House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 19 Feb 2007 (pt 0094)

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July 2005 to June 2006: NEETs defined by LEA within North East Government office region
	Level				Proportion of all (%)
	Aged 16	Aged 17	Aged 18	Aged 16-18	Aged 16	Aged 17	Aged 18	Aged 16-18
Darlington	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	375	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	9.3
Durham	⁽¹⁾—	2,172	⁽¹⁾—	3,957	⁽¹⁾—	24.6	⁽¹⁾—	18.3
Gateshead	511	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	1,102	26.4	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	17
Hartlepool	⁽¹⁾—	266	354	823	⁽¹⁾—	29.5	24	21.6
Middlesbrough	324	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	618	16.2	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	11.5
Newcastle upon Tyne	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	757	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	9.2
North Tyneside	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	850	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	11.7
Northumberland	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	1,170	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	11.7
Redcar and Cleveland	559	⁽¹⁾—	444	1,245	22.7	⁽¹⁾—	23.4	21.2
South Tyneside	401	⁽¹⁾—	792	1,476	23.3	⁽¹⁾—	37.9	26.4
Stockton-on-Tees	⁽¹⁾—	482	742	1,559	⁽¹⁾—	20.4	21.2	18.2
Sunderland	⁽¹⁾—	748	866	1,943	⁽¹⁾—	13.7	22.5	13.9
All	4,545	5,282	6,048	15,875	13.8	15.7	17.7	15.8
⁽¹⁾ Sample size of 5 or less which has been suppressed to avoid the possibility of identifying individuals. Notes: 1. Some of the sample sizes are very small due to the narrow age bands and small geographic areas. 2. As with any sample survey, estimates from the Annual Population Survey are subject to a margin of uncertainty. As such, care should be taken when interpreting the figures. Source: Annual Population Survey

Treasury

Annuities

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the threshold age of 75 years for compulsory annuities was first introduced; when it was last reviewed; and what representations he has received requesting its extension. [120290]

Ed Balls: Tax legislation requires that pension saving must be converted into a secure income, often through an annuity, by age 75. This requirement was introduced in respect of retirement annuity contracts in 1976 and for personal pensions when they were introduced on 1 July 1988. For small self-administered occupational pension schemes (the only kind of occupational pension scheme that was directly required as a condition of tax approval to secure member's benefits through annuitisation) the requirement to purchase an annuity by age 75 was first introduced in 1994.

These rules have, of course, been replaced by the new pensions’ tax regime that came into effect on 6 April 2006.

The Government regularly receive representations on the age 75 limit and other related issues on annuities policy. The Government definitively set out their policy and the underlying evidence base on annuities, including the age 75 limit, in "The Annuities Market" published alongside the 2006 pre-Budget report. The report is available at the following link:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/53E/8F/pbr06_annuities_293.pdf

Annuities: Taxation

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how HM Revenue and Customs will be contacting pensioners who receive retirement annuities to explain the changes to the way they are taxed on their annuity income. [120558]

Ed Balls: Every annuitant affected by the change will be receiving over the coming weeks a coding letter (P2) and some additional information. Over 950,000 will have been issued by 16 February 2007. In addition every annuitant who currently receives their annuity gross received a letter and a leaflet in early January explaining the changes.

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether HM Revenue and Customs is undertaking a publicity campaign to alert pensioners who receive retirement annuities to explain the changes to the way they are taxed on their annuity income. [120579]

Ed Balls: HMRC issued a press notice on 11 January explaining the changes and that every annuitant affected by the change would be receiving a coding letter and some information about the changes over the coming weeks. It is not planned to issue any further bulk communications before April because for the majority of customers there will be no overall change to their tax liability.

Bank Sepah International

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the decision by the US Administration to impose sanctions on the UK-based Bank Sepah International. [120246]

Ed Balls: Decisions by the US Administration to impose financial sanctions under their domestic legislation are a matter for the US Administration.

As set out in my statement to Parliament on 7 February, following the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of Resolution 1737, the Government have introduced Orders in Council under the United Nations Act 1946, which implement in the UK the financial sanctions elements of Resolution 1737 and implement the provisions of Resolution 1737 in the UK's overseas territories. The Government are
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strongly supportive of international efforts in tackling abuse of financial systems and these actions are further evidence of this.

Dormant Bank Accounts

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department’s most recent estimate is of the revenue that can be released from dormant bank accounts; and if he will make a statement. [121128]

Ed Balls: The Government, banks and building societies have agreed that the definition of an unclaimed asset should generally cover bank and building society accounts where there has been no customer activity for a period of 15 years as that will best identify those accounts that are genuinely unclaimed. On this basis, initial record searches by banks and building societies suggest that several hundred million pounds may currently lie unclaimed.

Banks: Closures

Mr. Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of bank branch closures on small local communities. [121380]

Ed Balls: Banks’ decisions regarding their branch networks are commercial decisions for the banks. Government will continue to monitor the situation as regards access to banking services.

BP

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) correspondence and (b) discussions he has had with BP since 1 October 2006. [121210]

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations 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 Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely change in the UK’s annual carbon emissions by 2010 resulting from (a) each of the measures announced in the pre-Budget report designed to impact on emissions and (b) all measures announced in the pre-Budget report taken collectively; and if he will make a statement. [117911]

John Healey: The impact of measures designed to reduce carbon emissions announced in the pre-Budget report can be found in a table at the end of chapter seven of the document. To assess the change in the UK’s carbon emissions by 2010 of all collective measures announced in the pre-Budget report would incur disproportionate costs.

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Census

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that the Office for National Statistics includes a new 100-year census confidentiality rule in primary statistics legislation. [121012]

John Healey: The proposals put forward in the Statistics and Registration Service Bill, introduced into the Commons on 2 November 2006, include a confidentiality obligation (in clause 36), which specifies that information, including census records, that allows individuals or businesses to be identified, is confidential, whether held by the board or passed by the board to others. Anyone found to have unlawfully revealed personal information to others will be committing a criminal offence.

The proposals included in the Bill do not change the current position in relation to census records held by the National Archive.

Census: Ethnic Groups

Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will instruct the Office for National Statistics to include a tick box for the Cornish under the ethnic monitoring section of the 2011 Census. [121596]

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

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 19 February 2007:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking if the Chancellor of the Exchequer will instruct the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to include a tick box for the Cornish under the ethnic monitoring section of the 2011 Census. I am replying in her absence. (121596)

The Government, local and health authorities, academics, commercial business and professions need reliable information from a Census in order to conduct their activities. The Census question content needs to be appropriate to meet the requirements of these users, and to be acceptable to the majority of respondents.

The primary objective of the 2011 Census is to get the best possible estimate of the population, because of its crucial importance for local and national planning and resource allocation. Consultation on census topics was carried out during 2005, and ONS’ response to the consultation was published in March 2006.

The 2011 Census: Assessment of initial user requirements on content for England and Wales http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/consultations/2011Census_response.asp

The topic consultation identified demand for about six pages worth of questions. Cost constraints and the burden on respondents are likely to limit space to three pages of questions per person. There are thus difficult choices to be made, with census questions being limited to those where there is a national need for information on small areas or small groups of the population that could not be found from other sources (surveys, for example). Space constraints on the census questionnaire mean that there are limits to the number of tick-boxes that can be accommodated and national identity and ethnicity questions will contain tick boxes only for the largest groups; others will be able to write-in a response in an ‘other’ box.

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