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14 Jun 2006 : Column 1272W—continued
I am placing tables in the House of Commons Library, which provide the information you have requested The most recent population estimates for England and Wales wards are for mid-2002. These ward population estimates have been published with the status of “experimental statistics”. Therefore these estimates should be treated with some care. The latest ward population figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are from the 2001 Census.
Tables 1 to 3 include the wards which are covered, wholly or partly by SPAs for Surrey, the Thames Basin and the UK respectively. Tables 4 to 6 include the wards which are adjacent to the wards covered, wholly or partly by these SPAs for Surrey, the Thames Basin and the UK respectively, for all tables, the local authorities covered by these wards have been included.
Please note that in Scotland, many of the SPAs cover uninhabited islands which do not have a ward assigned to them, and therefore no ward information is included. In addition, a number of SPAs are on islands/or in lochs and so have no direct populations. The adjacent ward populations for these SPAs have been included in the data.
Stamp Duty (Peterborough)
Mr. Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many properties sold in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) the Peterborough city council area in each of the last three years
attracted stamp duty at (i) 0 per cent., (ii) one per cent., (iii) three per cent. and (iv) four per cent. [76595]
Ed Balls: Estimates of the number of property transactions at local authority/unitary authority level and for parliamentary constituencies are only available for 2004-05 and 2005-06, and are given in the following table grouped by stamp duty band.
The number of transactions bearing stamp duty will be lower than the number shown in the non-zero bands due to the use of various reliefs, e.g. disadvantaged area relief, group relief, registered social landlord relief etc. There are also some lease transactions which fall in the 0 per cent. band on account of consideration, but which bear stamp duty on the lease rental.
| Property transactions attracting | |||||
| 0 per cent. rate( 1) | 1 per cent. rate( 2) | 3 per cent. rate( 3) | 4 per cent. rate( 4) | Total | |
| (1 )Residential threshold was £60,000 in 2004-05 and £120,000 in 2005-06. Non residential threshold was £150,000 in both years. (2) £60,001-£250,000 range for residential transactions in 2004-05, £120,001-£250,000 for residential transactions in 2005-06, £150,001-£250,000 for non-residential transactions. (3) £250,001 to £500,000. (4) £500,001 or more. | |||||
Tax Credits
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the average time taken to answer calls to the tax credits helpline in each month since November 2005; and if he will make a statement. [75791]
Dawn Primarolo: For November 2005 to April 2006 I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 5 June 2006, Official Report, column 187W.
The figure for May 2006 is 53 seconds.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce an improved level of service for tax credit claimants; and if he will make a statement. [76417]
Dawn Primarolo: Since my statement to the House on 26 May 2005, Official Report, column 22W, HM Revenue and Customs have introduced a series of measures to improve the service. I made a statement on the progress that has been made on these measures at the Treasury Select Committee on the 1 February 2006.
In my written statement to the House on 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 5W, I announced further measures, as part of the pre-Budget report, to provide more certainty over tax credits award for families while maintaining flexibility to respond to falls in income and changes in circumstances.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what his latest assessment is of the level of tax credit overpayments in 2004-05; [76433]
(2) what his latest assessment is of the level of tax credit overpayment for 2006-07. [76479]
Dawn Primarolo: Estimates for 2004-05 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2004-05 are published in “Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards. 2004-05.” This publication and provisional estimates for the number of in-work families with tax credit awards as at selected dates in 2005-06 are available on the HMRC website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm.
Measures announced in the 2005 pre-Budget report, which are being introduced from April 2006, are expected to reduce overpayments by one third once they are fully implemented.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people who were underpaid tax credits from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2005 have received the full amounts underpaid; and if he will make a statement. [76469]
Dawn Primarolo: HMRC repay underpayments or offset them against any outstanding overpayments, as soon as the underpayments are recognised.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many disabled workers have (a) claimed and (b) been in receipt of tax credits for each month since June 2005; and if he will make a statement. [76486]
Dawn Primarolo: The characteristics of adults and children as initially captured in all tax credits claims, including rejected claims, are not available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The numbers of tax credits awards to in-work families with particular characteristics at selected dates from July 2003 to April 2006 are available in publications on the HMRC website:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he plans to carry out an assessment of the case for moving to a system of fixed tax credit awards; and if he will make a statement; [76871]
(2) what external research his Department has commissioned on the case for a return to a system of fixed tax credit awards; and if he will make a statement. [76942]
Dawn Primarolo: As the 2005 pre-Budget report stated, the Government will continue to listen to the case for a system of fixed awards, but believes on balance that it is preferable to maintain the current system that flexibly responds to changing circumstances.
The Department has not commissioned any external work on the case for a system of fixed tax credit awards.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Bali Bombing
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government are contributing towards the London memorial for British people affected by the 2002 Bali bombing. [76836]
Dr. Howells: The Government are contributing £260,000, plus £44,000 VAT, to the London memorial project in memory of the victims of the 2002 bombings in Bali.
Basson/Project Coast Handling Strategy
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which officials attended the ad hoc meeting held on 13 January to discuss the Basson/Project Coast handling strategy; and which Department or agency each represented. [76369]
Dr. Howells: The meeting on 13 January 2006 was attended by 13 officials from a number of relevant departments and agencies, including the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Health Protection Agency, to review what information was available on Project Coast and to ensure that the 12 parliamentary questions under consideration received consistent, full and accurate answers.
British Citizens (Overseas Convictions)
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what system is in place for the supervision of activities of British citizens
convicted of imprisonable offences abroad who are deported back to the United Kingdom. [76865]
Dr. Howells: When Consular staff are informed that a British national who has been imprisoned overseas is to be deported to the UK, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London passes details of the individual and the date of deportation, if known, to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). It is then for SOCA to ensure that this information is passed to the relevant authorities responsible for any necessary supervision of the deportee’s activities following their arrival in the UK.
Commonwealth Meeting (Uganda)
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) the Prime Minister and (b) Her Majesty the Queen plans to attend the Commonwealth meeting in Uganda. [76619]
Mr. McCartney: The Kampala Commonwealth summit is not until November 2007. While it is too soon to be certain, both my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and Her Majesty the Queen expect to attend Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings.
Departmental Pensions
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will estimate the pension liability of her Department over the next 30 years. [75277]
Mr. Hoon: HM Treasury placed a technical Note about the total liability of unfunded public service occupational pension schemes in the Library of the House on 2 March 2006, Official Report, columns 388-90W following an oral Statement by my right hon. Friend the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Des Browne).
The Government Actuaries Department do not estimate pension liabilities for individual departments but for different pension schemes. UK-based staff at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are covered by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS). Table 1 of HM Treasury’s Note of 2 March 2006 sets out estimates of the liabilities of the PCSPS.
James Miller
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Israeli authorities regarding the prosecution of the soldiers and commanding officer involved in the killing of British cameraman James Miller in May 2003 since the St. Pancras coroner’s verdict. [75415]
Dr. Howells:
My noble and learned Friend the Attorney-General is responsible for matters relating to possible prosecutions in the United Kingdom. Following the coroner’s verdict he and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary separately met James Miller’s family. During his subsequent visit to Israel in May, the Attorney-General had detailed discussions on this matter and indeed the killing of Thomas Hurndall, with the Israeli Foreign
Minister, Minister of Justice, Attorney-General and Military Advocate General and others. In addition the Attorney-General raised the issue of holding an independent inquiry into the death and subsequent investigation and pressed for appropriate compensation to be paid to the family without delay. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is in contact with the Attorney-General about how this matter will be taken forward.
Peru
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action she is taking towards ensuring that the Peruvian presidential elections are (a) free and fair and (b) subject to scrutiny from international observers. [73563]
Mr. Hoon: We followed the Peruvian presidential election campaign closely through our embassy in Lima and we fully support the Peruvian Government’s efforts to ensure the elections were free and fair. An Electoral Observation Mission of the Organisation of American States monitored the second round of the elections on 4 June 2006, with the participation of some 100 international observers. The European Parliament also sent an observer mission.
Terrorism
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information she has received about the terrorist Hambali, who is in US custody and is charged with masterminding the Bali bombing in 2002. [75744]
Mr. McCartney: Hambali (aka Riduan Isamuddin) was captured in Thailand in August 2003. It is the longstanding policy of the Government not to comment on intelligence matters.
UK-Israeli Relations
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the possible effect on UK-Israeli relations of the boycott of Israeli academics by the National Association of Teachers of Further and Higher Education; and if she will make a statement. [76554]
Dr. Howells: The Government regrets the decision by the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) to vote in favour of boycotting Israeli academics and institutions. We believe that such boycotts are counter-productive and that far more can be obtained through dialogue and academic co-operation.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend Lord Triesman of Tottenham, issued a public statement on the boycott on 29 May 2006. The full text of the statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391638&a=KArticle&aid=1148472774425%20&year=2006&month=2006-05-01&date=2006-05-29
I understand that, following the merger between NATFHE and the Association of University teachers on 1 June, the boycott has now been suspended.
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