House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 27 Feb 2006 (pt 84)

27 Feb 2006 : Column 325W—continued

Al-Qaeda

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those organisations found to have links with Al-Qaeda where funds have been frozen; how much was involved in each case; and if he will make a statement. [53564]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: 123 organisations have been designated for asset freeze under the Al Qaeda and Taliban Order (2002). A consolidated list of individuals and entities subject to UK financial sanctions is available from the Bank of England website at:

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/financialsanctions/current/index.htm

Since 2001, a total of nearly £80 million has been frozen in the UK, although a large proportion was returned to the legitimate Government of Afghanistan. The legislation does not permit the disclosure of amounts frozen for individual entities.

Freezing action also prevents the flow of funds to listed individuals and entities. Asset freezing is part of the Government's overall strategy to create a hostile environment for terrorism and to safeguard the integrity of financial systems.

Associated Companies' Rules

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of the abolition of the associated companies' rules for investment. [52760]

Dawn Primarolo: The estimated full year direct Exchequer cost, in 2006–07 terms, of abolishing the associated companies rule for calculating corporation tax is around £0.3 billion.

This does not include any increased cost of behavioral effects from companies that might fragment to take advantage of the small companies rate in the absence of the associated companies rule.

ATMs (Charges)

Susan Kramer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the distribution of ATMs which charge customers to withdraw money in (a) London and (b) the UK. [49126]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The latest figures from LINK, the UK's ATM network, show in December 2005 there were 33,000 free ATMs and 25,000 surcharging ATMs across the UK. There are approximately 4,380 free ATMS and 3,020 surcharging ATMs within the M25 boundary.

However, LINK figures show that only 4 per cent. of cash withdrawals during 2005 were made from surcharging machines. In addition, as we set out in our response to the Treasury Select Committee on Cash Machine Charges, most surcharging ATMs in the UK are new machines, in locations where previously there was no ATM.

Average Earnings

Mr. Randall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average earnings of full-time employees in the constituency of Uxbridge were in April in each year since 2000. [53635]

27 Feb 2006 : Column 326W

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 27 February 2006:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average earnings of all full-time employees in the constituency of Uxbridge were in April in each year since 2000. (53635)

Currently average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all workers on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.

I attach a table showing the Average Gross Weekly Earnings for the constituency of Uxbridge for 2000–05. These statistics, along with other geographic break-downs, are also available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=13101

The ASHE, carried out in April in each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is one per cent. sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.

Average gross weekly earnings in £

Median Mean

2000⁽⁷⁸⁾ ⁽⁸⁰⁾365 ⁽⁸⁰⁾485

2001 ⁽⁸¹⁾407 ⁽⁸⁰⁾550

2002 ⁽⁸⁰⁾477 562

2003 508 572

2004⁽⁷⁹⁾ 562 623

2004 551 614

2005 ⁽⁸⁰⁾565 678

⁽⁷⁸⁾ 2003 to 2000 are figures from the NES survey with ASHE methodology applied.
⁽⁷⁹⁾ excludes the supplementary surveys (see notes).
Guide to quality:
The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality.
The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV e.g. for an average of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220.
Key:
CV <= 5 per cent.
⁽⁸⁰⁾ CV>5 per cent. and <= 10 per cent.
⁽⁸¹⁾ CV> 10 per cent. and <= 20 per cent.

	Median	Mean
2000⁽⁷⁸⁾	⁽⁸⁰⁾365	⁽⁸⁰⁾485
2001	⁽⁸¹⁾407	⁽⁸⁰⁾550
2002	⁽⁸⁰⁾477	562
2003	508	572
2004⁽⁷⁹⁾	562	623
2004	551	614
2005	⁽⁸⁰⁾565	678

Bank Accounts

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people did not have access to a bank account on (a) 31 December 2005 and (b) 31 December 1997. [53599]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The most recent data available that allow comparison to be made of the number of households with no access to a bank account is the Family Resources Survey from 2002–03. This indicates that 8 per cent. of households in the United Kingdom had no bank account of any kind. This equated to 1.9 million households containing around 2.8 million adults. 17 per cent. of households in Northern Ireland had no bank account of any kind.

27 Feb 2006 : Column 327W

In 1997–98 the Family Resources Survey was collected on a Great Britain basis, excluding Northern Ireland. 8 per cent. of households had no access to a bank account of any kind at that time.

In December 2004, the Government and the banks agreed to work together towards the goal of halving the number of adults in households with no access to a bank account of any kind and of making significant progress within two years. The Financial Inclusion Taskforce has been asked to monitor progress and will report to Government in due course.

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 3770W, on benefit payments (debt recovery), with whom in the banking industry his Department has had discussions about the right of set-off; and what assessment was made as a result of these discussions of the effect of the right of set-off on basic bank account holders. [53594]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Treasury has had a number of discussions with the banking industry covering a range of topics relating to basic bank accounts. The issue of the right of set-off has not been raised as a specific issue for discussion.

Bank Branches

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps he has taken to encourage high street banks to share branches in rural areas; [53280]

(2) if he will make a statement on Government policy on the closure of branches of high street banks. [53281]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The operation of bank branches is a commercial decision for the banks concerned. 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 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,

give notice of a substantial reduction in opening hours.

British Film Industry

Mr. Jack: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the financial gain to the British film industry has been arising from tax relief available to (a) British and (b) other film production in the UK in each year since 1997. [52384]

Dawn Primarolo: The tax costs of Sections 42 and 48 film tax relief are provided in the following table. These figures include the costs of substantial mis-use, which the Government acted to counter by anti-avoidance legislation in recent Finance Bills.

27 Feb 2006 : Column 328W

The value of tax relief under section 42 and 48 is shared between filmmakers and investors. The Government does not collect data on how these costs are divided.

New film tax relief were announced in the 2005 pre-Budget report in order both to challenge avoidance activity, and to target support more directly at the UK film industry.
£ million

Section 42 relief Section 48 relief Total

1997–98 5 5 10

1998–99 10 40 50

1999–2000 20 80 100

2000–01 25 90 115

2001–02 35 120 155

2002–03 60 145 205

2003–04 95 190 285

2004–05 170 350 520

2005–06 220 340 560

	Section 42 relief	Section 48 relief	Total
1997–98	5	5	10
1998–99	10	40	50
1999–2000	20	80	100
2000–01	25	90	115
2001–02	35	120	155
2002–03	60	145	205
2003–04	95	190	285
2004–05	170	350	520
2005–06	220	340	560

The Government have also provided £448 million in direct funding to the UK film industry in the last ten years. This figure includes:

£252 million National Lottery funding provided by the Arts Council between 1995 and 2001;

£19 million provided to the British Screen Finance Group between 1996 and 2000; and

£177 million national lottery funding provided by the UK Film council between 2000 and 2005.

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