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21 Mar 2006 : Column 348W—continued

Data Protection

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether action has been taken to strengthen the security of personal data held by HM Revenue and Customs in the last (a) month, (b) six months and (c) 12 months. [44972]

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC is meeting the Cabinet Office requirement and the British Standard BS7799, for Information Security, to protect the information that it holds. HMRC Directors are responsible for the security of the data in the business systems that they own. To ensure all risks are identified, assessed and managed the Departmental Security Unit is supporting Directors with a comprehensive set of policies, strategies, assessment tools and frameworks that enable effective solutions to be identified and implemented. We are working very closely with our IT provider to ensure IT Accreditation and British standards are met with effective security controls in place.

Exchequer Losses

Mrs. Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the loss to the Exchequer in the next 10 years arising from the sale of (a) Pilkington Glass, (b) the British Airports Authority and (c) the British Oxygen Company. [60047]

John Healey: The Government does not speculate about or disclose information on the tax position of individual firms.

Financial Services Authority

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reform the Financial Services Authority; and what estimate he has made of the costs. [59630]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The effectiveness of the regulatory regime for financial services was considered by the Treasury's Two-Year Review of Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), the outcome of which was
 
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announced on 2 December 2004 and involved a number of deregulatory reforms. These reforms were accompanied by a published cost benefit analysis.

FSMA enables the Treasury to hold an independent review of the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has used its resources in discharging its functions. As announced in the pre-Budget report 2005, the Treasury aims to hold the first such review in the near future.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Financial Services Authority has spent on public relations in the last five years. [60067]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA). I understand that the Chairman of the FSA will be writing to the hon. Member shortly.

Financial Services Industry

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the regulation of the financial services industry. [59631]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Treasury proposals to reform and improve the regulation of financial services are subject to open public consultation. Numerous representations
 
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have been made in response to these consultations. Full details are available on the Treasury's public website www.hm-treasury.gov.uk

Gas/Oil Industrial Production

Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the proportion of Gross Value Added assigned to the Extra-Regio in Economic Trends 627, February 2006, which pertained to gas and oil industrial production in each year from 1992 to 2004. [59573]

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2006:


Proportions of GVA assigned to Extra Regio


Total extra Regio(50)/Total GVA
Gas and oil Extra Regio(50)/Total GVA (percentage)Gas and oil Extra Regio(50)/Total Extra Regio(50) (percentage)
19921.81.687.7
19931.91.789.7
19942.01.891.8
19952.11.993.0
19962.42.394.2
19972.11.993.7
19981.71.592.8
19991.81.793.6
20002.62.595.6
20012.42.395.4
20022.22.195.1
20032.12.094.8
20042.62.595.9


(50) The contribution to GVA of activities taking place on the continental shelf is included in Extra Regio, along with the elements relating to UK embassies abroad and UK forces stationed overseas. As these cannot be assigned to specific regions they are assigned as Extra Regio GVA.
(51) Gas and oil production takes place throughout the UK continental shelf.


HM Revenue and Customs (Isle of Wight)

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date his Department completed the equality impact assessment for the removal of processing and compliance work from the Newport, Isle of Wight office of HM Revenue and Customs; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the equality impact assessment. [60182]

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC has taken a decision in principle to move processing and compliance work from the Isle of Wight in the long term. They are now in the process of completing an equality assessment to identify all the diversity issues and take them into account in final decisions about moving the work from Newport. In the meantime they are securing new accommodation in the locality to allow them the time needed to assess the position fully. However, they have already started to address the longer term staffing implications by offering early retirement to those over 50, and identifying those who are within reasonable daily travelling distance of larger offices in Southampton and Portsmouth.

Household Income

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households contained (a) no, (b) one and (c) two earners in each year since 1981. [60267]

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2006:


 
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Households with zero, one and two people in employment—United Kingdom

Thousand
Number of persons in household of
working-age(52) who are in employment
Three months ending MayZeroOneTwo
19923,0325,8506,644
19933,2715,9096,745
19943,3736,0266,799
19953,4196,0536,878
19963,4376,0156,697
19973,2656,0736,891
19983,2356,1616,990
19993,1576,2037,057
20003,0756,2397,217
20013,0626,3367,246
20023,1266,5087,162
20033,0356,5457,226
20043,0086,5647,226
20053,0686,5317,313


(52) Working-age is defined as 16 to 64 for men and 16 to 59 for women.
Source:
ONS, Labour Force Survey




Landlord's Energy Savings Allowance

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate his Department has made of the likely (a) number and (b) value of claims for Landlord's Energy Savings Allowance prior to its introduction; and how many landlords have taken up the allowance since its introduction; [R] [60297]

(2) how many energy efficiency measures have been installed since the Landlord's Energy Savings Allowance was launched in 2004, broken down by measure; [R] [60298]

(3) what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to improve take up of the Landlord's Energy Savings Allowance. [R] [60299]

John Healey: The cost to the Exchequer of claims for the Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance was negligible for 2004–05, and estimated at £10 million a year for 2005–06 and 2006–07 at the time of Budget 2004. Detailed figures on the total value of claims made since April 2004 are not yet available.

The Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance can be claimed by making an entry in the appropriate box in the self-assessment tax return. Detailed information about making claims is given in the guidance notes for those returns.


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