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15 Jan 2007 : Column 836Wcontinued
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his special advisers have travelled abroad in an official capacity since the creation of his Department. [114098]
The Deputy Prime Minister: All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code. The costs of any such travel is accounted for in the annual cost of all Ministers visits overseas which for 2006-07 will be published after the end of the financial year.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether special advisers in his Department have made use of an official car since its creation, excluding travel when accompanying the Deputy Prime Minister. [114104]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the reply he has already received from my hon. Friend the Member for South Thanet (Dr. Ladyman) on 7 November 2006, Official Report, column 1063W.
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Solicitor-General what account was taken of Article 5 of the 1977 Convention on Bribery of the OECD when the decision was made to cease the Serious Fraud Office inquiry into BAE. [115942]
The Solicitor-General: My statement on 14 December 2006 explained that the decision to discontinue the investigation was taken by the director of the SFO. The SFO is subject to the statutory superintendence of the Attorney-General. The SFO and the Attorney-General at all times had regard to the requirements of the 1997 OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Freedom of Information applications were made to the Office for National Statistics in each month between January 2005 and November 2006 for disclosure of extracts from the 1921 Census for specific addresses in England or Wales. [113799]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 15 January 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many Freedom of Information applications were made to the Office for National Statistics in each month between January 2005 and November 2006 for disclosure of extracts from the 1921 Census for specific addresses in England or Wales. (113799)
Between January 2005 and November 2006 the Office for National Statistics received a total of 19 requests for information from the 1921 Census, under the Freedom of Information Act. The attached table breaks these requests down by month.
FOI requests for 1921 Census. | |
Number of requests | |
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the take up rate is of (a) child benefit, (b) child tax credit and (c) working tax credit in Wimbledon. [114905]
Dawn Primarolo: Take-up rates for child benefit and child and working tax credit are not available by constituency.
It is estimated that approximately 98 per cent. of families in the UK claim child benefit.
Estimates of take-up rates for child and working tax credits in 2003-04, including breakdown by country and region, are detailed in the HMRC publication Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. Take-up Rates 2003-04, which is available on the HMRC website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-take-up.htm
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which years since 1997 (a) he and (b) other Treasury Ministers have attended meetings of the Bilderberg Group. [115142]
John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Governments practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed in breweries producing (a) below 5,000, (b) between 5,000 and 30,000, (c) between 30,000 and 60,000, (d) between 60,000 and 200,000 and (e) above 200,000 hectare litres of beer in each year since 1997. [115186]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibilities of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, date 15 January 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many people were employed in breweries producing (a) below 5,000, (b) between 5,000 and 30,000, (c) between 30,000 and 60,000, (d) between 60,000 and 200,000 and (e) above 200,000 hectare litres of beer in each year since 1997. (115186)
The table below shows the number of employees in the manufacture of beer industry (SIC 15.96) for Great Britain for each year from 1998 to 2004. A breakdown of employment by the volume of output of businesses within the industry is not available.
Number of employees in the manufacturing of beer industry, Great Britain, 1998 to 2004 | |
Number of employees (thousand) | |
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer above what threshold expenditure by the Department for Education and Skills on the Building Schools for the Future programme must be approved by his Department. [115217]
Mr. Timms: Under the delegated authorities agreement between the Department for Education and Skills and HM Treasury, capital projects of a value of £100 million or more are subject to HM Treasury approval.
Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is being delivered over 15 waves of investment. HM Treasury will approve the strategic objectives and outcomes for each wave of BSF.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which year is Year One of the Building Schools for the Future programme. [115218]
Mr. Timms: Year One of Building Schools for the Future was 2005-06. This was the year in which the first large-scale investment became available for projects in wave one.
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his Department will evaluate the effect of import duties applicable to materials used by candlemakers on the competitiveness of the UK candlemaking industry; and if he will make a statement. [114586]
Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
The Department has no current plans to carry out such an evaluation.
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will investigate how much of the City bonuses paid at the end of 2006 was paid (a) via offshore trusts and (b) in currencies other than sterling, euros or dollars; and if he will estimate the effect on the tax liabilities of the recipients of those means of payment. [114898]
Dawn Primarolo: The information about the way in which City bonuses are paid is not available.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance produced by the Office of Government Commerce on the use of consultants. [114106]
John Healey: I have arranged for a copy of Delivering Value from Consultants: a guide for public sector clients and suppliers published in October 2006 to be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2006, Official Report, column 393W, on departmental overspend, what the Department of Health's overspend was on its near-cash revenue resource limit in 2005-06. [109686]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 18 December 2006]: Final outturn figures for near-cash expenditure in 2005-06 have not yet been published.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Departments expenditure on foreign travel (including accommodation) was in (a) 1996-97 and (b) 2005-06. [114109]
John Healey: For expenditure in 2005-06, I refer to the answer I gave on 12 June 2006, Official Report, column 925W to the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) Information on expenditure in 1996-97 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the number of people on the electoral register who are not eligible to vote. [114107]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 15 January 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question regarding what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the number of people on the electoral register who are not eligible to vote. (114107)
I can confirm that we do not produce such estimates.
The Office for National Statistics does collect information from electoral registration officers as required by the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001. This requires the submission of a statutory form of factual information every December. The form does not though require electoral registration officers to make an estimate of the number on the electoral register not eligible to vote.
We have conducted an assessment for the Electoral Commission of levels and types of people not registered to vote. The subsequent report can be found on their website at:
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/templates/search/document.cfm/13545
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider reducing VAT on electricity for people with disabilities who have to charge the batteries on their wheelchairs; and if he will make a statement. [114791]
Dawn Primarolo: The supply of electricity for domestic use, including that used to charge wheelchair batteries in the home, is already liable to a reduced rate of VAT of 5 per cent. This is the lowest rate possible under our VAT agreements with our European partners.
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