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14 July 2006 : Column 2114W—continued
The estimates for total personal debt, secured personal debt and unsecured debt (households’ total financial liabilities other than secured debt), are national accounts series for the combined household and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) sectors. Estimates for households alone are not available. NPISHs are legal entities which are principally engaged in the production of non-market services for households and whose main resources are voluntary contributions by households. For example, charities; relief and aid organisations; educational establishments; trade unions; professional associations, political parties and religious organisations, and sports clubs and associations.
The estimate for gross disposable income is a national accounts series which represents the income available to the household sector in a given period for spending on goods and services, for saving or for investing.
Further data are available for household sector financial assets and liabilities from table A64 in United Kingdom Economic Accounts which is available at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1904&Pos=& ColRank=1&Rank=422.
Chris Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the (a) total and (b) average personal debt in (i) rural areas and (ii) non-rural areas was in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [84618]
(2) what the average personal (a) unsecured debt and (b) total debt was in (i) rural areas and (ii) non-rural areas as a percentage of income in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [84619]
(3) what the average personal (a) unsecured debt and (b) total debt was among those working in the agricultural sector in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [84620]
John Healey: The information falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 13 July 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions on personal debt in the UK. (84618, 84619, 84620)
We are unable to provide levels of average personal debt by region or split by sector.
The available information is shown in the following tables.
The estimates of debt and income are national accounts series for the combined household and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) sectors. Estimates for households alone are not available. NPISHs are legal entities which are principally engaged in the production of non-market services for households and whose main resources are voluntary contributions by households. Examples of NPISHs are: charities; relief and aid organisations; educational establishments; trade unions; professional associations, political parties and religious organisations, and sports clubs and associations.
Further data are available from table A64 in United Kingdom Economic Accounts which is available at the following address:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1904 &Pos=&ColRank=l&Rank=422
| A. Levels of debt at end of year 1997-2005 | ||||
| £ million | ||||
| Total personal debt( 1) | Secured personal debt( 2) | Personal debt( 3) | Other Debt( 4) | |
| B. Average debt per head (population 16+), and as a percentage of income, at year end 1997-2005 | |||||
| £ | Percentage | ||||
| Average personal Total debt( 5) | Average unsecured personal debt( 6) | Average household disposable income( 7) | Average total debt as a percentage of income( 8) | Average unsecured debt as a percentage of income( 9) | |
| When using Table 64 of United Kingdom Economic Accounts (web link as above) the database identifiers are; (1) NNP (2 )NNRP (3) NNRG + NNRK (4) NNPP-NNRP-NNRG-NNRK (5 )NNPP/MGSL (6) (NNRG+NNRK)/MGSL (7) QWND/MGSL (8) (NNPP/MGSL)/(QWND/MGSL)*100 (9) (NNRP/MGSL)/(QWND?MGSL)*100 Note: For average per head figures, the denominator is population aged 16+ (MGSL) | |||||
Plastic Bags
Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006, Official Report, column 1743W, on plastic bags, if he will carry out a follow-up assessment to that carried out in December 2002 of the longer-term impact of the operation of the Irish plastic bag tax since its introduction in March 2002. [84520]
John Healey: There are no current plans to re-assess the Irish plastic bag tax.
Somalia
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to include a self-identification question for Somali people in the next census. [84948]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 July 2006:
As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what plans there are for the inclusion of a self-identification question for Somali people in the next census. (84948)
We are currently undertaking a programme of consultation and testing on ethnicity and national identity. It will not be possible to confirm what questions are to be included in the 2011 Census until the consultation and testing programme is complete and formal approval is given by Parliament in 2010. There are currently no plans to include a tick-box for ‘Somali’ but people who wish to identify themselves as Somali are likely to be able to do so through a ‘write in’ response option. A White Paper setting out the Government’s proposals is scheduled to be published in Autumn 2008.
A report on the findings of the initial consultation exercise was published on 8 March 2006—‘The 2011 Census: Assessment of initial user requirements on content for England and Wales’ and can be found on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/consultations/2011Census_response.asp
Tax Credits
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value is of tax credit overpayments written off for each quarter since 2001. [76481]
Dawn Primarolo: End of year adjustments leading to an overpayment of tax credits for 2003-04 were only finally identified after April 2004 when HMRC started finalising awards for that year and the department began considering disputed overpayments in June 2004.
For the value of tax credits overpayments written off between June 2004 and March 2006, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave him on 4 July 2005, Official Report, column 101W, 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 282W, 27 October 2005, Official Report, column 497W, 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 1214W, 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 567W and 5 June 2006, Official Report column 189W, and to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman) on 26 January 2006, Official Report, columns 2249W-250W.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish estimates of tax credit fraud and error for 2004-05; and if he will make a statement. [78152]
Dawn Primarolo: The HMRC publication “Child and Working Tax Credits. Error and Fraud Statistics 2003-04” was published on 11 July 2006, and is available on the HMRC website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/random-enquiry.pdf
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been affected by errors in administration of tax credits in each of the last three years. [79481]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.
For HM Revenue and Custom’s performance against its accuracy targets relating to tax credits for 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 19 June 2006, Official Report, column 1626W.
Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his assessment is of the sensitivity with which the tax credit computer system is used when dealing with a surviving spouse; and if he will make a statement. [81522]
Dawn Primarolo: HMRC’s guidance for staff handling tax credits claims involving a claimant who dies can be found at:
www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/ntcmanual/changes_cofc/ntc0170 032.htm
Teenage Pregnancies
Mr. Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many girls under the age of 16 years (a) became pregnant and (b) gave birth in the Ribble Valley constituency in each of the last 10 years, broken down by age. [84757]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 13 July 2006:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many girls under the age of 16 years (a) became pregnant and (b) gave birth in the Kibble Valley constituency in each of the last 10 years, broken down by age. (84757)
Numbers of conceptions in Ribble Valley county district for the years 1995-2004 are shown in the following table. Figures for 2004 are provisional.
Information on conceptions is routinely published for local authorities and strategic health authorities. Figures cannot be
provided by parliamentary constituency because of the risk of disclosing individual's information due to small differences with local authority boundaries.
ONS does not publish figures by single year of age below the age of 16 by either local or health authority and also does not release figures for individual years because of the risk of disclosing individual's information.
Numbers of livebirths in Ribble Valley county district for the years 1995-2004 are shown in the following table.
The total number of births to girls aged under 16 in each year is too small to be released because of the risk of disclosing individual’s information. Therefore total number of births in the 10 year period (1995-2004) is given in the following table. Figures cannot be broken down by single year of age, for the same reason.
Birth figures cannot be provided for Ribble Valley parliamentary constituency for the same reason as provided for conceptions.
| 1995-2004( 1) | Number |
| (1)Conceptions for 2004 are provisional. | |
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