Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 25 May 2006
House of Commons Commission
Security (Abingdon Street Barrier)
Mr. Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon representing the House of Commons Commission (1) if the Commission will arrange for a police box at the steel barrier in Abingdon Street to protect police and security guards on duty from adverse weather conditions; what representations he has received from (a) the Police Federation and (b) other representatives of security guards and police officers about the installation of a police box; and if he will make a statement; [73295]
(2) whether police officers and security guards working at the steel barrier in Abingdon Street are provided with waterproof clothing; and if he will make a statement. [73296]
Nick Harvey: Arrangements at the Corus barriers outside the Palace of Westminster are kept under regular review. The Metropolitan Police have received representations from the Police Federation and others about the health, safety and welfare of the security team who staff the barriers. The final arrangements at the barriers are still under consideration and improvements may result in a reduction in the numbers of staff on duty. Waterproof clothing is already supplied. Following a review, improved protective clothing has been identified and is due to be supplied shortly.
Treasury
Average Incomes
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the average income per person in Coventry, South. [73463]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 25 May 2006:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about average income per person in the Coventry South constituency. I am replying in her absence. (73463)
The ONS published estimates of household income for regions and local areas of the UK on 9 May 2006. Coventry South is within the NUTS(1) 3 area of Coventry. This is the most detailed level of geography for which estimates are produced.
Table A contains estimates of total incomes per head and Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI) per head for Coventry.
(1) Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics
| Table A: Coventry NUTS3 | ||
| £ per head( 1) | ||
| Total income( 2) | GDHI( 3) | |
| (1) Population measure is based upon mid-year estimate for total population (2 )All household income including employers’ social contributions, imputed social contributions, social benefits and other current transfers received. (3 )Gross disposable household income (GDHI) is the amount of money that households have available for spending or saving after deductions and expenditure associated with income, eg taxes and social contributions, and provision for future pension income. |
Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 8 March 2006. [67130]
John Healey: The Treasury has no record of having received the letter. Having obtained a copy, I have now written to the hon. Gentleman.
Criminal Justice
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the Home Office against its public service agreement targets for (a) reducing the fear of crime and (b) increasing confidence in the criminal justice system; and if he will make a statement. [73555]
Mr. Timms: The Treasury’s assessment of the Home Office’s progress against public service agreement targets can be found on the Treasury website under www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/performance This shows the progress against departmental PSA targets as detailed in annual departmental reports, published each spring, and the Department’s autumn performance report.
The latest figures on the Home Office’s performance against its PSA target to ‘Reassure the public, reducing the fear of crime and antisocial behaviour, and building confidence in the criminal justice system without compromising fairness’, show that the Department is on course or ahead of target in all components of the target.
Further information about the targets and the latest progress assessment can be found in the Home Office’s autumn 2005 progress report which is available on the Home Office website.
Economic Growth
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the prospects for future economic growth in the United Kingdom economy. [73721]
John Healey: The Government set out its latest assessment of UK economic developments and prospects in Financial Statement and Budget Report 2006 (HC 968) on 22 March 2006.
European Commissioners
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times he has met (a) Commissioner McCreevy and (b) Commissioner Kroes since their appointment to the European Commission. [73572]
Ed Balls: Treasury Ministers and officials have conversations and discussions with a wide range of organisations and individuals as part of the process of policy development, analysis and delivery.
As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of every such meeting.
European Union
Mr. Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) net contribution to the EU budget, (b) net contribution to the EU institutions and (c) net expenditure transfers (i) were in each year from 2001-02 to 2005-06 and (ii) are forecast to be from 2007-08 to 2012-13; and what assessment he has made of how each would change should (A) Romania and (B) Bulgaria's accession to the EU be delayed for a year. [73736]
Ed Balls: The UK net contributions to the EC budget and net payments to EC institutions for the period 2001-02 to 2007-08 are presented in Table 3.2 of the European community finances White Paper (Cm 6770) published on 24 May 2006. Net expenditure transfers over this period are in Table 1.1 of the public expenditure statistical analyses (Cm 6811) published on 15 May 2006. 2007-08 is the final year of the current public expenditure planning cycle and forecasts beyond this period will be included in the comprehensive spending review 2007. For estimated net contributions to the EC budget over the next financial perspective I refer the hon. Member to the reply to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 31 January 2005, Official Report, column 399W.
The Government have not produced estimates for the financial implications of delaying the accession of Romania and Bulgaria.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2006, Official Report, column1099W, on EU membership, if he will list the studies undertaken by his Department. [68758]
Ed Balls: My earlier answer gave details of the Treasury's work on this issue.
Insurance Mediation
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review the implementation of the EU Directive on insurance mediation in the UK. [73753]
Ed Balls: The financial services authority (FSA) assumed responsibility for the regulation of general insurance on 14 January 2005. The FSA's regime served to implement the EU's insurance mediation directive in the UK.
The FSA began a review of the effectiveness of the general insurance regime in April 2006. This review will include seeking feedback from firms and consumer research.
Separately, the Treasury will review early in 2007 whether travel insurance sold as part of a package should be subject to FSA regulation. The IMD only requires the regulation of travel insurance if sold on a stand-alone basis.
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what representations he has received on the impact of the EU directive on insurance mediation on small and medium-sized (a) enterprises traders and (b) freight forwarders in the UK; [73754]
(2) what assessment he has made of the impact of the implementation of the EU directive on insurance mediation on small and medium-sized enterprises traders and freight forwarders in the UK. [73755]
Ed Balls: The financial services authority (FSA) assumed responsibility for the regulation of general insurance on 14 January 2005. The FSA's regime served to implement the EU's insurance mediation directive in the UK.
The FSA will begin a review of the effectiveness of the general insurance regime in April 2006. This will include seeking feedback from firms and consumer research.
The impact of the IMD implementation on the UK's freight forwarding sector has been the subject of discussions between the British international freight association (BIFA) and HM Treasury. The Government are confident that the UK has correctly translated the IMD into UK legislation.
Public Sector Reform
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Prime Minister’s announcement on 15 May 2006 that he is to play a lead role in public sector reform, when he plans to outline his proposals; what his remit is in relation to the Home Office; how he will co-ordinate this role with that of the Home Secretary; and if he will make a statement. [73535]
Mr. Timms: As the Prime Minister set out, the Chancellor remains responsible for public spending. The forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review will represent a long-term and fundamental review of government expenditure across all Government Departments, including an assessment of the future trends and challenges for public services.
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has held with the Home Secretary following the Prime Minister’s announcement that he is to take a lead role in public service reform. [73538]
Mr. Timms: The Chancellor regularly meets with Secretaries of State and other Ministers to discuss a wide range of issues.
Tax Credits
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Denton and Reddish constituency received overpayments of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit for each year since 2003. [73131]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Mr. Spring) on 24 May (72637).
Tax Revenue
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Government raised in tax revenue in each of the last five years. [73464]
John Healey: Total public sector current receipts in the last five financial years are included by the Office for National Statistics in “Public Sector finances: Supplementary (Quarterly) Data”, which was last published on 27 April 2006.
This publication can be accessed on-line via the following link: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/ssdataset .asp?vlnk=8885&More=Y.
Taxation
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on tax revenue in the financial year 2006-07 of the decisions (a) to remove the 0 per cent. starting rate of corporation tax, (b) not to up-rate the corporation tax thresholds in line with inflation and (c) the removal of the tax exemption for employer-provided laptop computers. [62450]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 30 March 2006]: The information is as follows:
(a) The decision to remove both the 0 per cent. starting rate and the 19 per cent. non-corporate distribution rate of corporation tax was announced in the 2005 Pre-Budget Report. The effect on tax revenue in the financial year 2006-07 of this decision may be found at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/20F/2F/bud06_cha_134.pdf in Table A2 under Building a Fairer Society: tackling tax motivated incorporation.
(b) There is no requirement to increase the corporation tax profit limits in line with inflation. The upper profit limit (currently £1,500,000) is tied through regulations to the limit below which companiesno longer pay corporation tax through quarterly instalments, so increasing it would have an impact on the timing of tax receipts from some companies. Given this, it is not possible to estimate accurately the impact of increasing the profit limits on tax receipts in advance of setting the transitional rules that would be required for these companies.
(c) The decision to remove the tax exemption for employer provided computer equipment was announced at Budget 2006. The effect of this decision on Exchequer revenue in the financial year 2006-07 may be found at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/20F/2F/bud06_cha_134.pdf in Table A1 under Building a Fairer Society: Duties and other tax changes.
Vehicle Sharing
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what incentives his Department offers to encourage staff to share vehicles when travelling to work. [73039]
John Healey: The Treasury is located in Westminster and is well served by public transport. Very few staff travel to work by car and no special incentives exist to encourage car sharing except when public transport is disrupted.
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