260 |
| 2003–04 | 267 |
| 2004–05 | 197 |
Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff are employed by HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland, broken down by grade; and how many of those staff are currently investigating (a) fuel smuggling and (b) other illegal activities by republican and loyalist paramilitaries. [20780]
Dawn Primarolo: The number of staff (full-time equivalents) employed by HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland as at 1 April 2005, broken down by grade, was as set out in the following table.
| Grade | Number(14) |
|---|---|
| SCS | 2 |
| Grade 6 | 15 |
| Grade 7 | 36 |
| Fast Stream | 1 |
| SEO | 91 |
| HEO | 290 |
| EO | 714 |
| AO | 1,001 |
| AA | 372 |
| Total | 2,522 |
(14) Figures rounded to the nearest whole number
It is not our policy to disclose the details of the location and numbers of staff engaged in tackling serious and organised criminality, as to do so could provide assistance to those engaged in criminal activity. In addition, to do so would misrepresent the nature of criminal investigation activity, where staff are often tasked to act on a national basis.
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Spectrum Tax
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the likely level of the proposed spectrum tax; and if he will make a statement; [20331]
(2) how much he expects to be raised in spectrum tax from the BBC over the period of the next Charter; and if he will make a statement. [20332]
John Healey: There are no proposals to introduce a spectrum tax. Ofcom, the independent regulator for the UK communications industries, is responsible for spectrum management, including the use of pricing to achieve its duty to ensure optimal use of spectrum.
Tax Credits
Mr. Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will cease to pursue low income households for the repayment of overpaid tax credits; and if he will make a statement. [18553]
Dawn Primarolo: HMRC's approach to handling overpayments is set out in Code of Practice 26: What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?" It explains that, for claimants receiving the maximum award of child or working tax credit, there is a limit of 10 per cent. on the amount by which HMRC will reduce tax credits payments to recover overpaid tax credits from a previous year.
CoP26 is published on the HMRC website and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a more recent draft of the tax credit award notice than the draft under review as at 10 June. [18879]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 17 October 2005]: HMRC have been working on some further changes. An updated draft of the tax credits award notice will be placed in the Library when available.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the tax credit entitlement of a family on a total income of £12,000 per annum with two children will be the same whether there are one or two adults in the family; and if he will make a statement. [19740]
Dawn Primarolo: The tax credit entitlement of a family on a total income of £12,000 will be the same whether there are one or two adults.
The Government believe that all children should have the chance to fulfil their potential, regardless of circumstances.
John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of tax credit overpayments in 2004–05; what their total value is; and if he will make a statement. [19746]
Dawn Primarolo:
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) on the 13 October 2005, Official Report, Column 428.
24 Oct 2005 : Column 56W
John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the City of Edinburgh local authority area are in receipt of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit. [19749]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Mrs. Dorries) on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 321W.
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Kent have benefited financially from the tax credit system in 2005. [20003]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Mrs. Dorries) on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 321W.
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