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25 Apr 2006 : Column 1048W—continued

Income Tax

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the difference would be to the nearest £1 million of income generated to the Exchequer if the personal allowance for all was raised to £10,000 per annum and all income above that taxed at 40 per cent., compared with the present personal tax system. [65361]

Dawn Primarolo: The estimated yield from increasing all personal allowances to £10,000 and introducing a single rate of 40 per cent. on earnings, savings and dividend income is £32.4 billion in 2005–06.

The estimate is given to the nearest £100 million because estimates to the nearest £1 million will be less accurate.

The actual yield is likely to be less because the figure excludes any estimate of behavioural response to the tax change which is likely to be significant given the scale of the change.

The income tax information is based upon the 2003–04 Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) and projected forward to 2005–06 in line with March 2006 Budget HM Treasury assumptions.

Insurance Mediation Directive

Mr. Malik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek an exemption for the freight forwarding sector from compliance with the EU directive on insurance mediation. [65978]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: HM Treasury is aware of the concerns that have been expressed in relation to the insurance mediation directive by the freight forwarding sector, and has met industry representatives to discuss their concerns.

In the implementation of EU directives, EU member states have to give effect to the obligations in the directive and cannot unilaterally alter the scope of any directive.

Non-Parochial Registers Act

Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will make a statement on the operation of section 5 of the Non-Parochial Registers Act 1840; [64882]

(2) if he will make a statement on the operation of the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855; [64883]

(3) if he will make a statement on the operation of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953; [64885]

(4) if he will make a statement on the operation of the Registration Service Act 1953; [65041]

(5) if he will make a statement on the operation of section 5 of the Public Expenditure and Receipts Act 1968; [65042]

(6) if he will make a statement on the operation of section 18 of the Marriage Act 1970. [65043]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Registrar General, who has been asked to reply.
 
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Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated 25 April 2006:

The Registrar General has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions concerning the Registration Service. I am replying in her absence. (65041, 64885, 65042, 64882, 64883 & 65043)

The Registration Service Act 1953 (65041) sets out the responsibility for the provision and administration of the registration service in England and Wales. This includes the provision by local authorities of a local registration service for births, stillbirths, deaths and marriages which is overseen by the General Register Office on behalf of the Registrar General.

The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 (64885) sets out requirements for the registration of births, still-births and deaths in England and Wales. The registration service is successfully delivered, resulting in creation of the appropriate registration records and issue of certificates within the timescales that are required.

Section 5 of the Public Expenditure and Receipts Act 1968 (65042) allows the Chancellor of the Exchequer to make an Order varying fees for marriage services and certificates of births, deaths and marriages. The power to charge fees for these services is prescribed in the Marriage Act 1949 and the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953. The fees collected contribute to meeting the costs to local authorities of the provision of the local registration service and those of the Registrar General in providing the central certificate application service.

Registers deposited under the Non-Parochial Registers Act 1840 (64882) are held at the National Archive who provide access to those records and list them in their catalogue. If a certificate under the seal of the General Register is required for evidential purposes arrangements are in place for this service to be provided by the Registrar General.

The Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 (64883) provides for places of religious worship, except those of the Established Church, to be certified to the Registrar General on payment of a fee, currently £28, to the superintendent registrar of the district.

A building has to be certified as a place of religious worship before it can be registered for marriages by the Registrar General under the Marriage Act 1949. The Registrar General maintains the record of these places of religious worship by adding those newly certified and cancelling those that are disused.

Section 18 of the Marriage (Registrar General's Licence) Act 1970 (65043) empowers the Registrar General, with the approval of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to make regulations prescribing the form of the notice of marriage and the form of the Registrar General's licence. These forms are prescribed by the Registration of Marriages Regulations 1986 (SI 19867 1442) as amended by the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/3177).

Planning Aid Supplement

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the proposed planning aid supplement will be retained by the local authority in which the development to be taxed takes place. [64946]

John Healey: In the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report 2006 the Government stated that it would ensure that a significant majority of Planning-gain Supplement (PGS) revenues are retained for infrastructure priorities within the local authority area where the revenues derived.

Secular Baby-naming Ceremonies

Colin Challen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that registrars make those registering births aware of providers of secular baby-naming ceremonies in addition to those ceremonies provided on a commercial basis by registrars themselves. [65142]

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

Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated 25 April 2006:

The Registrar General has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking that registrars make those registering births aware of providers of secular baby-naming ceremonies in addition to those provided on a commercial basis by registrars themselves. I am replying ill her absence. (65142)

Registrars are statutory office holders who are appointed by local authorities to carry out duties relating to the registration of births, still-births, deaths and marriages. Their statutory duties do not include performing-baby-naming ceremonies but registrars may be involved in delivering ceremonies as a local authority function. Any arrangements for information about independently operated baby-naming ceremonies being made available by registrars would be a matter for individual local authorities.

Self-invested Personal Pensions

Mr. Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to regulate independent trustees of self-invested personal pensions. [65421]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: As set out in the formal Government response to the autumn 2005 consultation on pension scheme rules, the pensions industry overwhelmingly supported the option of introducing, from April 2007, a new regulated activity of establishing, operating or winding up a personal pension scheme. This new activity will cover independent trustees of self-invested personal pensions. Industry also overwhelmingly agreed with Government that it was sensible not to rush through this regulation before April 2007. The FSA published a consultation paper in April 2006 and will analyse feedback during the summer before making the necessary amendments to their rulebook by October 2006.

Tax Credits

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit claimants have been on the manual payments database in each quarter from Q1 2003 to Q1 2006; and if he will make a statement. [62030]

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available for 2003–04 and 2004–05. For 2005–06, the information is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many disabled adults have claimed tax credits in each month since April 2003 in Coventry, South. [64749]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 31 January 2006, Official Report, column 414W.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many referrals were received by HM Revenue and Customs' Special Compliance Office and Criminal Investigations in respect of tax credit fraud in the period from April 2005 to February 2006. [62789]

Dawn Primarolo: In the period 1 April 2005 to 28 February 2006, Criminal Investigations received around 2,100 referrals relating to tax credits.
 
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Ms Diana R. Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of forged tax credits which resulted in prosecution have been reported to Jobcentre Plus in Hull in the past 12 months. [62864]

Dawn Primarolo: There have been no cases of forged (fraudulent) tax credit claims resulting in a prosecution relating to Jobcentre Plus in Hull in the last 12 months.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional checks and safeguards have been introduced into the tax credits system since 1 December 2005 to reduce fraud; and if he will make a statement. [63322]

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC takes fraud very seriously and as part of its everyday activity, continually examines its approaches to tackling fraud—introducing new measures and initiatives where necessary. Following the closure of the tax credit e-portal in December, HMRC is planning to implement through scheduled IT releases additional measures and will reopen the portal once this work provides the necessary assurance. It would be inappropriate to give specific details of these as it could aid those seeking to gain through fraud.

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