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TREASURY

Budget 2006

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many copies of the summary leaflet Budget 2006 were distributed to (a) hospitals, (b) doctors' waiting rooms, (c) libraries and (d) other public places following the Budget; how many (i) hospitals, (ii)doctors' waiting rooms and (iii) libraries requested such leaflets; and what the total cost was of printing and distribution of these leaflets. [66844]

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answerI gave to the hon. Member for South-West Hertfordshire (Mr. Gauke) on 24 April 2006, Official Report, column 8710W.

Some 175,000 copies of the summary leaflet were distributed to libraries in the UK.

EU Accession States

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential impact on (a) employment trends and (b) public expenditure in (i) the UK and (ii) Peterborough and Cambridgeshire of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union after 1 January 2007; and if he will make a statement. [67506]

John Healey: Based on the UK's experience of the recent accession of eight countries in May 2004, the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union is likely to make a positive contribution to growth of the UK labour force and employment. It is very difficult to estimate the exact impact on employment trends and public expenditure of potential migration flows from Bulgaria and Romania, and even
 
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more difficult to estimate these impacts at the sub-regional level. However, some assessment can be made based on UK experience, particularly from the accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Slovenia in May 2004.

With respect to the labour market, since May 2004 employment levels in the UK have risen to record highs, in part due to the expansion of the work force from immigration. A paper entitled The Impact of Free Movement of Workers from Central and Eastern Europe on the UK Labour Market" (2006) published by the Department for Work and Pensions, suggests that the impact of migration from the new EU member states has been broadly positive, reflecting the flexibility and speed of adjustment of the UK labour market. The authors also found no discernible statistical evidence supporting the view that the inflow of A8 migrants is contributing to a rise in claimant unemployment in the UK.

With respect to potential effects on public expenditure, evidence from the most recent Home Office Accession Monitoring Report suggests

nationals from the Accession 8 countries continue to come to the UK to work, contributing to the success of the UK economy, whilst making very few demands of our welfare system or public services."

Financial Exclusion

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people in Tamworth constituency who did not have access to a bank account on 31 December (a) 2005 and (b) 1997. [68365]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The most recent information available that allows assessment to be made of the number of households with no access to a bank account is the family resources survey from 2002–03. This indicates that 8 per cent. of households in the United Kingdom had no bank account of any kind. This equated to 1.9 million households containing around 2.8 million adults. The data are broken down to Government Office regional level. This shows 10 per cent. of households in the West Midlands were unbanked.

In 1997–98, the family resources survey was collected on a Great Britain basis, excluding Northern Ireland. 9per cent. of households in the West Midlands were unbanked at that time compared to 8 per cent. of households in Great Britain as a whole.

In December 2004, the Government and the banks agreed to work together towards the goal of halving the number of adults in households with no access to a bank account of any kind and of making significant progress within two years. The Financial Inclusion Taskforce has been asked to monitor progress. The taskforce recently made its first annual report, which concluded that steady progress has been made towards the goal but also encouraged banks to continue to address the difficulties faced in opening a bank account.
 
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Fiscal Autonomy (Scotland)

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Scotland and (b) the First Minister of Scotland on fiscal autonomy for Scotland. [67103]

Mr. Des Browne: Treasury Ministers meet Scottish Ministers from time to time to discuss matters of common interest.

Free Bus Travel

David Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on (a) service users and (b) local authorities of the proposal he announced in the Budget of introducing funding for cross-district free off-peak bus travel for pensioners from April 2008 instead of (i) immediately and (ii) from April 2007. [64802]

Mr. Des Browne [holding answer 24 April 2006]: No assessment has been made of the effect on (a) service users or (b) local authorities of the Budget 2006 announcement of free off-peak nationwide bus travel for all pensioners and all disabled people, in England from April 2008 instead of (i) immediately or (ii) from April 2007. This is because legislative change is necessary to enact the announcement. The scheme could therefore not commence until April 2008.

Fuel Duty (Northern Ireland)

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of fuel duty levels on the Northern Ireland economy. [65149]

John Healey: Fuel duty rates were announced in the Budget, the Government continues to attach a high priority to tackling fraud. Northern Ireland's economy is continuing to grow and benefits from the range of Government economic policies set out in the Budget.

Ministerial Cars (Fuel Costs)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the fuel costs were for ministerial cars used by his Department in each of the last five years. [67017]

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Transport on 27 April 2006, Official Report, column 1226W.

Non-fossil Fuels

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to the hon. Member for Leominster (Bill Wiggin) of 31 January 2006, Official Report, column 331W, on non-fossil fuels, if he will place in the Library a copy of the legal advice advising that funds in the non-fossil fuel obligation fund were hereditary revenues. [68111]

John Healey: It would not be appropriate to release the legal advice concerned, as it is confidential and subject to legal professional privilege.
 
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Nursery Places

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many nursery and crèche places are provided for people working in his Department; what charges are made for the provision of such services; and what other facilities are provided for the children of employees of his Department. [67366]

John Healey: The Treasury does not provide any nursery or crèche facilities. The Department is a member of the Westminster holiday play-scheme, which operates during school holidays and is open to children aged four years and nine months up to 12 years of age. The Treasury has two bespoke play-scheme rooms, which can cater for up to 18 children. The cost per child is £24.89 per day and the Treasury subsidises the costs by 51.78 per cent. The total subsidy to Treasury parents using the play-scheme from February 2005 to February 2006 inclusive has been £8,947.

The Treasury also supports the child care cost of eligible staff. Staff who work full-time receive child care vouchers up to the value of £40 per week per family, part-timers receive a pro-rated amount. Currently 103 members of staff receive child care vouchers. The cost of child care vouchers, since the scheme was introduced in January 2004 up to and including April 2006 is £354,300.

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