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14 Feb 2006 : Column 1827W—continued
Working Dogs
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the percentage of working dogs which have had their tails amputated as a consequence of injury. [50981]
Mr. Bradshaw: None. However, these amputations can only be performed by a qualified vet.
World Trade Organisation (Sensitive Products)
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria the EU applied when designating agricultural products as sensitive in the forthcoming World Trade Organisation negotiations. [49172]
Jim Knight:
In October, in the run-up to the sixth ministerial meeting in Hong Kong, the EU made an offer on improved market access for agricultural
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products. Others, such as the US, did so too. An agreed feature of the market access negotiations is that all countries will be permitted to protect sensitive products, by applying less than the agreed reduction rates to the tariffs on these products. The EU suggested that up to 8 per cent. of a country's tariff lines on agricultural products should be deemed sensitive products. The US suggested 1 per cent., so there is a considerable divide here that, because the matter was not discussed or decided at Hong Kong, still needs bridging.
The EU Commission negotiates on behalf of the EU member states in the WTO negotiations. EU member states have not discussed or seen any list of sensitive products or criteria from the Commission. We would not expect to do so before the number of sensitive products has been agreed. The EU may yet decide to offer a figure lower than 8 per cent. in order to secure a Doha deal, which could then effect the choice of sensitive products. In addition, agreeing the treatment of sensitive products is, of course, as important as agreeing the number.
It is difficult for any issue within the Doha Trade Round to be viewed in isolation, as any agreement reached will be part of a package. For this reason, the Commission is unlikely to have any fixed criteria, for the designation of sensitive products, that they would wish to share at this present time.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to add vulnerable egg lines to the EU list of products designated as sensitive in the forthcoming World Trade Organisation negotiations. [49178]
Jim Knight: In October, in the run-up to the sixth ministerial meeting in Hong Kong, the EU made an offer on improved market access for agricultural products. Others, such as the US, did so too. An agreed feature of the market access negotiations is that all countries will be permitted to protect sensitive products, by applying less than the agreed reduction rates to the tariffs on these products. The EU suggested that up to 8 per cent. of a country's tariff lines on agricultural products should be deemed sensitive products. The US suggested 1 per cent., so there is a considerable divide here that, because the matter was not discussed or decided at Hong Kong, still needs bridging.
The EU Commission negotiates on behalf of the EU member states in the WTO negotiations. EU member states have not discussed or seen any list of sensitive products or criteria from the Commission. We would not expect to do so before the number of sensitive products has been agreed (the choice of products designated will depend upon the number of sensitive lines available). The EU may yet choose to offer a lower figure than 8 per cent. in order to secure a Doha deal. In addition, agreeing the treatment of sensitive products is, of course, as important as agreeing the number.
The UK Government are not endorsing any product as sensitive until the number and treatment of sensitive products is agreed. In general, the hon. Member will be aware that the UK Government wish to see only a minimal number of sensitive products as we believe a large number would undermine the potential benefits of the Doha Round.
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We continue to receive representations from the egg industry and representatives for the egg industry are also able to lobby the Commission direct. The UK Government will review their own position when we know the parameters we have to work to.
TREASURY
Amber Communications Management Ltd.
Mr. Gale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when HM Revenue and Customs expect to be in a position to repay the sums owing to Amber Communications Management Ltd. of Margate. [42932]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 18 January 2006]: Section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 does not permit HM Revenue and Customs to disclose information relating to the tax affairs of individual taxpayers.
Banks
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislation under which banks would not be permitted to close branches without demonstrating that the local citizens would not experience any deterioration in credit and banking services. [50558]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: All of the main high street banks and building societies are signatories to the Banking Code. Out of the five recommendations on bank closures made at the time of the last independent review, four were accepted outright. Through the Banking Code there is now an obligation for subscribers to:
give customers extended notice of branch closure if the road distance of the nearest alternative branch is more than one mile in urban areas or more than four miles in rural areas;
explain how they continue to provide services after the branch has been closed in a way that is specific to local provision; and,
The Government's approach to improving local services is to work with communities to help them understand and articulate their needs to those who deliver services.
This sort of collaborative working will ensure that communities benefit from our programmes to modernise, improve and support services and will enable communities to help themselves to meet the needs of local people.
Business Taxation
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many section 660 investigations by HM Revenue and Customs are currently open; and if he will make a statement. [51671]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not currently available.
Car Registrations
Mr. Greg Knight:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of trends in new car registrations in the United Kingdom in each of
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the last five years; what changes he forecasts in each of the next two years; on what basis these forecasts are made; and if he will make a statement. [51283]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited, average annual growth in new car registrations from 2001 to 2005 was 2 per cent. Total new car registrations and annual growth in each of the last five years are presented in the following table. HM Treasury do not publish forecasts of new car registrations.
| Total new car registrations | Annual growth (percentage) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2,458,769 | 10.7 |
| 2002 | 2,563,631 | 4.3 |
| 2003 | 2,579,050 | 0.6 |
| 2004 | 2,567,269 | -0.5 |
| 2005 | 2,439,717 | -5.0 |
Census
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to enforce penalties for failing to complete a census form. [51215]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 February 2006:
As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking (a) what steps are being taken and (b) what plans there are to enforce penalties for failing to complete a census form. (51215)
For the 2001 Census, as with previous censuses, the Office for National Statistics followed a policy of enforcing legal proceedings against persons who persistently refused to fulfil their statutory obligation to return a completed census form, and where it had obtained clear and sufficient documentary evidence of such a refusal. The objective is to improve response by prosecution and the threat of prosecution, to support census field staff and to deter non-compliance for any future census.
Interviews under Caution were conducted and voluntary witness statements obtained, as required under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Code of practice which governs the treatment and questioning of persons who refuse to complete a census form. Particular attention was given to those reported cases where refusals were accompanied by acts of intimidation towards field staff.
This policy will also be followed for non-compliance in the 2011 Census although the precise arrangements for enforcing legal action are yet to be developed.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials were responsible for compiling the 2001 census in Southend-on-Sea, broken down by grade; and if he will make a statement. [50834]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 February 2006:
As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary Question asking how many officials were responsible for compiling the 2001 census in Southend-on-Sea, broken down by grade. (50834)
The number and disposition of field staff working in Southend-on-Sea during the 2001 Census is listed as follows:
| Job title | Number of staff |
|---|---|
| Census Area Manager | 1 |
| Census District Managers | 5 |
| Census Team Leaders | 15 |
| Census Enumerators | 168 |
| Total | 189 |
Personnel working at the Widnes Processing office and Census HQ in Titchfield carried out tasks across all local authorities and were not specifically responsible for compiling figures for particular areas such as Southend-on-Sea. Over the 10 month life of the Widnes Processing site the number of staff employed to process forms for the UK averaged 1,200. The core number of staff from the Office for National Statistics at Titchfield assigned to 2001 Census activities averaged between 100 and 150. These included statisticians, researchers, information technology specialists and staff providing administrative support.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanisms are available to (a) hon. Members and (b) local authorities to dispute the findings of a national census; and if he will make a statement. [50835]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested fall within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 February 2006:
As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what mechanisms are available to (a) hon. Members and (b) local authorities to dispute the findings of a national census. (50835)
There are a number of mechanisms available by which it is possible to dispute the findings of a national census. As you will know, Members of Parliament can ask questions in the House and receive a response from either the ONS Minister or from myself. Alternatively, they can write directly to me or to the Census Director, outlining their concerns. Local Authorities can also use these routes or may choose to channel their views through the Central and Local Government Information Partnership (CLIP) Census Sub Group. This group is one of a number of Census Advisory Groups which provide a forum for communication between the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the user community on requirements for information from, and the operational planning of, the Census in England and Wales.
The Census legislation does not provide any specific legal mechanisms for disputing the findings of a national census.
On a more general level, one of the components of our 'Statement of Compliance with the National Statistics Code of Practice1 is an additional 'Statement on Customer Service and Complaints' (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about_ns/cop/compliance.asp). The latter provides guidance to stakeholders on how to make a formal complaint about any aspect of our administration or service, and what they can do if they are unhappy about our response.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the accuracy of census figures for (a) Southend-on-Sea and (b) Essex in each of the last two censuses; and if he will make a statement. [50478]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 February 2006:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the accuracy of census figures for (a) Southend-on-Sea and (b) Essex in each of the last two censuses. (50478)
Following the 2001 Census for England and Wales, the Office for National Statistics undertook an extensive programme of work to investigate the reasons for the difference between the 2001
- Census and the mid-year population estimates (MYEs) at both national and local levels. This research included a series of Local Authority studies carried out in 2004 which were designed to improve the MYEs in the areas that proved hardest to count in the Census. An extensive review was carried out for 32 local authorities, including Southend-on-Sea, to assess whether there was evidence that the population might have been under- or over-estimated. The results of these studies showed that better estimates of the population could be made in 15 areas and an adjustment was made to the MYEs in these areas. For the great majority of areas, including Southend-on-Sea, it was found that the 2001 Census-based population estimate remains the best estimate of the population. A full report on these Local Authority Studies can be found at:
The Census 2001 Quality report for England and Wales provides information about all aspects of quality relating to the 2001 Census. It provides an overview of the quality issues and the studies and analyses that have been carried out to improve the quality of census data. The Quality report is held in the House of Commons Library or can be downloaded from www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/proj_qr.asp
Additional information pertaining to the quality of results from the 2001 Census for local areas can be found at:
Official assessments of the quality of the 1991 Census were published in the 1991 Census General Report (ISBN 0–11–691616–8) and User Guide 58 (Undercoverage in Great Britain). These were carried out at national level and no assessment of quality was made for individual Local Authorities. The General Report is held in the House of Commons Library and User Guide 58 may be obtained from Census Customer Services:
The 1991 Census Validation Survey assessed the coverage of the Census and the quality of the Census information recorded about those people who were successfully enumerated. The 1991 Census Validation Survey: Quality Report (ISBN 0–11–691688–5) and 1991 Census Validation Survey: Coverage Report (ISBN 0–11–691591–9) are held in the House of Commons Library.
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