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31 Jan 2006 : Column 397W—continued
TREASURY
Basic Bank Accounts
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have taken up basic bank accounts in the UK since they were introduced; and what percentage of all UK personal bank accounts are basic bank accounts. [45900]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government does not collect data on the numbers of basic bank accounts. The latest data from the British Bankers Association show that between April 2003 and September 2005, a net total of 1.52 million basic bank accounts were opened (1.96 million opened and 0.44 million closed). Over the same period, a net total of 6 million accounts that offer withdrawals on demand were opened so 25 per cent. of all accounts offering withdrawal on demand opened between April 2003 and September 2005 were basic bank accounts.
Bio-fuel Discounts
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the legal basis is for HM Revenue and Customs' policy of restricting bio-fuel discounts to producers who use transesterification processes for production. [45805]
John Healey: Fuel produced from vegetable oil is eligible for the rate of duty for biodiesel (currently 27.10 pence per litre) if it meets the legal definition of biodiesel for tax purposes set out in section 2AA of the Hydrocarbon Oil Duties Act 1979. In other cases, it is liable to duty at the main road fuel rate, currently at 47.10 pence per litre, as has been the case since Royal Assent to the Finance Act 2002.
Capital Gains Tax
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a domestic property that pays business rates, in addition to council tax, due to a householder working at home, may be liable for capital gains tax on sale of the property. [46962]
Dawn Primarolo: Business rates, council tax and capital gains tax liabilities are assessed on different criteria. Gains made on the disposal of a main home are generally exempt from capital gains tax. Full relief may also be available where partial business use has been made of a property, depending on the facts of the individual case.
Christmas Cards
Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to his Department of sending Christmas cards in 2005. [45927]
John Healey:
The cost to the Treasury of purchasing official Christmas cards for Christmas 2005 was £7,532 plus VAT, including envelopes. The Treasury purchases its Christmas cards from the charity Card Aid, who will make a donation of £2,126 from the cost of 2005 cards to the Disasters Emergency Committee on behalf of the Treasury. Information on the cost of posting Christmas cards is not available. All expenditure incurred on official Christmas cards is made in accordance with the principle of propriety set out in Government Accounting.
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Cole Layer Trumble
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with the company, Cole Layer Trumble, or their representatives, in the last five years. [47026]
Dawn Primarolo: So far as I am aware, no meetings involving Treasury Ministers or officials have been held with Cole Layer Trumble or their representatives. Staff of the Valuation Office Agency, an Executive Agency of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, have had regular liaison with representatives of Cole Layer Trumble during development of the Agency's Automated Valuation Model (AVM).
Data Protection Act
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the types of data (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) the Valuation Office Agency is permitted to hold under the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. [47027]
Dawn Primarolo: The types of data that HMRC and the Valuation Office Agency hold and process under the provisions of the Data Protection Act are detailed in their notification to the Information Commissioner. This is on the Information Commissioner's public register held on his website under registration number Z9034158.
Departmental Assets
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the items valued at over £100 that have been reported as stolen from Treasury buildings in the past 12 months. [43441]
John Healey: Three laptop computers were reported as stolen during 2005.
EU Budget
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated (a) net and (b) gross contribution to the EU to be paid by the UK will be in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) 2009 and (iv) 2010 following decisions at the recent summit. [40045]
Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of (a) the UK's gross contribution to the EU including overseas aid spending, (b) the UK abatement, (c) UK receipts of EU spending and (d) the UK net contribution to the EU budget will be in constant pound terms in each year from 2007 to 2013 under the recently agreed budget. [40951]
Mr. Ivan Lewis
[holding answer 9 January 2006]: Based on the European Commission's forecasts and assumptions, and using the Financial Perspective table
31 Jan 2006 : Column 399W
agreed on 17 December 2005, Treasury estimates for the UK's gross contribution to the EC budget, the abatement, UK receipts and the UK net contribution to the EC budget are:
As the Prime Minister said in his statement to the House on 19 December, while the UK's net contribution will rise over the next financing period compared to 2000–06, France and Italy's contribution will rise twice as fast. The abatement will also rise, not fall.
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The UK's actual financing share, receipts and abatement are all dependent on a number of variables, including the actual rate of spending in each policy area in each member state, and the pound-euro exchange rate.
Mr. Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what his estimate is of the (a) net and (b) gross contributions France will make to the European Union during the next budget cycle; [40546]
(2) what his estimate is of the (a) gross and (b) net contributions per head of population for each household in the United Kingdom to the European Union during the next budget cycle. [40547]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Based on the European Commission's forecasts and assumptions, and using the Financial Perspective table agreed on 17 December 2005, Treasury estimates for France and the UK's net and gross contributions to the EC budget are:
The UK's actual financing share, receipts and abatement are all dependent on a number of variables, including the actual rate of spending in each policy area in each member state, and the pound-euro exchange rate.
Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to enable the House to vote on a motion to approve the recently agreed changes in the UK rebate from the EU budget. [46226]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The changes to the financing of the EC budget agreed at the December European Council, including the change to the application of the UK abatement in respect of expenditure in the new member states of the European Union, will be incorporated in a new EU 'own resources decision'. This decision will in due course require ratification by each member state. In the UK this will be by means of a European Communities (Finance) Bill, which will be primary legislation subject to the usual procedures and will be brought forward as parliamentary time allows.
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