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7 Dec 2005 : Column 1329W—continued
Politically Exposed Persons
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures the Government have put in place to require financial institutions to conduct enhanced due diligence on accounts of politically exposed persons with a view to detecting and reporting transactions which may involve proceeds of foreign corruption; and if he will make a statement. [35402]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The Money Laundering Regulations 2003 require financial institutions along with all other regulated firms, to have adequate systems to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing including
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knowing your customer. The regulations are supported by the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG) Guidance, which state that enhanced scrutiny and monitoring needs to be conducted on politically exposed persons. This guidance is approved by the Treasury and therefore must be considered by a court in deciding whether a person has committed an offence. In assessing a firms' compliance with their anti-money laundering obligations, the Financial Services Authority will have regard to the relevant provisions of the JMLSG Guidance Notes for the Financial Sector.
The third money laundering directive includes a specific requirement that firms should have adequate systems in place to identify politically exposed persons and perform enhanced due diligence on them. The directive was adopted in October and will need to be implemented into UK legislation by the end of 2007.
Research and Development Tax Credits
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of small and medium-sized enterprises in Leeds constituency were eligible for research and development tax credits in the last five years; and what the take-up was. [35133]
John Healey: The information requested in relation to enterprises in Leeds is not available.
For information generally on take-up of research and development tax credits I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Luton, South (Margaret Moran) of 1 November 2005, Official Report, column 991W, on tax credits.
Revenue Evasion
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of revenue evasion prevented by HM Revenue and Customs was in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; what value of revenue evasion has been prevented in 2005–06; and how much related to customs duties in each case. [33646]
Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs do not maintain this information, and it would involve disproportionate cost to produce.
Sick Leave
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department's employees who are within one year of the official retirement age are on extended sick leave. [32591]
John Healey: There are no employees working in HM Treasury who are within one year of the official retirement age on extended sick leave
Southend West Economy
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) male and (b) female employees were engaged in (i) manufacturing and (ii) agriculture and fishing in Southend West constituency in (A) 1979, (B) 1983, (C) 1987, (D) 1997, (E) 2001 and (F) the last year for which figures are available. [34603]
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John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 7 December 2005:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about employment in the Southend West constituency. (34603)
The attached table shows the number of employee jobs in the manufacturing industry, in the Southend West parliamentary constituency for 1997, 2001 and 2003; the latest period for which information is available. Estimates for agriculture and fishing are not shown in order to avoid potential disclosure of information that is supplied in confidence under the 1947 Statistics of Trade Act. Figures at the parliamentary constituency level are not available for the earlier years requested.
(17) Estimates potentially disclosive due to small sample size.
Source:
AES (1997), ABI (2001, 2003).
Tax Allowances
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the tax allowances which are operative; [34675]
(2) what tax allowances have been abolished since 1997. [34677]
Dawn Primarolo: The main rates and allowances are set out each year in the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report. Copies of this are available in the House Library. More detailed information on individual tax allowances and reliefs with an estimate annual cost of at least £50 million can be found in the HM Treasury publication, Tax ready reckoner and tax reliefs". Recent versions can be found on the HM Treasury website and historic copies are held in the House Library.
Information on minor tax expenditures and structural reliefs where the costs are less than £50 million is published on the HMRC website. Historic versions are published in Inland Revenue Statistics".
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost was of tax allowances in terms of revenue foregone in each year since 1997. [34676]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on allowances and reliefs with an estimated annual cost of at least £50 million is published in the HM Treasury publication Tax ready reckoner and tax reliefs". Recent versions can be found on the HM Treasury website and historic copies are held in the House of Commons Library.
An updated version will be available on 5 December 2005.
Information on minor tax expenditures and structural reliefs where the costs are less than £50 million is published on the HMRC website. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/menu.htm.
Historic versions are published in Inland Revenue Statistics".
These tables only contain details relating to former Inland Revenue taxes. The data on minor tax expenditures and structural reliefs will be updated on 30 December 2005 and will cover all HMRC taxes.
All historic estimates were correct at the time of publication. These do not necessarily constitute a consistent time series for all allowances and reliefs.
Tax Credits
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of awarding credits through home responsibilities protection on a weekly basis; and how many (a) women and (b) men he estimates would benefit from such a change. [18646]
Dawn Primarolo: The available information is as follows:
Estimated cost of converting home responsibilities protection (HRP) into a weekly credit for people reaching state pension age from 2005–06, and estimated number of people who would benefit from such a change:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Estimated additional gross expenditure in 2005–06 | 37,000,000 |
| Estimated number of women who would benefit in 2005–06 | 160,000 |
| Estimated number of men who would benefit in 2005–06 | 2,000 |
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure cases of disputed overpayment of tax credits are resolved quickly; and what are the average processing times for cases referred to the disputed overpayments team. [28418]
Dawn Primarolo: I would refer the hon. Member to my statement to the Treasury sub-committee of 26 October 2005, HC 524-ii.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) in how many tax credit awards in 2003–04 income rose by (a) up to £1,000, (b) £1,000 to £1,999, (c) £2,000 to £2,499, (d) £2,500 to £2,999, (e) £3,000 to £3,499, (f) £3,500 to £3,999, (g) £4,000 to £4,999, (h) £5,000 to £5,999, (i) £6,000 to £9,999, (j) £10,000 to £14,999, (k) £15,000 to £19,999, (l) £20,000 to £24,999, (m) £25,000 to £29,999 and (n) over £30,000; [29982]
(2) in how many tax credit awards in 2003–04 where there had been an increase in income it would have been disregarded had the disregard been set at (a) £3,000, (b) £3,500 and (c) £5,000. [29983]
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Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the total number of tax credit awards in 2003–04 split by income rise in each specified band.
Income rise is derived using 2001–02 and 2003–04 incomes used to finalise the award.
In response to the second question, the information requested has been derived from the above table. The number of tax credit awards in 2003–04 where there had been an increase in income, which would have been disregarded had the disregard been set at (a) £3,000, (b) £3,500 and (c) £5,000 is:
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how many families their tax credit award would have fallen in 2003–04 had there not been the £2,500 disregard. [29985]
Dawn Primarolo: Around 1.5 million families would have had a reduction in entitlement for their tax credit award in 2003–04 if there had not been a £2,500 disregard.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claimants of tax credits since April 2003 who have mistakenly paid back money to the Department for overpayments that were subsequently found not to exist had the money returned to them within (a) two, (b) four, (c) eight, (d) 16 and (e) 32 weeks. [31522]
Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department recovers overpaid tax credits where the claimant has launched an investigation of his tax credit case through the parliamentary ombudsman. [31524]
Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs deal with all complaints and disputes about the recovery of tax credits in accordance with their procedures.
Cases referred to the parliamentary ombudsman are considered in the same way as any other case.
Danny Alexander:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many tax credit awards, in Scotland, in 2003–04 income rose by (a) up to £1,000 to £1,999,
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(b) £2,000 to £2,499, (c) £2,500 to £2,999, (d) £3,000 to £3,499, (e) £3,500 to £3,999, (f) £4,000 to £4,999, (g) £5,000 to £5,999, (h) £6,000 to £9,999, (i) £10,000 to £14,999, (j) £15,000 to £19,999, (k) £20,000 to £24,999, (l) £25,000 to £29,999 and (m) over £30,000. [33022]
Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the total number of tax credit awards in 2003–04 in Scotland, split by income rise in each specified band.
The income rise has been derived by using the 2001–02 and 2003–04 incomes which were used to finalise the award.
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