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7 Nov 2006 : Column 1031W—continued
Inflation
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications for inflation of recent increases in M4 money supply. [98904]
Ed Balls [holding answer 2 November 2006]: The Bank of England keeps monetary aggregates under review. The bank’s latest assessment of M4 growth was published in the August inflation report.
A full assessment of recent developments and prospects for inflation will be published in the forthcoming pre-Budget report.
Insurance Premium Tax Fraud
Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to tackle insurance premium tax fraud. [89079]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 22 November 2005, Official Report, column 1908W.
International Finance Facility
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the International Finance Facility to be established; and what form the facility will take. [97962]
Mr. Timms: The concept of the International Finance Facility—to bring forward financing for development—is being taken forward first through a pilot scheme: the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm). This is a new multilateral financing mechanism designed to accelerate the availability of funds for health and immunisation programmes in 70 of the poorest countries of the world.
The first IFFIm bonds were issued on 7 November, and we expect that the IFFIm will begin purchasing vaccines and delivering these to the poorest countries through the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) before the end of the year.
Investigation Officers
Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many investigation officers employed in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland by HM Revenue and Customs work (i) full-time and (ii) part-time or on secondment; and if he will make a statement. [100208]
Dawn Primarolo: As of August 2006 the Criminal Investigation Directorate of HM Revenue and Customs employed a total of 1,697 staff. Of these 1,542 are working full-time, 85 part-time and 70 were on secondment outside of Criminal Investigation. In addition 53 were seconded in from outside of Criminal Investigation. This is further broken down as follows.
England and Wales: 1,401 employed full-time, 80 part-time and 67 on secondment.
Scotland: 108 employed full-time, three part-time and two on secondment.
Northern Ireland: 33 employed full-time, two part-time and one on secondment.
Of the staff seconded into Criminal Investigation 44 are employed in England and Wales and nine in Northern Ireland.
Iran
Mr. Hague: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice the Government gives to UK banks on financial transactions with the Islamic Republic of Iran; and if he will make a statement. [99604]
Mr. Timms: The UK Money Laundering Regulations require all financial institutions to operate effective controls and due diligence in order to forestall and prevent money laundering and terrorist finance in their dealings with individuals and institutions in all countries—including Iran.
Comprehensive guidance, developed by industry and approved by the Treasury, is provided to all financial institutions that sets out the key safeguards necessary to meet these requirements. The guidance explicitly endorses a risk-based approach by firms that recognises that the threat of financial abuse varies across customers, jurisdictions, products and delivery channels.
This guidance is augmented by liaison between the financial sector, law enforcement bodies, and financial supervisors in order to ensure that anti-money laundering and counter terrorist finance efforts continue to target changing financial vulnerabilities.
Lyons Review
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs in his Department have been relocated (a) to Liverpool and (b) elsewhere as a result of the Lyons Review; and on how many occasions Liverpool has been considered for relocation of staff under this programme. [100096]
John Healey:
As part of the 2004 Spending Review all Departments agreed a target for relocating posts out of London and the South East by 2010. The Treasury
Group committed to relocating 26.5 posts out of London (to Liverpool and Norwich) by 2007-08.
Departments are required to report to Parliament on progress against the Lyons Review relocation targets twice yearly. The latest published position is available in HM Treasury’s 2006 departmental report which reported that the Treasury Group was on track to meet this commitment. This information will be updated in the 2006 HM Treasury autumn performance report.
Minimum Wage
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees in (a) his Department and (b) its (i) agencies and (ii) non-departmental public bodies were affected by the rise in the minimum wage on 1 October. [98163]
John Healey: 70 staff of HM Revenue and Customs were affected but there is no record of staff in the other Departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies responsible to the Chancellor being affected.
Ministerial Travel
Mr. Pope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to offset the carbon dioxide emissions caused by ministerial travel in his Department. [98768]
John Healey: All central Government ministerial and official air travel is being offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases Certified Emissions Reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.
Ministerial Visits
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what occasions in the past three years he has visited a military establishment on official business. [95102]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Gerald Howarth) on 13 January 2005, Official Report, column 595W.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who has visited No. 11 Downing street for events funded from the public purse since 1997. [95133]
John Healey: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
National Insurance
Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department plans to maintain the national insurance dispensation on centrally administered holiday pay schemes for the construction and allied trades. [99605]
Dawn Primarolo: HMRC continually monitors and reviews the operation of all exemptions from the payment of national insurance contributions to ensure that the legislation is meeting its intended objectives and that the original policy rationale is still relevant.
National School of Government
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on training days at the National School of Government in the last 12 months. [97973]
John Healey: The Treasury spent £400,000 on training days with the National School of Government in 2005-06.
Official Visits
Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times he has visited Dorneywood since 1997 in an official capacity but not as a guest of the Deputy Prime Minister. [89490]
John Healey: Apart from meetings as a guest of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Chancellor has visited Dorneywood once to meet the staff in charge.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Watson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average cost was to his Department of answering parliamentary questions in the last 12 months. [100466]
John Healey: The former Financial Secretary my right hon. Friend the Member for East Ham (Mr. Timms) confirmed in a written ministerial statement on 22 March 2005, Official Report, column 47WS, that with effect from 1 April 2005 the average cost of answering written and oral parliamentary questions was £134 and £369, respectively. I expect to be in a position early in the new parliamentary session to announce revised cost figures.
Treasury Ministers have answered some 6,800 written questions in the 2005-06 session at a cost of approximately £910,000 (assuming an average cost of £134).
Pensioners (Hemel Hempstead)
Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners living in Hemel Hempstead constituency who pay income tax. [100209]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on individuals paying income tax in the Hemel Hempstead constituency is published on the HM Revenue and Customs website http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/3_15_apr06.pdf in Table 3.15 “Income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency 2003-04”.
The information is based on the 2003-04 Survey of Personal Incomes and is the latest available.
The number of taxpaying individuals in Hemel Hempstead with pension income is 11,000. There may be a number of individuals with pension income who are not pensioners.
Sample sizes at constituency levels are small and estimates can demonstrate a large variability from year to year, therefore any inference from the information in the tables should take into account the confidence intervals provided in Table 3.15a “Income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency 2003-04—Confidence Intervals” http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/3_15a_apr06.pdf. Further information on confidence intervals can be found on HM Revenue website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/inc-distribution-note.pdf.
Productivity
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the productivity of the UK workforce was in each year since 1992. [100237]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 7 November 2006:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the productivity of the UK workforce was in each year since 1992. I am replying in her absence. (100237)
The usual measure is the seasonally adjusted whole economy output per worker index. The currently available series of index numbers is referenced on 2003 = 100. The table below gives annual figures for 1992 to 2005 inclusive and quarterly figures for the two quarters of 2006 that are available.
In calculating output per worker, the measure of output used is the short-term output measure Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices. The measure used for number of workers is Labour Force Survey (LFS) workers.
| Whole economy output per worker, 1992-2006 | |
| Output per worker ( 1) | |
| (1 )Seasonally adjusted (2003 = 100) | |
Public Debt
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of public debt is as a percentage of gross domestic product for the UK; and what assessment he has made of the UK’s performance in this regard in comparison with other G7 countries. [99727]
John Healey: Public sector net debt is estimated in Budget 2006 as 36.4 per cent. of GDP for 2005-06, and projected to be 37.5 per cent. in 2006-07. Public sector net debt is projected to be low and stable through to the end of the medium term, stabilising at 38.4 per cent. of GDP. As Budget 2006 shows, the UK public finances compare favourably with other G7 countries.
Comparative figures on net debt and net borrowing for the G7 countries was set out in chart 2.3 on page 24 of the Budget report.
Public Expenditure
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what ways the St. Andrew’s Agreement funding package for Northern Ireland announced on 1 November 2006 differs from announcements previously made by Ministers about future public expenditure in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [100085]
Mr. Timms: The details of the St. Andrew’s Agreement funding package announced on 1 November are set out in the Treasury press notice at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2006/press_82_06.cfm.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the funding package for Northern Ireland set out on 1 November 2006 includes the expected revenue from (a) regional rates, (b) local domestic rates and (c) water charges; and if he will make a statement. [100086]
Mr. Timms: The spending in the announcement on 1 November in respect of the period 2007-08 to 2010-11 represents Departmental Expenditure Limit spending, which excludes self-financed Annually Managed Expenditure such as rate-funded expenditure, and revenue from water charges to be received by the new water company.
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