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Private Members' Bills
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what records are kept in his Department of Private Members’ Bills introduced; and if he will make a statement. [80168]
John Healey: The Treasury complies with the requirements of the Public Records Act 1967 and maintains such records of Private Members’ Bills and other parliamentary business as may be required for operational purposes. Information relating to Private Members’ Bills is available from published sources and from the House authorities.
Recruitment
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on recruitment, search and selection agencies in each of the last five years. [68335]
John Healey: The Treasury and its agencies do not record recruitment, search and selection agency costs separate from other recruitment expenditure. This information could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Sickness Absence
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department have had (a) five or more, (b) four, (c) three and (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in each of the last three years. [73036]
John Healey: The information requested in respect of the Treasury is as follows:
| Number of staff | |||
| Spells of sickness absence | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
Spring Departmental Report
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date he plans to publish the HM Revenue and Customs Spring Departmental Report; in which month the Spring Report was published in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [80010]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 27 June 2006]: The HMRC Spring Departmental Report 2006 will be published on 29 June 2006 (Cm6832).
The following table gives details of the Spring Report publication dates as requested.
| HMRC | Publication June 2005 | Command number Cm6542 |
| (1
)This was published as Inland Revenue: the Government’s
Expenditure Plans for 2002-04 (2 )Inland Revenue: the
Government’s Expenditure Plans for 2000-01 to 2001-02 (Cm4117)
was published in April
2000. | ||
Tax Credits
Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 2222W, on tax credits, what the results of the surveys to assess the effectiveness of tax credits communications were; and if he will place the results of the surveys in the Library. [50584]
Dawn Primarolo: Summaries of the tracking research have been placed in the Library of the House.
Teenage Pregnancy and Life Expectancy
Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the most recent (a) teenage pregnancy rate and (b) life expectancy rate was in (i) Stoke-on-Trent, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England. [80602]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 28 June 2006:
The National
Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking
what the most recent (a) teenage
pregnancy rate and (b) life expectancy rate was in(i)
Stoke-on-Trent, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England. I am replying
in her absence.
(80602)
Available figures are estimates of the number of pregnancies that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or termination.
Teenage conception rates for 2004 (the most recent year for which data are available) are given in Table A. Data for 2004 are provisional.
Figures for life expectancy at birth for English regions and local authorities are published annually by ONS based on three-year rolling averages. The most recent figures, for 2002-04, are included in Table B.
| Table A: Teenage pregnancy rate, 2004 | |
| Region | Rate( 1) |
| (1)
Rates for women aged under 18 are based on the population of women aged
15-17. | |
| Table B: Life expectancy at birth (years) by sex, 2002-04( 1) | ||
| Region | Male | Female |
| (1
)Results are based on deaths registered in 2002-04 and mid-year
population estimates for these
years. | ||
Tobacco Products (Duty)
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of (a) the proportion of tobacco products consumed in the UK on which duty has not been paid due to smuggling and fraud in each year since 1997 and (b) the resultant cost to the Exchequer. [80793]
John Healey: HM Revenue and Customs estimates of the proportion of tobacco products consumed in the UK on which duty has not been paid due to smuggling and fraud are available from 1999-2000.
The proportion of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco consumed in the UK on which duty has not been paid due to smuggling and fraud and the resultant cost to the Exchequer for 2000-01 to 2003-04 are given in Table 3.3 and Table 3.5 respectively of “Measuring Indirect Tax Losses—2005”, published by HM Revenue and Customs in December 2005 and is available from the House of Commons Library. The proportion of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco consumed in the UK on which duty has not been paid due to smuggling and fraud for 1999-2000 can be found in Table 3.2 and Table 3.5 respectively of “Measuring indirect tax losses” published in November 2002 by HM Customs and Excise, also available from the House of Commons Library, with the corresponding resultant cost to the Exchequer in Table 3.1 and 3.4 respectively.
Communities and Local Government
City Regions Programme
Bill
Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for
Communities and Local Government what assessment
she has made of the likely effects of the city regions project on
(a) Herefordshire and (b) other low wage economies.
[80188]
Mr. Woolas: Cities and city-regions are often the economic drivers of economic growth within the wider region. Economic growth within the cities and city-regions will often provide knock on benefits to the wider region. We are conscious, however, that no one size fits all and in considering the business case proposals from the core cities we are giving careful thought as to their impact on smaller towns and rural areas outside the city-region.
My officials are working with DEFRA who are looking into the impact of city regions on rural areas both within and outside city regions. This research includes a number of case studies, one of which concentrates on the Birmingham city region and its impact on South Shropshire, the rural district with the highest proportion of employees earning less than two-thirds of the English median.
Correspondence
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average cost to her Department was of replying to a letter written (a) by an hon. Member and (b) by a member of the public in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much of that sum is accountedfor by (i) officials' time, (ii) cost of stationery and(iii) postage costs. [80471]
Angela E. Smith: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. The report for 2005 was published on 30 March 2006, Official Report, columns 76-78WS.
The information requested is not recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Draft Housing Regulations
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library copies of the responses to his Department’s consultation on Houses in Multiple Occupation and Selective Licensing Draft Regulations. [62287]
Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
I have made arrangements for copies of the responses received to the consultation exercise on the draft regulations relating to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and Selective Licensing to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
EU Directive 2002/91/EC
Mr.
Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for
Communities and Local Government whether (a) local authorities
will be funded under the new burdens procedure for the implementation
of articles 7 to 10 to
EU directive 2002/91/EC and (b) the polluter pays principle will
apply in relation to the implementation of these articles.
[78260]
Angela E. Smith: The EU energy performance of buildings directive will impact on a number of areas of local authority responsibility as it will on other property owners. The new burdens requirement does not apply to policies which apply the same rules to local authorities and to private sector bodies, unless these have a disproportionate effect on local government. My officials are engaging with key stakeholders including local authorities on how the directive will be implemented.
A statutory instrument and supporting regulatory impact assessment is scheduled for early 2007 and a decision on whether the new burdens procedure and funding applies will be taken at that point. Consistent with polluter pays principles this regulatory impact assessment will also include the social cost of carbon when assessing the costs and benefits of implementing articles 7 to 10 of the directive.
Fire Service
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many deliberate (a) vehicle fires and (b) fires there were in (i) Southend-on-Sea, (ii) Essex, (iii) Hertfordshire and (iv) England and Wales in each year since 1990. [80251]
Angela E. Smith: The available information covers deliberate primary fires attended by fire and rescue services at the locations listed in (ii), (iii) and (iv) of the question.
Information for Southend-on-Sea is not available centrally.
| Deliberate road vehicle primary fires attended by fire and rescue services 1990-91 to 2004-05 | |||
| Essex | Hertfordshire | England and Wales | |
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