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22 Nov 2006 : Column 93W—continued

Stafford Railway Station

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are for upgrading (a) the foyer and (b) the car park at Stafford Railway Station. [101870]

Mr. Tom Harris: Virgin Trains have advised the Department that they are currently planning to carry out refurbishment works to the travel centre and ticket office at Stafford station in the spring of 2007.

The Department is currently working with Network Rail and Virgin Trains to develop plans for the expansion of car parking at Stafford station linked to the introduction of service improvements in 2008.

Untaxed/Uninsured Vehicles

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's estimate is of the number of (a) untaxed and (b) uninsured vehicles; and what steps are being taken to reduce their number. [101371]

Dr. Ladyman: On (a) and (b) I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) on 21 November, Official Report, column 36W.

The steps which we are taking to reduce levels are as follows:

Vehicle excise duty (VED)

We are making it as easy as possible to comply. Electronic vehicle licensing allows vehicle keepers to tax their vehicles electronically when it is convenient for them and checks the insurance and MOT databases automatically on their behalf.

We are also continuing to enforce from the record. Continuous registration requires vehicles to be either taxed or subject to a statutory off-road notice at any time. As a result, it is no longer necessary to ‘catch’ an untaxed vehicle being used on the road in order to prosecute the keeper for VED evasion.

We are using improved methods of detection (such as automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) equipment), data and intelligence to target non-compliant vehicles on the road. In 2005-06 DVLA and its local authority partners clamped over 79,000 vehicles, more than half of which were crushed. A new contract was let in May 2006 which will allow this national scheme to be expanded. We expect DVLA and its partners to clamp around 150,000 untaxed vehicles this year.

Uninsured driving

In order to strengthen enforcement activity to tackle insurance evasion we introduced two new measures last year. The first will give the police improved access to the Motor Insurance Database to enhance their ability
22 Nov 2006 : Column 94W
to detect uninsured driving by using ANPR equipment. The second will empower the police to seize vehicles being driven uninsured. Both measures are proving effective, with the police seizing nearly 600 uninsured vehicles each week.

In addition, the Road Safety Act 2006, which recently received Royal Assent, has powers for a new scheme of continuous insurance enforcement. This scheme will mean that rather than having to rely on detecting uninsured vehicles on the road we can now identify, from the database, vehicles where insurance polices have lapsed and not been renewed.

This will enable us to target all insurance evaders, rather than just the necessarily smaller numbers that it is possible to identify on-road.

Treasury

Aggregates Tax

Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been collected since the inception of the aggregates tax; what the estimated take is for the next five years; and what monies he has re-invested in the aggregates industry to mitigate the impact of the tax. [101453]

John Healey: Aggregates levy receipts since introduction:

Financial year £ million

2002-03

247

2003-04

339

2004-05

334

2005-06

326


The forecast of receipts for 2006-07, published at Budget 2006, is £0.3 billion.

A forecast for 2007-08 will be published at the pre-Budget report 2006 and we will continue to publish forecasts at future pre-Budget reports and Budgets.

The aggregates industry benefits from the 0.1 percentage point reduction in employer national insurance contributions, introduced simultaneously with the levy, and the aggregates levy sustainability fund, which has helped aggregates businesses with environmental projects and investment in processing and recycling plant.

Alcohol-related Deaths

Mr. Dunne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many alcohol-related deaths there have been in Shropshire in each year since 1991. [101320]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 November 2006:


22 Nov 2006 : Column 95W
Table 1: Number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause of death,( 1 ) Shropshire county,( 2) 1991 to 2005( 3)
Deaths (persons)

1991

11

1992

19

1993

14

1994

13

1995

13

1996

15

1997

7

1998

18

1999

30

2000

17

2001

20

2002

39

2003

42

2004

46

2005

29

(1 )Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) for the years 1998 to 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) for 2001 onwards. The specific causes of death categorised as alcohol-related, and their corresponding ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, are shown in the boxes below. The introduction of ICD-10 in 2001 means that the numbers of deaths from this cause before 2001 are not completely comparable with later years.
(2) Based on the boundaries of Shropshire county as of 2005. Deaths in Telford and Wrekin unitary authority are not included for any year.
(3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Box 1. Alcohol-related causes of death—International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9)
Cause of death ICD-9 code(s)

Alcoholic psychoses

291

Alcohol dependence syndrome

303

Non-dependent abuse of alcohol

305

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy

425.5

Alcoholic fatty liver

571

Acute alcoholic hepatitis

571.1

Alcoholic cirrhosis of liver

571.2

Alcoholic liver damage, unspecified

571.3

Chronic hepatitis

571.4

Cirrhosis of liver without mention of alcohol

571.5

Other chronic non-alcoholic liver disease

571.8

Unspecified chronic liver disease without mention of alcohol

571.9

Accidental poisoning by alcohol

E860



22 Nov 2006 : Column 96W
Box 2. Alcohol-related causes of death—International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10)
Cause of death ICD-10 code(s)

Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol

F10

Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol

G31.2

Alcoholic polyneuropathy

G62.1

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy

I42.6

Alcoholic gastritis

K29.2

Alcoholic liver disease

K70

Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified

K73

Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver (excl. Biliary cirrhosis)

K74 (excl. K74.3-K74.5)

Alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis

K86.0

Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol

X45

Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol

X65

Poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent

Y15


Child Benefit

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of child benefit was for (a) second and (b) successive children as a percentage of national average earnings in each year since 1979-80; and if he will make a statement. [101274]

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not held and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) cost and (b) effect on child poverty of linking child benefit to earnings growth rather than prices growth for each year from 2007-08 to 2020-21; and if he will make a statement. [101294]

Dawn Primarolo: My reply of 7 November 2006, Official Report, column 1018W, implied that, in the medium term, the annual cost of uprating child benefit by earnings rather than prices is around £200 million in today’s prices, and that this might reduce the number of children in poverty by between 20 and 30 thousand a year.

Any such estimates for later years would depend on a number of assumptions including growth in average earnings and retail prices going well beyond those for the medium term given in “Budget 2006” Tables B2 and C3. Such assumptions would all be subject to significant uncertainties by 2020-21.

Contraband

Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average street prices of (a) each illegal drug, (b) firearms, (c) prohibited alcohol, (d) smuggled alcohol, (e) smuggled cigarettes and (f) other smuggled tobacco products in each of the last five years. [100791]


22 Nov 2006 : Column 97W

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is as follows:


22 Nov 2006 : Column 98W

(a) The estimated UK average street prices for drugs over the last five years have been:

£
Cannabis, herbal (per ounce) Cannabis, resin (per ounce) Cocaine (per gram) Crack (per 0.2 gram rock) Heroin (per gram) Ecstasy (per dose)

2001

80

77

60

21

63

7

2002

83

81

56

20

61

6

2003

72

66

55

19

62

5

2004

72

61

51

18

55

4

2005

75

55

49

19

54

4


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