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8 Jan 2007 : Column 412W—continued
Customs: Searches
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many searches were made by customs officers in each of the last five years; how many seizures of money were made; and how much money was seized. [109675]
Dawn Primarolo: The number of searches of persons undertaken by HMRC is published in the annual reports for HM Customs and Excise and HM Revenue and Customs. HM Revenue and Customs does not centrally record the number of any other searches that it undertake.
The number and quantity of cash seized by HMRC is shown in the table.
| Total number of cash seizures made where the cash has not been returned | Total value of cash seizures made where the cash has not been returned (£ million) | Total number of cash seizures where the cash has been returned | Total value of cash seized and returned (£ million) | |
Departmental Estate
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value is of (a) land and (b) buildings disposed of by his Department in each of the past 10 years. [109159]
John Healey [holding answer 8 January 2006]: The Treasury's only disposal of freehold land or buildings in the past 10 years was the sale of the land at 100 Parliament Street to the former Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise in 2004-05 for £22.3 million. In addition, in 2002-03 the Treasury assigned a lease on Allington Towers, Allington Street, London SW1 to the Home Office. The annual rent on Allington Towers was £1.7 million.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he keeps a record of those he has entertained at No. 11 Downing street when the costs are met from public funds. [106530]
John Healey: Information on visitors to No. 11 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs. All expenditure on official hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in “Government Accounting”.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on (a) expenses, (b) travel, (c) hotels and (d) meals by staff in his Department during business visits in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 1996-97; and how many staff have made claims for such items. [110264]
John Healey: For the Treasury’s costs in 2004-05 and 2005-06 on subsistence, which includes accommodation and meals on business visits, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that I gave the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 16 October 2006, Official Report, column 1060W. For the Treasury’s costs in 2004-05 and 2005-06 on travel, I refer to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) on 29 November 2006, Official Report, column 719W. Information on the number of staff making claims or for the costs in 1996-97 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Disabled Staff
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent from his Department's central administration budget on (a) reasonable adjustments for disabled staff and (b) the recruitment and retention of disabled staff in each of the last four years. [109866]
John Healey [holding answer 18 December 2006]: The Treasury has had a central reasonable adjustments budget since mid 2004.
The following has been spent on reasonable adjustments:
| £ | |
The central reasonable adjustments budget has been an important initiative in the retention of disabled staff. Before 2004 the cost of reasonable adjustments were met by the budget team in which the employee worked. The costs to individual teams are not available separately.
The costs of the recruitment of disabled staff and reasonable adjustments to, and during, the recruitment process are included in the overall recruitment budget. All recruitment is in line with the civil service recruitment code and candidates who declare a disability and meet the minimum criteria of the post are guaranteed an interview. Reasonable adjustment will be made for candidates with disabilities who request adjustments.
Electronic Filing
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many large companies with several small pay-as-you-earn reference numbers have been successful in claiming the incentive payments for electronic filing for small employers on more than one occasion within the year; what steps have been taken to ensure that such claims are not made successfully; and if he will make a statement. [113260]
Dawn Primarolo: Any employer who applies to split an existing payroll for PAYE purposes into a series of smaller payrolls must make an election under regulation 98, SI 2003 No. 2682. Each election is considered on its own merits. Where there is evidence that the motivation for such an election is to qualify for incentive payments, which are only available to small employers, the application will be refused.
The Government had anticipated this might be an issue and regulations are in place to address it (Regulation 99, SI 2003 No. 2682).
HMRC does not keep statistics on the number of rejected elections, but there is no evidence from compliance activity undertaken that there has been abuse of the system in this way.
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his original estimate was of the cost in each year of the incentive payments for electronic filing for small
employers in each financial year that the scheme was set to run; for how many years those payments are planned to continue; how eligibility for the payments is determined; and if he will make a statement. [113261]
Dawn Primarolo: The original estimate of the cost of online filing incentives was £420 million, broken down as follows:
| £ million | |
| (1) In respect of 2004-05 returns. (2) In respect of 2005-06 returns. (3) In respect of 2006-07 returns. (4) In respect of 2007-08 and 2008-09 returns. | |
Since then the estimates have been regularly revised to reflect the success of converting small employers to filing their PAYE employer annual returns online. These estimates are approved by Ministers and details are provided to the Treasury Select Committee.
To qualify for the online filing incentive the employer must:
have fewer than 50 employees (the number is determined by a count carried out every year by HMRC of employees within each PAYE scheme);
successfully send their employer annual return online;
send a return that is required under the PAYE regulations—that is, means a completed end of year pay, tax and national insurance summary (form P35) and a completed form P14 for at least one employee; and
only be established, employ employees or make payments of PAYE income wholly or mainly for permissible purposes (Regulation 6(5) SI 2005 No. 826.)
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid in incentive payments for electronic filing for small employers in each year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [113262]
Dawn Primarolo: A total of £225.2 million was paid to small employers in 2005-06.
These payments related to 2004-05 PAYE employer annual returns submitted to HMRC.
Excise Duties: Fuels
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effect on the income generated to the Exchequer has resulted from the increases in excise duty for hydrocarbon oils announced in measure 32 of his 1998 Budget report since 1998. [104645]
John Healey: None. This measure has not been implemented.
Gender Equality
John Bercow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that private organisations contracted to work (a) in his Department and (b) for non-departmental public
bodies and executive agencies for which his Department is responsible are aware of their duties under gender equality legislation when exercising public functions on behalf of public bodies. [101516]
John Healey: The Treasury and its non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies incorporate terms and conditions into some or all of their contracts to ensure they can assess a private organisation’s equal opportunity policies and comply with gender legislation.
Details of such practice varies across the Treasury group and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
From 6 April 2007, private sector organisations, when carrying out functions of a public nature on behalf of public authorities, will be required to comply with the general gender equality duty to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and harassment and promote equality of opportunity between women and men. Documentation will refer to the Equal Opportunities Commission's code of practice of the gender equality duty and any further EOC guidance when available.
Government Assets
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will break down by Government department the value of assets sold by central Government in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06 and (c) 2006-07. [109995]
Mr. Timms: The table provides details of the value of assets sold by central Government departments in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Data for 2006-07 are not available.
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