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22 May 2006 : Column 1428W—continued
Electoral Roll
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of those on the electoral register are (a) Irish citizens, (b) Commonwealth citizens and (c) non-UK EU nationals. [72349]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Jil Matheson, dated 22 May 2006:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what proportion of those on the electoral register are (a) Irish citizens, (b) Commonwealth citizens and (c) non-UK EU nationals. I am replying in her absence. (72349)
The attached table provides figures for 1 December 2005 on the percentage of the local government electorate who are entitled to vote through European Union citizenship. These figures do not include citizens of Malta and Cyprus who qualify under commonwealth status or Irish citizens.
Data on Irish citizens and Commonwealth citizens are not collected separately on electoral returns. Therefore, it is not possible to calculate the proportion of those oh the electoral register.
| Total European/Local Government Electorate and Electorate Entitled to Vote through European Citizenship, 1 December 2005 | |||
| Electorate Qualifying through European Union Citizenship | Total European/Local Government Electorate | Percentage of European/Local Electorate Qualifying through EU Citizenship | |
| Sources: Office for National Statistics, General Register Office for Scotland, Electoral Office for Northern Ireland. |
Euro
Mr. Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the statement made by the EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs that all the current EU member states will adopt the euro within 10 years; and whether he has responded to the Commissioner's statement. [72256]
Ed Balls: Article 122 of the EC Treaty provides the procedure by which the derogation of relevant member states from the third stage of economic and monetary union is abrogated, thereby allowing them to adopt the euro. Under the Protocol on certain provisions relating to the UK, the UK does not have a derogation. The Protocol recognises that
“the United Kingdom shall not be obliged or committed to move to the third stage of economic monetary union without a separate decision to do so by its government and parliament”.
Government policy on membership of the single currency is unchanged. It remains as set out by the Chancellor in his statement to the House of Commons in October 1997, and again in the Chancellor's statement on the Five Tests assessment in June 2003.
Financial Services Ombudsman
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to enable the Financial Services Ombudsman to increase the period of time during which a complaint can be filed. [72671]
Ed Balls: The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) sets out the broad framework andthe respective responsibilities of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The power to determine the detail of
the scope of the Financial Ombudsman scheme, how it operates and other detailed matters is split betweenthe FSA and the FOS. Both organisations are operationally independent of Government.
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will increase the discretionary powers of the Financial Services Ombudsman. [72672]
Ed Balls: The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) sets out the broad framework of the Financial Services Ombudsman. The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) gained statutory powerson 1 December 2001. These powers were subject to extensive consultation before introduction.
There are no plans to review the powers of the Financial Services Ombudsman at this time.
Flat Income Tax
Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the level at which a flat income tax would need to be set in order to generate the same anticipated Government income for (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07 as the present banded income tax system. [63871]
Dawn Primarolo: Assuming that all personal allowances and reliefs remain at their current levels, a flat rate of income tax on earnings of 24 per cent. would be approximately revenue neutral in both 2005-06 and 2006-07, costing about £0.6 billion and £1.1 billion in each year respectively.
This assumes a flat rate of tax on earnings only but that the rates for savings and dividends income remain unchanged.
This revenue neutral estimate has been obtained from the survey of personal incomes 2003-04 and projected forward to 2005-06 and 2006-07 in line with March 2006 Budget assumptions.
The revenue neutral estimate excludes any behavioural response to the tax changes, which could be significant given the scale of the changes.
An estimated 17 million households would lose out under this system, while only 2 million would gain. Of the households gaining, around three-quarters would be in the richest 10 per cent. of households.
Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to Question 63871, on a flat rate of income tax, tabled by the hon. Member for St. Ives on 30 March. [72742]
Dawn Primarolo: I have done so.
HM Revenue and Customs
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the conferences held abroad attendedby staff from HM Revenue and Customs in the last12 months. [70675]
Dawn Primarolo: Comprehensive information is not available. All overseas travel on official business is conducted in accordance with the provisions of the civil service code.
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what daily subsistence allowance is payable to staff of HM Revenue and Customs working away from home where receipts (a) are provided and (b) are not provided. [71727]
Dawn Primarolo: Travel and subsistence allowances for staff in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have not yet been fully harmonised, but work on this is continuing.
(a) Day subsistence allowances where receipts are required:
Receipts are required for payments relating to meals taken during official travel.
Both former C and E and IR pay:
Over five hours, but not more than 10 hours—the actual cost of one main meal on a train or boat;
Over 10 hours—the actual cost of one main meal on a train or boat, together with the over five hour subsistence rate of £4.25, or the actual cost of two main meals;
£4.25 where an early start renders breakfast at home unreasonable. If this is claimed, the actual receipted cost up to two main meals on a train or boat may also be claimed.
(b) Day subsistence allowances where receipts are not required:
Both former C and E and IR pay:
Day subsistence allowances to staff on official business away from their normal office (except when the receipted meals above can be claimed):
absences over five hours—£4.25 for one meal,
absences over 10 hours—£9.30 for two meals
absences over 12 hours—£9.30 plus 4.25 if breakfast purchased due to early start rendering breakfast at home unreasonable.
late meal allowance—£3.25.
Information Technology
Chris Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) originally estimated, (b) most recently estimated and (c) outturn cost was in each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed by his Department with outside suppliers over the last five years. [71814]
John Healey: The information requested is in the following table.
Low Earnings
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the change was between 2000 and 2005 in the number of people employed part-time or full-time and earning less than £10,000 per annum. [72621]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 May 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask what has been the change in the numbers of people between 2000 and 2005 who are employed part-time or full-time and are earnings less than £10,000 per annum. I am responding in her absence (72621)
Currently average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
The actual numbers of people are not available from ASHE data. Therefore I attach tables showing proportions of those earning less than £10,000 per annum for the years 2000 and 2005 for Employees on Adult Rates.
The ASHE survey is carried out in April of each year and is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. They are based on a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
| Gross annual (£) pay for all employee jobs( 1) | |
| Proportion earning less than £10,000 | |
| Gross annual (£) pay for full-time employee jobs( 1) | |
| Proportion earning less than £10,000 | |
| Gross annual (£) pay for part time employee jobs( 1) | |
| Proportion earning less than £10,000 | |
| (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. Notes: 1. Guide to quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV e.g. for an average of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent., we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. 2. The above estimates all have a CV of less than 5 per cent. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics. |
Mortality Statistics
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths there were of people aged (a) under one, (b) one to five, (c) six to 10, (d) 11 to 17, (e) 17 to 24, (f) 25 to 35, (g) 36 to 40, (h) 41 to 50, (i) 51 to 59, (j) 60 to 64, (k) 65 to 69, (l) 70 to 74, (m) 75 to
79, (n) 80 to 84, (o) 85 to 89 and (p) 90 years and over from (i) 1 April to 30 September 1997, (ii) 1 October to 30 April 1998, (iii) 1 April to 30 September 2001,(iv) 1 October to 30 April 2002, (v) 1 April to 30 September 2004 and (vi) 1 October to 30 April 2005; and what the death rate per 1,000 was in each case. [72160]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 May 2006:
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