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4 Sep 2006 : Column 2002W—continued
Office of Government Commerce
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when the contract for legal services to the Office of Government Commerce is next likely to be subject to competitive tendering and if he will make a statement; [87603]
(2) how many organisations submitted bids for the provision of legal services to the Office of Government Commerce when it was last tendered and if he will make a statement. [87604]
John Healey: Core legal services are provided to OGC by an in-house team of Government lawyers. OGC has no plans to change this arrangement.
Some additional legal services are supplied for specific projects within OGC on a case by case basis by external lawyers. These services are procured as and when required in accordance with the procurement rules applicable to the nature and value of the particular contract.
A contract for the provision of professional legal services to OGC was signed with DLA in May 2003. No new work has been placed under this contract since December 2005. Information on the number of bidders is not available.
Personal Debt
Willie Rennie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) average amount of personal debt per person and (b) total amount of personal debt was in (i) the UK, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Dunfermline and West Fife in the last year for which figures are available. [88440]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on personal debt in the UK. I am replying in her absence. (88440)
We are unable to provide levels of total personal debt for Scotland or by region. The following table shows estimates for the whole of the UK.
| 2005 | |
| £ million | |
| (1) For average per head figures, the denominator is population aged 16+ | |
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=1&Rank=422
Reading Training for Work Programme
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on the nationwide expansion of the Reading training for work programme in each year since 2003; and if he will make a statement. [84809]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
The National Grid Young Offender Programme is funded by National Grid. Some small costs are incurred by prisons through providing travelling expenses to the young people on the programme.
Sir David Varney
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) to whom Sir David Varney will report in his role as senior adviser on Transformational Government and what his job description is; [88368]
(2) what the budget is for the Transformational Government project and what resources Sir David Varney will be able to draw upon from within (a) his Department and (b) other Government Departments and agencies to assist him in his work; [88369]
(3) what the (a) purpose and (b) terms of reference are of the Transformational Government project and how its effectiveness in meeting its purpose will be measured; [88370]
(4) by when the Transformational Government project is expected to complete its work and whether it will publish its findings. [88371]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 July 2006, Official Report, columns 1064-65W.
Smog
Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths have been attributed to smog in (a) London and (b) the UK in each year since 1997. [88178]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 July 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths have been attributed to smog in (a) London and (b) the UK in each year since 1997.
There are no routine data for smog-related deaths collected by ONS.
Tax Credits
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what his latest assessment is of the performance of the tax credits IT system; what availability problems there have been over the last six months; and if he will make a statement; [76430]
(2) if he will make a statement on outstanding problems with the national tax credit IT system; [81147]
(3) pursuant to paragraph 3.2 of the Report of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration on Tax Credits in June 2005, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the tax credit system is now stable and performing well. [81783]
Dawn Primarolo: The performance of the Tax Credit System is continually monitored and is proving to be stable.
HMRC works closely with its IT supplier to resolve problems as quickly as possible to minimise the impact on claimant.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints relating to tax credits have been received by tax credit contact centres in each quarter since June 2002; and if he will make a statement. [76471]
Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the number of complaints received about tax credit contact centres since April 2004. Information before this date is not available.
| Quarter | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
| Note: Figures from NI are included only from 18 June 2004. | ||
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many investigations are ongoing into organised tax credit fraud; and if he will make a statement. [76994]
Dawn Primarolo:
I refer the hon. Member to HM Revenue and Customs 2005-06 Accounts: The
Comptroller and Auditor General’s Standard Report, Part 2, available at http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/05-06/05061159.htm
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of arrests for tax credit fraud in each month since December 2005; and if he will make a statement. [78391]
Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of arrests for tax credit fraud can only be provided from January 2006 as they were only recorded centrally from that date. The following table shows the numbers in each month since January 2006.
| End of month | Arrests |
Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reform the tax credits system; and if he will make a statement. [81523]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave on 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1286, to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field).
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his oral answer of 11 May 2006, Official Report, column 495, on tax credits, what the evidential basis was for the statement that the vast majority of families are receiving their tax credits at the right time and correctly. [81796]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to HMRC’s publication “Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics: finalised awards 2004-05, Supplement on payments 2004-05” available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-payments-0405.pdf. and to “Tackling error and fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits” available on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm
Mr. Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many instances of tax credit fraud have been recorded in Suffolk in each of the last five years. [82105]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what average length of time has been taken to process changes in tax credit awards since the new security measures were implemented; [87333]
(2) what average length of time the Tax Credit Department took to process changes in awards of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-06. [87334]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 18 July 2006, Official Report column 364W.
Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much has been paid in tax credits to (a) overseas nationals (b) non-British nationals of EU countries and (c) nationals of EU8 countries in each of the last five years;[88570]
(2) what information is (a) collected and (b) held for the last five years on (i) residency and (ii) nationality related tax credit fraud by overseas nationals and if he will make a statement. [88569]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.
Mr. Ian Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects tax credit application forms to be available through (a) the national helpline and (b) Jobcentre Plus. [88621]
Dawn Primarolo: They are available.
Transport
Computer Equipment
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) USB (i) flash drives and (ii) memory sticks, (b) compact discs, (c) DVD-ROM discs, (d) laptop computers, (e) external computer hard drives, (f) internal computer hard drives and (g) desktop computers were purchased for use in his Department in each month since March 2005. [88752]
Derek Twigg: Tables showing the information, where it is readily available, as requested for DfT(c) and its Executive agencies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. Where the information is not readily available it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Websites
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many websites are owned by the Department other than the official website; and what research is undertaken by the Department on accuracy of information before it refers to external websites in answers to parliamentary questions. [83349]
Gillian Merron: In addition to the official DfT website, the Department owns 44 live public facing websites. This figure includes all Executive agency websites (some of which have been incorporated into Directgov/Transport Office or are in the process of migrating into Directgov/Transport Office) and database sites. This figure does not include NDPB websites or the three sites operated by the Air, Marine and Rail Accident Investigation Branches, who report independently to the Secretary of State for Transport.
In answering past parliamentary questions, we at times refer hon. Members to external websites. Officials will normally check the addresses of any external
websites to ensure that they work, and will make every reasonable effort to confirm that the information contained on any such website is available at the time.
Hybrid Engines
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans are in place to introduce low emission hybrid engines into public transport vehicles. [88055]
Gillian Merron: While it is not the Department’s strategy to promote any specific technology for achieving lower emissions, work continues with our European partners to develop appropriate technology-neutral standards to reduce pollutant and other emissions. Specific decisions on vehicle choice are for the largely private sector companies who operate services.
Some operators have already introduced hybrid buses into service or are trialling these buses with a view to wider use. For example, 10 hybrid buses are in service on Newcastle’s Quaylink service and six hybrid buses are being trialled on London’s 360 route.
IT Contracts
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value was of each IT contract awarded by his Department in each of the last five years; and who the contractor was in each case. [88974]
Derek Twigg: The Department was formed in May 2002. Tables showing the IT contracts awarded by the central Department and its Executive agencies since May 2002 have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which IT contracts awarded by his Department in each of the last five years have been abandoned; and what the value was in each case. [88975]
Derek Twigg: The Department was formed in May 2002. A table showing the information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
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