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27 Feb 2006 : Column 328W—continued
Burma
Vera Baird: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much debt is owed to the UK by Burma. [54443]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Burma's total official bilateral debt to the UK as at 21 February 2006 was £24.6 million. This includes c. £23.2 million outstanding to the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) and c. £1.4 million outstanding to the Department for International Development (DFID).
Bus Travel
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what formula he has used to determine the funding allocated to local authorities to pay for the provision of free off-peak bus travel for pensioners from April 2006; and what the allocation will be for each local authority. [53472]
Mr. Des Browne:
As announced in Budget 205, the Government are providing an extra £350 million for 2006–07 for the provision of free off-peak bus travel for pensioners allocated through the Formula Grant system. This funding is not ring-fenced for concessionary travel and forms part of the local government grant settlement for each local authority. Since the sum is incorporated into general grant it is not possible to provide separate figures for individual authorities. Decisions on the distribution of local
27 Feb 2006 : Column 329W
government grant for 2006–07 and 2007–08 were made as part of the local government finance settlement, approved by this House on 6 February 2006.
Capital Gains Tax
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue loss from the abolition of capital gains tax if all gains realised in under two years were taxed as income. [52758]
Dawn Primarolo: There are no estimates of the revenue loss from abolishing capital gains tax, if all gains made in under two years were taxed as income, except at a disproportionate cost.
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue loss from introducing a single 10 per cent. rate of capital gains tax on all gains. [52759]
Dawn Primarolo: The estimated revenue loss from introducing a single 10 per cent. rate of capital gains tax on all gains would be approximately £1 billion in the first full year.
Construction Industry
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people work in construction in the UK. [53520]
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 about construction employment. (53520)
The latest available estimate for, September 2005, is that the number of jobs in the construction industry in the United Kingdom was 2,109,000.
Consumer Protection
Lorely Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the increase in the number of consumer complaints lodged with the Financial Ombudsman Service since 2001; and what steps the Department is taking to reduce the number of complaints. [54329]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is operationally independent of Government. It is a demand-led service dealing with a work load that can rise or fall rapidly. The last few years has seen a significant increase in the FOS work load, mainly caused by mortgage endowment complaints.
The FSA has taken steps to ensure that firms consider complaints appropriately and do not pass them on to the FOS without need to, and has fined firms in some instances. The FSA's Treating Customers Fairly initiative also requires the senior management to take responsibility for ensuring that fair treatment of customers is embedded throughout the culture of the business.
27 Feb 2006 : Column 330W
Corporation Tax
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue loss from an (a) 50 per cent. and (b) 100 per cent. increase in the ceiling for small companies corporation tax. [52757]
Dawn Primarolo: The estimated full year Exchequer cost, in 2006–07 terms, of increasing the present £300,000 ceiling on the small companies rate of corporation tax is as follows:
| Revised ceiling | ||
|---|---|---|
| Amount (£) | Percentage | Cost (£ million) |
| 450,000 | + 50 | 210 |
| 600,000 | + 100 | 330 |
These estimates include only the direct costs and not any change in behaviour.
Departmental Staff
Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether special advisers in his Department receive an IT allowance. [52674]
John Healey: Special advisers in HM Treasury do not receive any IT allowances.
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Inland Revenue staff in Northern Ireland were dismissed in 2005 as a result of misuse of computer systems. [52881]
Derv/Red Diesel
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) average cost per litre and (b) average percentage of the total cost per litre was of taxation for (i) derv and (ii) red diesel in each of the past seven years. [53294]
John Healey: Historical fuel prices can be found in Quarterly Energy Prices published by the Department for Trade and Industry and available on the DTI website: http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/inform/energy_prices/index.shtml. Historical fuel duty rates can be found in Hydrocarbon Oils Bulletin published by HM Revenue and Customs and available on UK Trade Info Website: www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm ?task=statindex.
Enterprise Investment Scheme
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue loss in a full year from allowing owner/managers the same tax advantages as outside investors in Enterprise Investment Scheme companies. [52763]
John Healey:
Estimates of the revenue loss from extending full EIS to owner/managers could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
27 Feb 2006 : Column 331W
Equity (Tax Status)
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of allowing the costs of raising equity funds the same tax status as costs of debt raising. [52761]
Dawn Primarolo: An estimate of the Exchequer cost of allowing a tax deduction for the costs of raising equity funds is available only at disproportionate cost.
The Government did consult in 2003 on whether introducing such a measure would improve access to growth capital for small businesses. The responses to that consultation suggested that the likely benefit to small firms of such a relief would be very limited, Full details were set out in Bridging the Finance Gap: Next Steps in Improving Access to Growth Capital for Small Businesses".
EU Budget
Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 20 November 2005, Official Report, column 78W, on the EU budget, if he will list the monthly financial transfers to the EC budget since June 1997. [52598]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The figures for UK contributions to the EC Budget are published in the annual European Community Finances" White Paper, most recently on 23 June 2005 (Cm 6580). It would be administratively costly to list each of the monthly payments to the EC Budget which the UK has made since June 1997. Over the period June to December 1997 the UK's gross contribution, after taking account of the abatement, was £3,335 million.
Payments to the EC Budget covering the 2005–06 financial year will be set out in this year's European Community Finances" White Paper.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the (a) gross and (b) net contributions the Government have made to the European Union Budget in each year from 1997 to 2005; and what contributions he expects it to make in each year from 2005 to 2013. [54115]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Out-turn figures for UK gross, after taking account of the abatement, and net contributions to the EC Budget on a calendar year basis are published in the annual European Community Finances" White Paper, most recently on 23 June 2005 (Cm 6580). For ease of reference, the figures for 1997 to 2005 were:
| Gross contribution after abatement | Net contribution | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 6,258 | 1,597 |
| 1998 | 8,712 | 4,597 |
| 1999 | 7,117 | 3,638 |
| 2000 | 8,433 | 4,192 |
| 2001 | 4,819 | 1,389 |
| 2002 | 6,340 | 3,138 |
| 2003 | 7,407 | 3,682 |
| 2004 | 7,302 | 3,008 |
| 2005 | 8,911 | 3,604 |
27 Feb 2006 : Column 332W
Estates of the UK's gross, after abatement, and net contribution in 2006 will be included in the next European Community Finances" White Paper.
For estimates of contributions from 2007 to 2013, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 31 January 2006, Official Report, column 399W.
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