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30 Oct 2006 : Column 223W—continued
The Sure Start Children’s Centre practice guidance, first issued in November 2005, recognises the importance of speech and languages support, and covers development of this in detail, demonstrating how it improves children’s outcomes. We have based the guidance on experiences of centres themselves and evidence highlighted through evaluation and research. The guidance explains the key role children’s centres can play in the positive promotion of children’s speech and language development, and offers advice and guidance on delivery and good practice.
Although not focused directly on speech and language, the Early Years Transition and Special Educational Needs (EYTSEN) project, conducted in association with the Effective Practice in Pre-school Education (EPPE) longitudinal study, concluded in 2003 that pre-school provision was an effective intervention for reducing SEN, including communication difficulties, especially for the most
disadvantaged and vulnerable children. The National Evaluation of Sure Start has been assessing the interventions made by Sure Start Local Programmes on young children’s language development. The results of this will be available next year.
Teachers and Teaching Assistants
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants were employed in Lancashire in (i) 2005-06 and (ii) each of the preceding five years. [96876]
Jim Knight: The following table shows the full-time equivalent number of teachers and teaching assistants employed in local authority maintained schools in Lancashire local authority in January 2001 to 2006.
| Full-time equivalent regular teachers (excluding occasionals) and teaching assistants in local authority maintained schools in Lancashire local authority, January 2001 to 2006 | ||||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
| (1) Survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, (618g). (2) Annual School Census. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. | ||||||
Treasury
Aggregates Levy
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much revenue has been raised by the aggregates levy in each year since its introduction; [97265]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of the aggregates levy on (a) the development of alternative materials and (b) the consumption of virgin aggregates; [97266]
(3) how many quarries in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the United Kingdom are registered as qualifying to pay the aggregates levy; [97267]
(4) what assessment he has made of the impact of the aggregates levy on the competitiveness of British industry and business. [97268]
John Healey: The following table gives aggregates levy receipts in each year since its introduction in April 2002.
| Aggregates levy receipts | |
| Financial year | £ million |
The aggregates levy has been effective in achieving its environmental objectives. Since its introduction, sales of virgin aggregate in Great Britain have reduced significantly, set against a backdrop of strong economic growth and buoyant construction activity, while the production of recycled aggregates has increased.
The Annual Minerals Raised Inquiry, undertaken by the Office for National Statistics, gives figures for virgin aggregate sales in Great Britain since 2000 as follows:
| Sales of virgin aggregate in Great Britain 2000-05 | |
| Million tonnes | |
Data on recycled aggregates in England come from surveys of “Arisings and Use of Construction, Demolition and Excavation Waste as Aggregate”, commissioned by the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The last survey was run in 2003.
| Construction demolition and excavation waste crushed and/or screened for use as aggregate in England | |
| Million tonnes | |
There are around 730 registrations for aggregates levy. It is not possible to disaggregate this figure into quarries registered in a particular county because many businesses register addresses other than the quarry itself or register one central address covering many separate quarry sites.
The impact of the aggregates levy on the competitiveness of UK industry is one of the factors taken into account in Budget decisions. The levy’s design protects the international competitiveness of UK businesses by taxing imports of virgin aggregate and relieving exports.
Agricultural Taxation
Miss Begg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax revenue accrued to the Exchequer from the UK agricultural sector in each year since 1997. [97733]
Dawn Primarolo: Comprehensive information is not available.
Available information is given as follows:
Income tax and national insurance contributions—relevant information on income tax and national insurance contributions are available for income tax and class 1 contributions deducted through PAYE. These estimates are set out in the following table.
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing (SIC 1992 Sections A,B) | |
| PAYE deductions of income tax and class 1 NICs (£ billion) | |
Corporation tax—the estimates for 2000-01 onwards are published in table 11.7 on the HMRC website. The link is:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/menu.htm.
The figures for 1997-98 to 1999-2000 are as follows:
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing (£ million) | |
VAT—Most outputs from the UK agricultural sector fall under the VAT zero rate for food and as such the sector overall receives VAT repayments.
HMRC does not collect information on excise duties and other taxes attributable to purchases of fuel, alcohol etc. by the agricultural sector.
Birth Certificates
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the acceptability to organisations other than public bodies of the certificates issued at birth; whether he plans to make any changes to their content; and if he will make a statement. [97510]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 30 October 2006:
As Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the acceptability to organisations other than public bodies of the certificates issued at birth; whether he proposes to make any changes to their content. (97510)
Birth certificates are copies of the information recorded in the birth register and that information is prescribed by regulations. The content of certificates is kept under review, but there are no proposals to make changes at present.
Child Benefit
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the rules under which nationals of the European Economic Area member states are permitted to claim child benefit for children that do not live in the UK. [98135]
Dawn Primarolo: Benefits including child benefit for workers’ families is governed by European Community (EC) law, which have been in place since the UK joined the European Economic Community in 1973.
Child Trust Funds (Hendon)
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Hendon have taken up child trust funds; and if he will make a statement. [97178]
Ed Balls: Latest UK-wide information on the number of Child Trust Fund vouchers issued and the number of accounts opened was published on 29 September 2006 on the HMRC website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm.
Constituency level data are not currently available.
Civil Servants
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants his Department employs, broken down by pay band; and what the pay range of each band is. [98035]
John Healey: HM Treasury’s departmental report (Cm 6830, May 2006) sets out staff numbers by pay range. Report No. 62 of the Review Body on Senior Salaries (Cm 6727, March 2006) sets out salary bands for the senior civil service. Pay ranges for Treasury staff in ranges below these grades are:
| £ | |||
| Range | Minimum | Normal maximum | High performance maximum |
Cost Benefit Analyses
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the usefulness of public value as a factor in undertaking cost-benefit analyses; and if he will make a statement. [97096]
Mr. Timms: Cost benefit analysis is a framework for measuring the economic value of a proposal, and the Government's approach is set out in the 'Green Book' guidance on appraisal and evaluation in central government. This guidance allows for consideration of public value in policy making, by encouraging policymakers to consider all benefits and costs, including those that cannot easily be valued.
Currency Exchange
Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the percentage change has been in (a) the value of the dollar against the pound and (b) the value of UK investments in US stocks in each of the last three years. [97396]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 30 October 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the percentage change has been in (a) the value of the dollar against the pound and (b) the value of UK investments in US stocks in each of the last three years. (97396)
Information on the sterling/US dollar exchange rate is published monthly in the ONS “Financial Statistics” publication and is shown in the table below.
| US dollar/sterling exchange rate (pound sterling per US dollar), 2001 to 2005 | |||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
| Source: ONS Financial Statistics. | |||||
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