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14 Mar 2006 : Column 2140W—continued
VAT (Housing)
Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to reduce the rate of VAT for (a) supply, (b) construction, (c) renovation and (d) alteration of housing to meet the needs of disabled people beyond the adaptation of bathroom or washroom and alteration to facilitate entry into and movement within a building. [58208]
Dawn Primarolo: There is provision under EU agreements for certain construction work to be VAT reduced rated. However, to date we have only introduced reduced rates of VAT where we are convinced they offer the best-targeted and most efficient support for our key social objectives, taking into account all costs and benefits.
All taxes are however kept under review and any changes are made as part of the Budget process.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to harmonise the rate of VAT for new build and refurbished properties. [57668]
Dawn Primarolo: While agreements with our European partners allow us to keep our zero rates as they currently stand, we cannot extend them or introduce new ones. This means that in order to harmonise the rates of VAT on all building work and renovation, we would first have to give up our current zero rates for construction, including those for the construction of new charity buildings and new housing, and for approved alterations to listed buildings. While we continue to keep the impact of VAT on different types of building work under review, we have no plans to give up our existing construction zero rates.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Asylum Seekers
Philip Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many occupants of social housing are (a) asylum seekers and (b) failed asylum seekers. [55187]
Mr. McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
Asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers are not now generally eligible for social housing provided directly by local authorities. Where accommodation is provided by local authorities it is not known whether this is local authority housing or is leased from the private rented sector.
Approximately 600 remaining asylum seeker and failed asylum seeker households, under the interim provisions, are accommodated by local authorities on behalf of NASS. Of these cases those who remain eligible will transfer to NASS provided accommodation by the end of May or soon thereafter. A small number of longstanding cases may also remain accommodated by local authorities under statutory homelessness legislation. Local authorities have certain statutory duties to assist asylum seekers under the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 and other personal social services legislation. The Home Office does not gather or maintain statistics on these cases.
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Demographics in the Local Government Pensions Schemes
Mrs. Hodgson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local government pensions schemes (LGPs) were used as the basis for the Hymans Robertson study in the report Demographics in the LGPS published in September 2005. [57153]
Mr. Woolas: The following local government pension funds were used as the basis for the Hymans Robertson LLP report of September 2005, Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales—Review of Demographic Patterns":
Departmental Assets
Mr. Pickles:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 13 February 2006 to the hon. Member for Monmouth, Official Report, column 1616W, on departmental assets, to which sections within his Department each of the five stolen official laptops
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belonged; whether each was stolen on departmental premises; and whether official data on each of the laptops was encrypted. [54523]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The sections within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister from whom each of the five laptops were stolen are as follows:
The two laptops stolen from Local Government Finance were stolen from departmental premises. The other three were stolen from officials' homes.
The official data on each of the laptops were not encrypted, because none of the information was classified. However, each laptop was password protected.
Departmental Staff
Mike Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether any (a) employee of his Department, (b) person engaged by his Department as a consultant and (c) paid adviser to his Department is a member of the House of Lords; and if he will make a statement. [52897]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Directly Elected Cabinets
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research the Government have commissioned into directly elected cabinets. [56183]
Eurozone
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what work (a) was undertaken by his Department between May 1997 and June 2003 and (b) has been undertaken since June 2003 in preparation for UK membership of the Eurozone; at what cost in each case; what future work is envisaged; and at what estimated cost. [57848]
Mr. Woolas: Since the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established on 29 May 2002, there has been one report undertaken on the preparation of the Office for the Euro. The cost of this report was £31,000. There are no plans for further work to be undertaken.
Fires
John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of accidental dwelling fires started by cigarette lighters by children under the age of nine years. [58340]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
Children and young people are particularly vulnerable to death and injury by fire and also cause fire accidentally. In our view the most important task is to educate the family, particularly the very young, about the potential dangers of playing with fire.
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We therefore produce fire safety material for use by fire and rescue services aimed specifically at educating both adults and children and young people. For adults, we convey the message, in written publicity material and in a range of television advertisements, of the need to keep lighters out of the reach of children. For children and young people, we produce storybooks and animated DVDs, targeted at 4–8 year olds which teach them of the dangers of playing with matches and lighters. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Firekills" website also provides key information for older children on a range of fire safety messages.
We have also made available £11.4 million grant funding for fire and rescue authorities in England over the two year period to March 2008 to support fire prevention work, including community fire safety, arson reduction and work with children and young people.
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