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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 13 December 2005
TREASURY
British Film Industry
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial assistance the UK Government have provided to the British film industry in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [36463]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the writtenanswer I gave on 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 1323W to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess).
Cancer
Mr. Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) diagnosis and (b) mortality rate was for cancer in each of the last five years in Forest of Dean constituency. [36247]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 13 December 2005:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what the (a) diagnosis and (b) mortality rate was for cancer in each of the last five years in the Forest of Dean constituency. I am replying in her absence. (36247)
The most recent available information on registration of newly diagnosed cases (incidence) and mortality are for the years 2003 and 2004, respectively. As population estimates by age and sex are not available for parliamentary constituencies, age-standardised incidence and mortality rates (directly standardised to the European standard population) are given in the table below for all malignant cancers in the Forest of Dean local authority between 1999 and 2004.
(1)Rates are directly standardised to the European standard population. In detailed analyses of trends in incidence and mortality over time for a particular cancer, ONS use age-standardised rates. These control for differences in the size and age structure of the population and allow unbiased comparison of rates over time.
(2)Figures for malignant cancer incidence are based on the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), codes C00-C97, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer code C44. Cancer mortality figures arc based on the Ninth Revision (1CD-9) codes 140–208 for the years 1999–2000, and 1CD-10 codes C00-C97 for the years 2001–2004. Deaths were selected using the original underlying cause.
(3)Usual residents in the area at time of death.
(4)Deaths registered in each calendar year.
Source:
Office for National Statistics
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Child Poverty
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government are taking to increase the financial support available to large families as recommended in the Treasury's 2004 child poverty review. [36778]
Dawn Primarolo: Between 1998–99 and 2003–04, the risk of poverty for children in families with three or more children has fallen more quickly than the average risk. However, the Child Poverty Review highlighted the fact that these families remain at greater risk of poverty than other families, and that nearly half of children in poverty live in large families.
Since the review, the Government have increased the child element of the child tax credit (CTC), which is paid in respect of each and every child in a family and so of particular benefit to large families. The child element rose by £65 a year in April 2005 and will rise by a further £75 a year in April 2006, to £1,765. As a result of these and other Government reforms to the personal tax and benefit system since 1997, by April 2006 families with three or more children with an income of between £10,000 and £20,000 per year, for example, will be on average £100 per week better off in real terms.
The Government have committed to increasing the child element at least in line with earnings in 2007–08. The Government have also commissioned research into poverty in large families to inform future policy, which is expected to report in 2006.
Child Tax Credit
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the savings from freezing the family element of child tax credit over the next three years. [36739]
Dawn Primarolo: Government forecast for spending on tax credits assume the family element remains at the same nominal rate. There are therefore no such savings.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the additional costs arising from changes to the childcare tax credit over the next three years. [36740]
Dawn Primarolo: The Government want families to be able to afford flexible, high quality child care that is appropriate for their needs. Therefore, the 2004 pre-Budget report announced that:
the limits of the child care element of the working tax credit would be increased to £300 a week (£175 for one child) from April 2005; and
the maximum proportion of costs that can be claimed would increase from 70 per cent. to 80 per cent. from April 2006.
The costs of these measures were published in tableB4, p201, in the 2004 pre-Budget report.
Mr. Laws:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for child tax credit awards have been made by families with (a) one disabled child,
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(b) two disabled children, (c) three or more disabled children, (d) one severely disabled child, (e) two severely disabled children and (f) three or more severely disabled children in each month since April 2003. [36806]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on applications for child tax credit awards made by families with disabled and severely disabled children, on a monthly basis, is not available.
Information on awards to in-work families with disabled children are detailed in Tables 5.2 and 5.4 of the HMRC publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits Provisional awards at April 2005'. This details the number of in-work families benefiting from the disabled child element and the number of in-work families benefiting from the severely disabled child element. This publication can be found on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc- quarterly-stats.htm
Children's Deaths
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children died in hospital of an infection in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion of children's deaths such deaths comprised in each year. [37332]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 13 December 2005:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many children died in hospital of an infection in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion of children's deaths such deaths comprised in each year. (37332)
The most recent year for which information on deaths is available is 2004. Figures are given in the table below for all infectious and parasitic diseases in each year from 1995 to 2004.
(5)Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 001–139 for the years 1995 and 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes A00-B99 from 2001 onwards.
(6)NHS and non-NHS general hospitals.
(7)Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.
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