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1 Feb 2006 : Column 606W—continued
Economic Activity (Milton Keynes)
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to increase the rate of economic activity in Milton Keynes. [47304]
John Healey: The Government have put in place policies that will raise the trend rate of growth for all English regions and local areas, including Milton Keynes. For instance, as one of the Government's four housing growth areas, Milton Keynes is benefiting from significant new investment in infrastructure and through further regeneration of brownfield sites.
GVA—gross value added—statistics show that between 1989, when comparable regional records began, to 2004, the South East enjoyed the highest increase in economic growth per head of all the English regions. It is also experiencing historically low unemployment levels. Unemployment has fallen in the region by 38,000 (17.7 per cent.) since 1997.
Electoral Administration
Mr. Devine: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in each ward in Livingston constituency are over 18 years; and how many of these are on the electoral register in each ward. [46136]
John Healey: This question is a devolved matter, in this case the responsibility of the Registrar General for Scotland.
Emigration
Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people emigrated from the UK in each year from 2000, broken down by constituency in which they lived at the time of emigration. [47618]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 1 February 2006:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about how many people emigrated from the UK in each year from 2000, broken down by constituency in which they lived at the time of emigration. I am replying in her absence. (47618)
Emigration estimates are not available at the level of Parliamentary constituency. They are based mainly on the International Passenger Survey (IPS), thus, sample size restricts the level for which reliable estimates can be produced. The lowest level of detail for which National Statistics emigration estimates are published is constituent country within the UK and Government Office Region in England. These data are available in the annual reference volume International Migration 2003, Series MN NO 30, available at:
Government Spending (Tax Revenue)
Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on using tax revenue sourced from particular taxes for particular areas of Government spending. [47131]
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Mr. Des Browne: The primary aim of tax policy is to raise sufficient revenue for Government to pay for public services. In some cases, where the Government are raising revenue for a specific purpose, it is appropriate to reinforce the purpose of the tax measure by linking it to the spending which it finances.
Jewish Festivals
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department did to (a) celebrate Hanukkah and (b) mark Yom Kippur in 2005. [46767]
John Healey: The Treasury did not specifically celebrate Hanukkah or mark Yom Kippur in 2005.
The Treasury, however, has taken a range of positive steps to promote faith awareness in the Department including awareness raising articles in the staff magazine, the provision of a prayer room and flexibility in leave arrangements so that staff can celebrate religious holidays and observe religious obligations.
In addition, the Treasury Staff Code clearly details employees' obligations under the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003.
Manufacturing Productivity
John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of growth of manufacturing productivity has been in each year since 1998. [46151]
John Healey: The annual growth rates since 1998 of manufacturing productivity on an output per job basis, the ONS' headline measure, is presented in the following table.
| Percentage | |
|---|---|
| Annual productivity growth | |
| 1998 | 1.2 |
| 1999 | 4.4 |
| 2000 | 6.3 |
| 2001 | 3.5 |
| 2002 | 1.5 |
| 2003 | 4.5 |
| 2004 | 6.2 |
| 1998 to 2004 | 29.4 |
Ministry of Defence Budget (Tax Revenue)
Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of tax revenue was allocated to the Ministry of Defence budget in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06. [47130]
Mr. Des Browne: The Defence budget as a percentage of current receipts for the years in question is as follows:
Figures for the Defence near cash budget do not include the net additional cost of military operations (e.g. in Iraq and Afghanistan), which are met separately from the Treasury reserve. The net additional cost of operations was £1.6 Billion in 2003–04 and £1.1 Billion in 2004–05.
Population Estimates
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations (a) his Department and (b) the Office for National Statistics has received on the accuracy of mid-year population estimates. [46964]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 1 February 2006:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question regarding what representations the a) Treasury and b) the Office for National Statistics has received on the accuracy of mid-year population estimates. I am replying in her absence. (46964)
A number of queries are received each year following the August publication of annual mid-year population estimates. These queries range from general points of clarification to questions regarding the accuracy of the estimates. The following is a list of authorities that have written in with concerns about the accuracy of their 2004 population estimates:
In addition to these Local Authorities, queries concerning the accuracy of the estimates have also been received from:
This includes correspondence dealt with by Her Majesty's Treasury (HMT). I am not aware of any additional correspondence with HMT that has not been passed on to ONS.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the Office for National Statistics has made of the reasons other than population changes why mid-year population estimates differ from the 2001 national census. [46965]
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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 Colin Mowl, dated 1 February 2006:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question about what assessment the Office for National Statistics has made of the reasons, other than population changes, why mid-year population estimates differ from the 2001 Census. I am replying in her absence. (46965)
As a result of changes in society, which include increased mobility and different living arrangements, it is becoming increasingly difficult to estimate the size of the population. Substantial work has been done on the difference between mid-year population estimates and the 2001 Census. This work is summarised in the final report of the 2004 Local Authority Population Studies, which can be found here: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/LAStudy_FullReport.pdf This document provides further links to other detailed reports.
These studies confirmed that the 2001 Census had worked well in most areas, but there were a few cases where it was not able to adjust sufficiently for exceptional circumstances. This work, together with revised international migration estimates, accounted for a large proportion of the initial 1.1 million difference between mid year estimates and the Census; reducing the difference to a little over 0.2 million
Further information on population estimates can be found in the detailed methodology guide to 'Making a population estimate in England and Wales'. This is published here: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=575
ONS is now investing substantially in a project to Improve Migration and Population Statistics (IMPS). (More information on this project can be found here: www.statistics.gov.uk/IMPS). The key aims of this project are to reduce the size of the difference between population estimates and mid-year estimates for 2011 when the next Census is undertaken and to better understand any difference that does remain.
As part of this project we are currently undertaking work to quality assure the mid-year estimates against a range of administrative sources.
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