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Films (Tax Relief)

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will extend the deadline for principal photography and acquisition to be completed for filmsclaiming tax relief under section 48 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1997; [26691]

(2) what arrangements have been made for the transition period to the new tax credit system for films claiming under section 42 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1997. [26692]

Dawn Primarolo: The Government have recently carried out a consultation on the replacement of the current tax relief for UK film production. We will consider the representations that have been made and make an announcement in due course.

Land Registry (Birkenhead)

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors are responsible for the delay in settling the increase in the 2005–06 pay of Land Registry staff in Birkenhead; and whether the increase in pay will reflect the delay in the annual pay review. [27246]

Mr. Des Browne: For staff below the senior civil service, Departments and agencies have authority to determine pay and conditions, appropriate to their business needs and taking account of wider Government policies on public sector pay. Proposals for pay remits must be submitted, then negotiated with HM Treasury and, in most cases, are subject to ministerial approval. The length of time to agree is determined, In part, by the complexity of the proposals put forward.

Having submitted their pay remit this year and following discussions with the Treasury and the Cabinet Office, the Land Registry entered into negotiations with the relevant trade union bodies on the final pay award to reach a settlement, publishing details of this year's offer to staff on November 8. The level of award will be back-dated by the Land Registry to the annual settlement date.

National Insurance Contributions Bill

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the possible impact of the National Insurance Contributions Bill on orchestras and ensembles. [24846]

Dawn Primarolo: The National Insurance Contributions Bill was introduced to ensure that employers and employees who have participated in tax avoidance pay their fair share of National Insurance Contributions on rewards of employment. It has no specific impact on orchestras and ensembles.

Revenue Increases

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the Government have made of the causes of increases in (a) stamp duty revenues and (b) inheritance tax revenues since May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [26943]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Tax revenues will automatically rise each year as the economy grows, asset prices increase, more people are in work and people are earning more.
 
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This is a sign of economic success and increased national prosperity with employment increasing by over 2.2 million since 1997.

The Government publish their analysis of the economic factors that influence tax revenues twice yearly: at the pre-Budget report and the Budget.

VAT

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the intended date is for introduction of VAT on outsourced insurance services; and whether it will apply to services outsourced to (a) Crown dependencies and overseas territories, (b) countries of the European Union and (c) other countries. [26202]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: HM Revenue and Customs issued a consultation document on the proposed changes to the VAT exemption for insurance-related services in July. The consultation exercise formally closed on 30 September 2005. The responses are currently being considered very carefully ahead of any decision.

Whether UK VAT is chargeable on services outsourced from outside the UK depends on the exact nature of the service supplied. This will determine where they are deemed to be supplied. General administration services are deemed to be supplied where the supplier belongs and would be outside the scope of UK VAT when supplied from outside the UK.

Windfall Tax

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria are used to decide whether to impose windfall taxation. [27151]

Dawn Primarolo: The Government believe that a modern and fair tax system should encourage work and saving, keep pace with business practices and the global economy and provide the foundation for building world-class public services. The Government keep all taxes under review and any changes to taxation are considered as part of the normal Budget process.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Air Weapons

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many air weapon offences were committed in the Humberside police area in each of the last five years. [24737]

Hazel Blears: The information requested is given in the following table.
Offences involving air weapons recorded by Humberside police, 1999–2000 to 2003–04

	Number of offences
1999–2000	482
2000–01	433
2001–02(5)	410
2002–03(6)	312
2003–04	264

⁽⁵⁾Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by some police forces implementing the principles of the NationalCrime Recording Standard in advance of national implementation.
⁽⁶⁾The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures before and after this date are not directly comparable.



 
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Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Violent Crime Reduction Bill on the pastime of airsofting; and what representations he has received on this issue. [25350]

Hazel Blears: We have received representations fromboth participants and organisers, including the Association of British Airsoft, about the effects of the Violent Crime Reduction Bill and are considering whether it would be appropriate and possible for the sport of airsoft to be exempted from the provisions of the Bill without undermining its main purpose. Under the provisions of the Bill as currently drafted, participants will still be able to use their existing guns and will be able to buy any airsoft which is not so realistic as to make it indistinguishable from a real firearm.

Antisocial Behaviour

Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of those issued with antisocial behaviour orders in (a) England and Wales and (b) Tendling district have breached the terms of their order in the most recent period for which figures are available. [25450]

Hazel Blears: Data on convictions for breach of an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) are currently available from one June 2000 to 31 December 2003. Of the 1,892 ASBOs issued during this period within England and Wales, as reported to the Home office, 42 per cent. of persons (793) breached their ASBO on one or more occasions.

ASBO breach data are available at Criminal Justice System area level only.

Asylum Seekers

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Somalian nationals have claimed asylum at Heathrow arriving on flights from (a) Nairobi and (b) Addis Ababa in the last five years. [25121]

Andy Burnham: In the last five years, 58 Somalian Nationals, arriving on flights from Nairobi, have claimed asylum at Heathrow and 44 Somalian Nationals, on arrival from flights from Addis Ababa, have claimed asylum at Heathrow over the corresponding period.

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of new substantive asylum applications received between 1 January and 30 June 2005 had initial decisions reached and served within two months. [26662]

Andy Burnham: Information on the timeliness of initial decisions is published quarterly and annually, data for Q2 2005 will be published in the Asylum Statistics: 3rd Quarter 2005 publication available on
 
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22 November 2005 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

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