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14 Feb 2006 : Column 1832W—continued
Climate Change Levy
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much in climate change levy was paid by three-digit industry categories since it was introduced; and on what percentage of industry output the levy was charged. [50932]
John Healey: It is not possible to break down climate change levy receipts by three-digit industry categories or calculate the percentage of industry output covered. This is because HM Revenue and Customs collect the levy from energy suppliers, not individual businesses. However, estimates of climate change levy by industry sector are available in the Cambridge Econometrics report, Modelling the Initial Effects of the Climate Change Levy" (at Appendix D), published at Budget 2005.
Council Tax
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 12 January 2006, Official Report, column 766W, on council tax, when the copies of the external guidance will be placed in the Library. [50961]
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Dawn Primarolo: I have been assured by officials that the external guidance was deposited in the Library of the House on 12 January, the day I answered the question from the hon. Member for Meriden, and that further copies of the guidance were deposited on 26 January. The Library has confirmed that they have the guidance and that it is available to Members. I am arranging for copies if the guidance to be sent to the hon. Gentleman and the hon. Member for Meriden.
Credit Unions
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many credit unions have been established in each of the past 10 years; and what the total number of credit unions in England and Wales is. [51409]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The number of credit unions registered under the Credit Unions Act over the past 10 years is shown in the following table. This break down is based on all registrations in Great Britain as a whole (rather than for England and Wales only).
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 36 |
| 1997 | 51 |
| 1998 | 47 |
| 1999 | 50 |
| 2000 | 39 |
| 2001 | 23 |
| 2002 | 31 |
| 2003 | 11 |
| 2004 | 16 |
| 2005 | 12 |
| 2006 | (5)1 |
(5) to date
There were 561 authorised credit unions in Great Britain as at 10 February 2006.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of credit unions operating in Tamworth constituency. [51410]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is responsible for registering credit unions under the Credit Unions Act 1979. It monitors and supervises the manner in which credit unions comply with the statutory and regulatory requirements and rules, taking whatever action it considers appropriate in the event of non-compliance.
One area of supervision is to ensure that the activities of a credit union are consistent with the objects laid down in their statute. However it is not a function of the FSA to investigate whether or not a credit union achieves its aims or whether it is effective in addressing the needs it was set up to meet. That is for the credit union and its members to assess.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on entertainment by his Department in 2004–05; and how much of that sum was accounted for by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation. [50897]
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Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Treasury's expenditure on official entertainment for 2004–05 was £213,000. Further analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting".
Departmental Staff
Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department are paid on a performance-related basis. [50483]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: All HM Treasury employees are paid on a performance-related basis.
Earnings
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the change in average earnings in the (a) private sector, (b) public sector and (c) United Kingdom as a whole over the last 10 years; what impact this has had on the formulation of policy; and if he will make a statement. [51282]
Mr. Des Browne: The growth in the Public Sector Average Earnings Index (AEI) was 4.2 per cent. in the year to November 2005 (single month figure, for Great Britain, seasonally adjusted and excluding bonuses, Source: Office for National Statistics), compared to 3.7 per cent. in the Private Sector and 3.8 per cent. in the Whole Economy.
In the short-term the public and private sector AEI growth can diverge and they usually do, but in the long-term they tend to be very similar. The average annual growth between March 1997 (the earliest available data) and November 2005 was 4.0 per cent. in the public sector and 4.2 per cent. in the private sector (and 4.1 per cent. in the whole economy).
Government policy on public sector pay is devolved to individual Departments, while the Treasury maintains a monitoring and co-ordinating role. Government policy on public sector pay remains one of ensuring pay awards are justified, affordable and deliver value for money. Given that it accounts for around a quarter of all public spending, controlling pay is essential to delivering value for money and keeping inflationary pressures in check.
With this in mind, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has written to the public sector Pay Review Bodies emphasising the importance of basing its pay settlements on the achievement of the inflation target of 2 per cent. Furthermore, to achieve a more co-ordinated approach to pay across the public sector, the Government have now established a new single gateway to scrutinise all significant public sector pay proposals (as announced in the last pre-Budget report). Reporting to myself, the objective of the gateway (Public Sector Pay Committee) is to establish a common set of objectives for pay across government, extending and strengthening existing arrangements. Its aim is to ensure that all new pay structures are evidence-based, represent value for money and are financially sustainable over the long run, including taking account of the pensions implications of new pay decisions.
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Employment Statistics
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many women were in paid (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment in each year since 1980. [50720]
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 Parliamentary Question about women in employment. (50720)
The attached table gives the number of women who were working in full-time or part-time employment, for the three months ending May each year from 1984 to 2005. Information is not available for earlier periods on a comparable basis.
Estimates are taken from the Office for National Statistics's Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
(6) Includes those women who did not state whether they worked full or part-time.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey
(7) Includes those women who did not state whether they worked full or part time.
(8) Full/part-time is based on respondents self assessment.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey
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