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11 Dec 2006 : Column 847W—continued
NASDAQ
Mr. Mudie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what dates his (a) Ministers and (b) officials have held meetings with NASDAQ in the last 12 months. [105893]
Ed Balls: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of market participants in the normal course of business.
I refer the hon. Member to my comments in the House on 28 November 2006, Official Report, column 989.
In addition, over the last 12 months Treasury Ministers and officials have met with the Dubai International Financial Exchange, Euronext (and LIFFE), Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, ICE Futures, the London Metal Exchange, the London Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, Nymex Europe, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Virt-x.
Office of Fair Trading
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) discussions and (b) meetings have taken place between (i) officials and (ii) Ministers in his Department and the Office of Fair Trading on the OFT investigation of default charges on (A) credit cards and (B) bank current accounts. [104863]
Ed Balls: No meetings have taken place between Treasury Ministers and the OFT to discuss these investigations. Officials have discussed both the investigation into credit card default charges and the investigation into bank account default charges with the OFT on a purely informative basis as part of wider discussions on competition inquiries into the banking sector. The OFT is an independent competition and consumer protection authority and considers cases on the basis of the objective information that it collects.
Pensioners: Irish
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) males and (b) females who defined themselves as Irish (i) of pensionable age, (ii) aged over 75 and (iii) aged over 80 were resident in each ward in the UK on the last date for which figures are available. [107701]
John Healey [holding answer 4 December 2006]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 11 December 2006:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many (a) males and (b) females who defined themselves as Irish (i) of pensionable age, (ii) aged over 75 and (iii) aged over 80 were resident in each ward in the UK. (107701)
The number of people resident in each ward in England and Wales, who described their ethnicity to be Irish, by sex and 5-year age groups, is available in table SI01 on the DVD Standard Tables for Wards in England and Wales, which is available in the House of Commons Library and also on request from2001 Census Customer Services [census.customerservices@ons.gsi.gov.uk].
The equivalent table for Scotland is S235, which has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Unlike England and Wales and Scotland, the ethnic question in the 2001 Northern Ireland Census did not include a separate "Irish" tick box response option. Accordingly, comparable figures cannot be provided for Northern Ireland.
Pensions
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the pension liability is for state employees; and what it was in May 1997. [108240]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 26 October 2006, Official Report, column 2020W, to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws).
Planning Gain Supplement
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the responses to the Treasury’s planning gain supplement consultation paper. [108316]
John Healey: The Government will do so shortly, although a summary of responses was published at the pre-Budget report. A list of organisations and individuals who responded to the consultation is available on the Treasury website.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has commissioned into the impact of the secondary private finance initiative market on the cost of PFI contracts. [104768]
John Healey: The Treasury has not commissioned specific research into the impact of secondary markets on the cost of PFI contracts. However, chapter seven of the Treasury publication ‘PFI: Strengthening Long Term Partnerships’ (published March 2006, www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/budget/budget.06/other-documents/bud-bud06-odpfi.cfm) sets out the Government's view on secondary equity markets in relation to PFI.
Social Investment Taskforce
Mr. Francois:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) running costs, (b) expenses claimed by members, (c) salaries paid, (d) cost of the production of reports, (e) cost of Departmental staff
working time and (f) other costs were of the Social Investment Taskforce in the last year for which figures are available. [104659]
John Healey: The Social Investment Taskforce was created in 2000 to investigate and apply the principles of community development finance to the creation of enterprise in disadvantaged areas.
The taskforce members were selected for their expertise and all were unpaid. The taskforce was resourced by the UK Social Investment Forum, the Development Trusts Association and the New Economics Foundation. Treasury officials attended all four taskforce meetings in an observing capacity.
Social Security Benefits: Terrorism
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many households have had benefit payments restricted on suspicion of terrorism since July 2006; [104748]
(2) how many individuals listed for involvement in terrorism had (a) benefits and (b) other payments approved under licence by the Treasury in each of the last 12 months. [104749]
Ed Balls: Since July 2006, six households connected with listed individuals have had their benefit payments restricted in accordance with the policy outlined in my written statement of 3 July 2006. In addition, over the last 12 months, we have licensed benefits payments for two listed individuals and issued 37 licences in relation to other payments, 35 of which are for legal expenses. Licences have been issued under both the terrorism and al-Qaeda sanctions regimes, in accordance with our international legal obligations, and have included appropriate safeguards to prevent funds being diverted to terrorism.
Stamp Duty
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely change in revenue between 2005-06 and 2006-07 as a result of stamp duty thresholds for (a) 3 per cent. duty and (b) 4 per cent. duty on residential properties remaining unchanged. [108215]
Ed Balls: The estimated amount of stamp duty land tax for 2005-06 arising from residential transactions, by stamp duty land tax band, is given at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15-3.xls
Estimates of stamp duty land tax for 2006-07, arising from residential transactions, will be published next September.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the likely annual reduction in revenue that would result from a 0 per cent. stamp duty rate for zero carbon homes, based on the current numbers of zero carbon homes; [108222]
(2) for how long the time limited 0 per cent. stamp duty rate for zero carbon homes will apply. [108317]
Ed Balls: The 2006 pre-Budget report, announced a time-limited stamp duty exemption for the vast majority of new zero carbon homes. Full details of this exemption will be published at the time of the 2007 Budget.
Taxation: Betting
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effect on the income generated to the Exchequer has resulted from the amendments to betting duty announced in measure 33 of his 2003 Budget report since 2003. [104644]
John Healey: Revenues from gambling taxes are published in Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs betting, gaming and lottery duties bulletin, available at:
http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullbett
Valuation Office
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency's computer-assisted mass appraisal system will be compatible with the national identity register. [104649]
John Healey: The Valuation Office Agency does not have a computer-assisted mass appraisal system. It has developed only an automated valuation model. Therefore the issue of compatibility with the national identity register does not arise.
Health
Accident and Emergency Services
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the future of accident and emergency services at (a) Northwick Park hospital and (b) Central Middlesex hospital. [105786]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the local national health service. However, NHS London has advised that in May 2006 the North West London hospitals NHS trust board, of which Northwick Park hospital and Central Middlesex hospital are both part, discussed options for reconfiguring services between the two hospital sites while reviewing the strategic outline case for redevelopment of Northwick Park hospital.
We understand that no decision was taken then and the trust and host PCTs, Harrow and Brent, have since launched a three-month discussion programme with local people and other stakeholders about how local health services should be delivered in future.
Adult Social Care
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2006, Official Report, column 910W, on adult social care, if she will make it her policy to make explicit in the national minimum care standards for care homes Government advice that people need to drink six to eight glasses of fluid every day. [105275]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The review of the national minimum standards is still ongoing and will be subject to public consultation in due course.
Ambulance Service
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what ambulance response times to emergency calls were for every NHS trust in each year since 2000. [103643]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Validated information about ambulance services’ response times to emergency calls is collected each year by the Department on return KA34 and published annually. Copies are available in the Library and available on the information centre for health and social care’s website at:
www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/icpubfolder_view
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulance paramedics and technicians were employed in each ambulance trust (a) on 11 September 2001 and (b) in each year since. [103878]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The following table shows the number of ambulance paramedics employed in each ambulance trust as at 30 September of each year since 2001. The work force census does not separately identify the number of ambulance technicians from the rest of the ambulance personnel staff group.
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