---

2 Mar 2006 : Column 853W—continued

Public Sector Pensions

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate total public sector pension liabilities on the basis of discount rates of (a) inflation plus 3.5 per cent., (b) inflation plus 2.8 per cent., (c) the yield on AA-rated corporate bonds and (d) the yield on long-term government debt. [48202]

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates the unfunded public service pension liability to have been at 31 March 2005. [48345]

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the aggregate net present value of public sector pension liabilities is, using a discount rate equivalent to the current yield on long-dated indexed linked Government debt at 31 January 2006; and what the estimated value of funds accumulated under funded schemes was at 31 January 2006. [50777]

Mr. Des Browne: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on the Floor of the House earlier today to the hon. Member for Ludlow (Mr. Dunne).

Tax Yield (Businesses)

Mr. Holloway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the taxation yield from (a) small and medium sized businesses, (b) large businesses and (c) business taxes in total in each year since 1997. [54737]

Dawn Primarolo: Figures for corporation tax payable by companies are provided in Table T11.3 of HM Revenue and Customs Statistics, published on the internet. The latest table includes information for each tax year between 1997–98 and 2003–04 (see link): http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/11_3_oct05.pdf.

A breakdown between small and medium sized and large businesses is not available; however, the table does provide a breakdown of profits chargeable to corporation tax at the main rate and at the small companies' rate.
 
2 Mar 2006 : Column 854W
 

Taxpayers

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers there were in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in each year since 1992–93. [54643]

Dawn Primarolo: The estimated number of income taxpayers by country can be found on National Statistics table 2.2 'Number of income taxpayers, by country' on HM Revenue and Customs' website: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2–2.xls.

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Milton Keynes paid (a) income tax and (b) the top rate of income tax in each of the last eight years. [54669]

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of taxpayers by unitary authority and by constituency can be found in tables 3.14 Total income by borough and district or unitary authority" and 3.15 Total Income by Parliamentary Constituency" on the HM Revenue and Customs internet website. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm#315.

Information on the number of taxpayers by unitary authority is available for the years 1999–2000 to 2003–04 while similar information by constituency is available for the years 2002–03 and 2003–04 only.

A breakdown by tax bands is not available because the sample sizes for marginal rates at these levels of geography are very small and demonstrate a large variability year on year.

Valuation Office Agency

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2006, Official Report, column 1398W, on the Valuation Office Agency, how many full-time equivalent staff (a) are employed by the agency and (b) were employed in each year since 1997–98. [54555]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 11 November 2005, Official Report, column 777W. As at 1 February 2006 the Valuation Office Agency employed 4,918 staff.

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency has access to data held within the National Land and Property Gazetteer. [54556]

Dawn Primarolo: Yes.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Staff

Mike Penning: To ask the Prime Minister whether any (a) employee of his office, (b) person engaged by his office as a consultant and (c) paid adviser is a member of the House of Lords; and if he will make a statement. [52745]

 
2 Mar 2006 : Column 855W
 

The Prime Minister: For these purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Murphy) on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 51W.

TRANSPORT

Railway Crime Incidents (Swansea)

Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway crime incidents were reported to the British Transport Police in the Swansea area in 2004–05; and if he will make a statement. [53112]

Derek Twigg: There were 402 notifiable and 435 non-notifiable offences recorded by the British Transport Police (BTP) within the area covered by BTP's Swansea police station during the financial year 2004–05.
 
2 Mar 2006 : Column 856W
 

Railway Track

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of railway track have been replaced in each of the past 20 years; what the average age was of the replaced track; and what proportion of the rail network the replacement track represented. [52656]

Derek Twigg: This is an operational matter for Network Rail and I have asked them to reply directly to the hon. Member.

Violent Offences (Public Transport)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 1467W, on violence against passengers, how many victims of (a) wounding, (b) robbery, (c) harassment, (d) common assault, (e) sexual offences and (f) murder were recorded by the British Transport Police in each year since 1998–99. [48270]

Derek Twigg: The information is as follows:

	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05
Wounding	207	217	193	212	222	231	263
Robbery	2,209	2,456	2,700	3,408	2,304	2,590	2,081
Harassment	1,675	1,671	1,889	1,964	2,391	3,175	4,112
Common Assault	2,571	3,020	3,048	3,066	3,609	3,935	4,140
Sexual Offences	1,214	1,113	1,040	1,054	1,032	1,156	1,245
Murder	3	4	4	3	2	1	3

The Home Office introduced a National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) that all police forces across England and Wales were required to adopt from 1 April 2002. The NCRS had the effect of increasing the number of recorded crimes by an average of 22 per cent. in all forces in England and Wales. BTP adopted this standard on 1 April 2002. The principle of NCRS is that if, on the balance of probability, a crime has been committed it is recorded as a crime. The standard has made crime recording more victim-focused.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

National Farmers Union

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many private meetings Ministers in her Department have had with the National Farmers Union in the last three years; and what the date was of each such meetings. [55271]

Jim Knight: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Ministers in this Department meet external stakeholders, including the NFU, regularly as business warrants.

Water Leakage

Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to encourage the water companies to reduce leakage in the water infrastructure. [54429]

Mr. Morley: Water companies are under a duty to develop and maintain an efficient and economical system of water supply. Since 1996 Ofwat has assessed water company performance against leakage targets that balance the needs of customers and the environment. This approach has resulted in a reduction in leakage of around 29 per cent. since its peak in 1994–95. Most water companies are now at their economic level of leakage which is the level of leakage at which it would cost more to make further reductions than to produce water from another source.

---