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29 Nov 2006 : Column 731W—continued


Public/Private Forum on Identity Management

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent employees are working for the Public/Private Forum on Identity Management; and how many of them have been seconded from his Department. [103508]

Mr. Timms: The Public/Private Forum is supported by three full-time equivalents. Of these, one is from HM Treasury. The other two staff work on behalf of the Identity and Passport Service of the Home Office.

HM Revenue and Customs

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many open cases were outstanding in HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last four quarters. [102392]

Dawn Primarolo: The number of PAYE open cases outstanding in the last four quarters are shown in the chart as follows:

PAYE open cases

Quarter ended 31 December 2005

22,607,795

Quarter ended 31 March 2006

12,239,612

Quarter ended 30 June 2006

33,298,765

Quarter ended 30 September 2006

23,986,584


Stolen Departmental Property

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is (a) the number and (b) the value of all HM Treasury computers stolen in the last nine years. [103531]

John Healey: Computers recorded by the Treasury as lost or stolen are listed in the table.

Number of computers stolen Approximate replacement cost (£)

1997

5

10,206

1990

1

2,264

1999

3

5,996

2000

1

2,233

2001

2

3,360

2002

24

45,384

2003

10

11,935

2004

4

4,564

2005

3

2,817

2006 (to date)

None



29 Nov 2006 : Column 732W

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what items worth more than £100 have been stolen from his Department in each of the last nine years. [103534]

John Healey: Three laptop computers and associated IT equipment were stolen in 2005. Two items of IT equipment have been stolen in 2006.

For earlier years, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer the former Financial Secretary Mr Stephen Timms (East Ham) gave to the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne), 27 January 2005, Official Report, column 443W.

Tax Credits

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of the three largest frauds perpetrated in the tax credits system since 2003; and if he will make a statement. [102104]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the information published in HM Revenue and Customs 2005-06 Accounts: The Comptroller and Auditor General’s Standard Report, Part 2, available at

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when Ministers were first informed of the easement of tax credit verification rule 12; and if he will make a statement; [102938]

(2) who the most senior official was within HM Revenue and Customs who approved the easement of tax credit verification rule 12 in April 2003; and if he will make a statement. [102939]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 July 2006, Official Report, column 363W.

Terrorism

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the involvement of the charity Interpal in the financing of terrorism and related activities; and if he will make a statement. [103182]

Ed Balls: The Chancellor of the Exchequer and I regularly discuss terrorist finance issues with international partners and other relevant parties. However, we do not comment on any particular cases that may be raised in those discussions.

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the seized assets of individuals and organisations suspected of having links with al-Qaeda and the Taliban have been disposed of. [103687]

Ed Balls: The al-Qaeda and Taliban (United Nations Measures) Order 2006 freezes the assets of persons listed by the UN Sanctions Committee under UN Security Council resolution 1390 as members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, or associated with them, or persons subject to a direction by the Treasury. However, the assets remain the property of those persons and therefore the assets cannot be disposed of.


29 Nov 2006 : Column 733W

The Olympics

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role his Department played in agreeing the financial component of the Olympic bid document; which (a) Ministers and (b) officials were involved in the discussions, and when; and if he will make a statement. [104195]

Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid-Kent (Hugh Robertson) on 28 November 2006, question 104521.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the VAT receipts from the delivery of the Olympic games; what plans there are for the use of these receipts; and if he will make a statement. [104196]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the former Financial Secretary to the hon. Member for Wealden on 30 January 2004, Official Report, column 570W.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration was given to the VAT implications when planning the structure of the Olympic Delivery Authority; and if he will make a statement. [104336]

Dawn Primarolo: The Olympic Delivery Authority was established as a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006. The VAT treatment of public bodies is set out in the VAT Act 1994.

Tobacco

Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of taxation in curbing the use of tobacco products. [103178]

John Healey: Successive UK Governments have pursued a policy of establishing and maintaining high levels of tax on cigarettes, which has been proven to reduce smoking prevalence.

The proportion of adults who smoke has been decreased from 28 per cent. in 1998 to 25 per cent. in 2004. The Government’s current target is to reduce smoking prevalence to 21 per cent. by 2010.

Valuation Office Agency

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax application manual. [104079]

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency does not have any guidance document entitled “council tax application manual”.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the job title is of each member of the Valuation Office Agency. [104103]


29 Nov 2006 : Column 734W

Dawn Primarolo: Staff in the Valuation Office Agency are primarily identified by pay band. There is no central record of all job titles used and this information cannot be supplied without disproportionate cost. The titles for all senior management roles are contained ion the Agency’s annual report. The primary network role titles are ‘caseworker’, ‘referencer’ and ‘manager’.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Valuation Office Agency has spent on its computer-assisted mass appraisal system. [104319]

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) does not have a full computer-assisted mass appraisal (CAMA) system, but has developed an automated valuation model (AVM). I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 July 2006, Official Report, column 2119W.

VAT (Conservation Work)

Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce the rate of VAT paid in respect of building improvements for properties in conservation areas. [104143]

Dawn Primarolo: VAT is not chargeable on the construction of new dwellings and certain charitable buildings, or on any approved alterations to certain protected buildings.

Under European VAT agreements a reduced rate of VAT of not less than 5 per cent. is available for the construction, renovation and alteration of housing provided as part of a social policy. However, there is no provision in these agreements that would allow a reduced VAT rate for construction or improvement work to any non-residential building.

To date, where these are available under EU VAT agreements, the Government have been sparing in its use of reduced rates, and only applied them where they offer the best targeted, most efficient support for our social objectives compared with other options. Therefore, we have so far introduced reduced rates for building work in areas that would have the greatest effect on the regeneration and renewal of the UK housing stock, such as certain residential conversions and the renovation of housing that has been empty for more than three years.

The Government keep the impact of VAT on different types of building work under review and any changes are considered by the Chancellor as part of the Budget process. In making these decisions the economic and social impact is taken into account.

VAT Fraud

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates his Department has made of the level of missing trader intra-community-MTIC-VAT fraud originating via the Dubai Connection for each year since 1999-2000; and if he will make a statement. [102934]


29 Nov 2006 : Column 735W

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not break down estimates of MTIC fraud on a country specific basis.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis the decision was made, upon creation of HM Revenue and Customs, to discontinue the publication of statistics concerning VAT missing trader intra-community fraud, formerly published in HM Customs and Excise Annual Reports; and if he will make a statement. [102935]

Dawn Primarolo: The annual report 2004-05 published on 19 December 2005 was the first for the newly created HM Revenue and Customs and therefore does not seek to replicate the reports of the two former Departments. Instead it brings together in one document information about the new Department’s activities. Information about VAT missing trader intra-community fraud is provided on pages 54 and 55 of the published report.

Working Tax Credit

Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families are in receipt of working families tax credit in the Eyres Monsell ward of Leicester. [104256]

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in each ward in Warrington, North are in receipt of working tax credit; and what the average award is. [105781]

Dawn Primarolo: Reliable estimates of the number of families receiving Child and Working Tax Credits are not available at ward level. However, estimates of the number of recipient in-work families in each constituency and local authority at various dates are published on the HMRC website at:

Working Pensioners

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensioners over the age of (a) 65 years, (b) 70 years and (c) 75 years are in paid employment. [103401]

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 29 November 2006:


29 Nov 2006 : Column 736W
People aged 60 years and over in employment by age and gender, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted—three months ending September 2006
Thousand
Age All persons Male Female

60 and over(1, 2)

2,057

1,274

783

65 and over

635

393

241

70 and over

207

130

77

75 and over

70

45

25

(1) Includes men under pensionable age.
(2) The 60 and over age group have been included as the state pension age for women is 60.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

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