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Private Buildings (VAT)

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will apply to the European Commission to exercise an option to introduce a reduced rate of VAT on the labour input of renovation and repair work to private buildings; and if he will make a statement. [57902]

Dawn Primarolo: The Government have only introduced reduced rates where they offer the best-targeted and most efficient support for our social objectives. The VAT reduced rate for the renovation and repair of private dwellings is one of a number of reduced rates introduced into EU legislation on an experimental basis whose objective is to create employment opportunities by stimulating demand through lower prices. The Government have always chosen not to participate, as we believe that our employment objectives are better targeted through measures such as the welfare to work strategy and new deal, which have contributed to the 2.3 million rise in employment since 1997.

Securities Transactions

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the implications for UK tax revenues of cross-border clearance and settlement of securities transactions within the European Union. [57916]

Dawn Primarolo: There have been no such discussions.

Tax Credits

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit claimants are receiving regular manual payments as a result of computer error. [56942]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 7 March 2006, Official Report, column 1305–06W.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what alterations are being made to his Department's computer system for the change to the tax credit disregard level in April 2006. [56943]

Dawn Primarolo: The tax credit computer system will change the value of the income disregard figure from £2,500 to £25,000.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many referrals members of staff at the tax credit office made to their IT support system in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 to date. [56945]

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available.

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2006 to questions 50599 and 50642, on tax credits, for what reason claimants are receiving regular manual payments instead of automated payments; when such payments first started to be made; how many unposted individual cheque encashments there were at the end of each month
 
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since April 2005; and what steps are being taken to ensure that all claimants receive regular automatic payments. [57914]

Dawn Primarolo: For the reasons for issuing manual payments I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (John Hemming) on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 325W.

Manual payments have been issued, where necessary, since tax credits were introduced in April 2003.

The number of unposted individual cheque encashments for each month since April 2005 is not available.

HMRC seeks to put automated payments in place as quickly as possible.

VAT Relief (Antiques)

Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether an item imported to the United Kingdom over 100 years after its production is eligible for antique value added tax relief; and if he will make a statement. [57112]

Dawn Primarolo: Antiques which are in excess of 100-years-old which are not a work of art or pearls or loose gemstones are eligible for a reduced valuation on importation under section 21(4) and section 21(5)(c) of the Value Added Tax Act 1994 as amended.

Volunteer-run Post Offices

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce a zero tax band for volunteer-run post offices. [56565]

Dawn Primarolo: The Government keep all taxes under review and any changes to taxation are considered as part of the normal Budget process. ????????

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Clinical Negligence

Mr. Baron: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2006, Official Report, column 1211W, on clinical negligence, what proportion of the legally-aided clinical negligence cases that were closed in the last year in which the solicitors reported a substantive benefit to the client were settled without regard to the merits of the case and for reasons of the health service defendant seeking to avoid or limit irrecoverable legal costs. [57915]

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) does not hold information on the reasons why defendants settled out of court in cases where they have funded the plaintiff.

Coroners (Northern Ireland)

Mark Durkan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many coroner's cases in Northern Ireland have yet to be concluded; what the average time taken for the
 
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completion of a coroner's case was in each of the last five years; when the longest outstanding coroner's case commenced; and what plans she has to allocate additional resources to the coroner's office. [57718]

Bridget Prentice: On 8 March 2006 1,326 cases which had been reported to the coroner were awaiting a determination.

Information on the average time taken for the completion of a coroner's case is not available. A new IT system has recently been introduced in the coroner's office which will allow this information to be provided in future years.

The longest outstanding case currently awaiting determination was received in 1990 and relates to two deaths on 9 October 1990.

A range of improvements to the coroner service for Northern Ireland are being introduced from 3 April this year. Under these improvements the coroner service will be headed by a High Court Judge supported by three full-time coroners. Additional staff resources, including coroners' liaison officers, will be appointed to improve liaison with bereaved families.

Electoral Reform

James Duddridge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what representations she has received from the Association of Electoral Administrators concerning electoral modernisation. [53707]

Ms Harman: My Department regularly communicates with the Association of Electoral Administrators about improvements to electoral administration. This includes modernisation work such as the Co-ordinated Online Record of Electors (CORE) and the Electoral Modernisation Pilots at the May 2006 local elections that I announced to the House on 14 February 2006. This communication includes informal discussions, work on specific projects, including having AEA representatives on a number of project boards, and occasionally formal responses to consultation exercises such as that recently conducted on CORE, to which the association itself, and a number of its branches, have recently provided a response.

Legal Aid (Northern Ireland)

Dr. McCrea: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people have been granted legal aid in each Northern Ireland parliamentary constituency during the last 12 months. [58143]

Bridget Prentice: The number of applications for legal aid granted in 2004–05 is 38,151 and is broken down as follows:

	Granted
Assistance by Way of Representation	4,186
Children Order	4,712
Civil Legal Aid	8,825
Criminal Legal Aid	20,428

In addition, there were 55,904 claims for (Green Form) Legal Advice and Assistance in 2004–05.
 
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To provide the information by constituency would involve a manual review of records. Given the large number of cases involved this would incur a disproportionate cost.

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