| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
10 Jan 2006 : Column 544W—continued
National Insurance
Chris Huhne:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate the revenue paid in employees' national insurance contributions each year by those who are aged above the state retirement age, broken down by (a) male and (b) female contributions; [39893]
10 Jan 2006 : Column 545W
(2) what the payments (a) to and (b) from the national insurance fund were in each of the last 30 financial years; and what each payment was as a percentage of national income; [39894]
(3) what the principal differences are in the definition of taxable income and income on which employees' national insurance contributions are paid; and if he will estimate the revenue change to the (a) exchequer and (b) national insurance fund that would accrue were the national insurance contributions liable base to be aligned with taxable income for income tax purposes. [39895]
Dawn Primarolo: National insurance contributions are paid by employees between the ages of 16 and state retirement age (60 for women and 65 for men) only. Therefore the amount of employees' national insurance contributions paid by those above the state retirement age is zero.
National insurance fund receipts and payments for each financial year can be found in the National Insurance Fund Account (for Great Britain) and the Northern Ireland National Insurance Fund Account published by The National Audit Office, copies of which are in the Commons Library.
To calculate each payment as a percentage of GDP, I refer the hon. Member to the UK Gross Domestic Product figures which can be obtained from the HM Treasury website:
The principal differences between taxable income and the amount on which individuals pay national insurance contributions are:
taxable income has a broader base and is paid by all companies and individuals regardless of age. For individuals, income tax is payable on both earned income from employment, unearned income and pension income. Unearned income includes property income, interest from bank accounts, share dividends and many state benefits. Unearned and pension income is subject to income tax, but not national insurance contributions.
national insurance contributions on earnings are paid by employees and self-employed individuals between the ages of 16 and state retirement age only.
contributions to approved pension schemes benefit from income tax relief but are part of the income subject to national insurance contributions.
The effect of aligning national insurance liability with taxable income would depend on the exact nature of the charge which would apply to income which is currently taxed but not subject to national insurance, and whether contributions to approved pension schemes which benefit from tax relief ceased to be subject to national insurance contributions.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate what the path of employee and employer national insurance contributions would be up until 2050 under the proposals of the Pension Commission for the basic state pension and second state pension; [35715]
(2) when he will answer the question tabled by the hon. Member for Birkenhead on 5 December, reference 35715, on national insurance contributions. [38158]
10 Jan 2006 : Column 546W
Dawn Primarolo: Projections of rates of national insurance contributions depend on a number of factors. The Government Actuary's Quinquennial Review of the National Insurance Fund as at April 2000 (Cm6008) sets out possible paths for national insurance contributions for a number of possible policy scenarios, including where the basic state pension is indexed by earnings—one of the Pensions Commission's options for reform.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue the Treasury gained in national insurance contributions from men under 65 years in full-time work who had already acquired a full contribution record for the state retirement pension in each of the last five years. [39533]
Dawn Primarolo: The latest information is in the table.
Source:
DWP Lifetime Labour Market Database, May 2005
The estimates only include the primary national insurance contributions paid by an individual after reaching full entitlement, and exclude the amounts paid by the employer for that individual.
These figures are subject to revision in future years as some employers submit individuals' contributions information late.
Office for National Statistics
Mr. Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the budget of the Office for National Statistics was in each year since 1992. [39619]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 10 January 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the budget of the Office for National Statistics was in each year from 1992 (39619).
(41) The Office for National Statistics was created as a Government Department and an executive agency on 1 April 1996 by merging the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS). The figures for 1992–93 to 1995–96 reflect the combined outturn for CSO and OPCS.
(42) Expenditure figures from 1998–99 are presented on a resource basis. Figures for earlier years are in cash terms. Figures from 1998–99 onwards include additional provision for planning, fieldwork and initial processing of the 2001 Census of Population in England and Wales. Figures from 2003–04 onwards include additional funding for modernisation.
(43) Planned expenditure.
10 Jan 2006 : Column 547W
P11D Notices
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value of incorrectly issued P11D notices was in each of the last five years for which information available; and if he will make a statement. [38751]
Dawn Primarolo: In answering this question we have taken the term 'P11D notices' to mean 'P11D (b) penalty notices'.
We do not hold information in the form needed to answer the specific question raised.
Pension Provision (Benefits System)
Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the evidence of his Department's officials to the Public Accounts Committee on 7 December, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the complexity of the benefits system on pension provision; and if he will make a statement. [38937]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: In his statement to the House on 30 November the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions set out five tests on which the Government's response to the Pensions Commission's Second Report will be based. One of those tests is whether proposals simplify the system.
Pensioner Deaths
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how many deaths of people of retirement age (a) cold and (b) malnutrition were found to have been causes in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (i) county and (ii) London borough. [40609]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 10 January 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many deaths of people of retirement age (a) cold and (b) malnutrition were found to have been causes in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (i) county and (ii) London borough. (40609)
The latest year for which figures are available is 2004. Cold is not recorded as a cause of death in itself, however hypothermia (subnormal body temperature) may be mentioned on the death
- certificate. Figures provided are for the number of deaths where (a) hypothermia and (b) malnutrition or deprivation of food was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, for deaths registered in each of the years 1995 to 2004.
As retirement age differs for males and females, tables are provided separately for deaths of women aged 60 and over and men aged 65 and over.
Counties in England and Wales have been subject to administrative changes which affected the structure of many of these areas in the mid-1990s. Figures are therefore provided using current county boundaries which exclude unitary authority areas created from 1995 onwards.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |