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27 Feb 2007 : Column 1290W—continued
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what percentage of children whose parents did not open child trust fund accounts in 2005 HM Revenue and Customs has opened accounts. [123527]
Ed Balls: HM Revenue and Customs will open a revenue-allocated account for all eligible children whose parents do not use their voucher to open a child trust fund account before the expiry date.
All vouchers issued in 2005 expired by 31 December 2006 and all relevant providers have been notified of the need to open an account. Almost all parents have been written to, alert them to where their child's account is held. For those vouchers that expired in December 2006 parents will be notified by early March 2007.
The most recent set of child trust fund statistics, published on 4 January 2007, show that HM Revenue and Customs have opened approximately 0.5 million accounts where vouchers have expired. These statistics can be viewed on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which financial services provider HM Revenue and Customs uses when it opens child trust fund accounts for children whose parents do not open accounts on their behalf; and what the interest rate was on such accounts for each quarter in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006. [123530]
Ed Balls: If a parent does not open a child trust fund account within 12 months of the issue of the child trust fund voucher, HM Revenue and Customs will allocate it on a strictly rotational basis to one of the child trust fund providers who have registered to open these accounts. An up-to-date list of these providers is available on the child trust fund website:
http://www.childtrustfund.gov.uk/templates/Page1320.aspx
All accounts opened by HMRC are stakeholder accounts which invest in equities and will therefore not have interest rates. HM Revenue and Customs do not keep records of the different interest or growth rates offered by providers on any types of account.
Child Trust Fund: Costs
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost to HM Revenue and Customs of notifying parents that it has opened a trust for their child under the child trust fund initiative was in each year since 2003. [122870]
Ed Balls: Since March 2006, HM Revenue and Customs have been opening accounts for parents whose voucher has expired. After opening an account, HM Revenue and Customs write to the child benefit claimant for the child informing them about the account and encouraging them to engage with it. The cost of this notification has so far been just over £150,000.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to HM Revenue and Customs of managing child trust funds (CTFs) not invested by the recipients has been since the inception of CTFs. [122872]
Ed Balls: HM Revenue and Customs do not manage child trust fund accounts. If a parent does not open an account within 12 months of the issue of the CTF voucher, HMRC will allocate it on a strictly rotational basis to one of the CTF providers who have registered to receive HMRC allocated accounts. HM Revenue and Customs will then write to the child benefit claimant for the child informing them about the account and encouraging them to engage with it.
Child Trust Fund: Fees and Charges
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average fee charged by banks is to open and manage a child trust fund account. [122871]
Ed Balls: I refer the hon. Member to the answer on 16 January 2007, Official Report, column 1010W, to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable).
Child Trust Fund: West Midlands
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average payment has been made by parents into existing child trust fund accounts in (a) Staffordshire, (b) the west midlands and (c) Tamworth constituency. [122406]
Ed Balls: Information on parental contributions to Child Trust Fund accounts will be available later this year.
Death: Young People
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the 10 most common causes of death of (a) boys and (b) girls between the ages of 11 and 16 years were in the last period for which figures are available. [122783]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 27 February 2007:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the 10 most common causes of death of (a) boys and (b) girls between the ages of 11 and 16 years was in the last period for which figures are available. I am replying in her absence. (122783)
The most recent year for which figures are available is 2005. The table below shows the number of deaths for the 10 leading causes of death in boys and girls aged 11-16 years of age in England and Wales in 2005.
There are many ways in which 'causes' of death are defined for different purposes. The cause of death groups used here are based on a list developed by the World Health Organization, modified for use in England and Wales. An article published in 2005(l) examined four variations of this cause list. It proposed mutually exclusive cause groups and recommended that for ranking causes of death the most useful groupings split cancers by site and accidents by mechanism (e.g. drowning/poisoning).
That recommendation has been followed for the data reported here.
(1) Griffiths C, Rooney C and Brock A (2005) Leading causes of death in England and Wales-how should we group causes? “Health Statistics Quarterly” 28, p 6-17.
Defence: Expenditure
Mr. Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has issued to the Ministry of Defence on preparation and submissions for the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement. [119086]
Mr. Timms: The Treasury has worked closely with all Government Departments in preparation for the comprehensive spending review (CSR), providing guidance throughout the process. Full details of the Ministry of Defence's settlement will be set out in the CSR White Paper.
Departmental Staff
Chris Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2007, Official Report, column 1986W, on departmental staff, how many permanently employed staff there were in (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies at each civil service grade in each year; and if he will make a statement. [122633]
John Healey: The information requested can be found in the Civil Service Statistics which are published by the Cabinet Office and available from:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/.
Departments: Freedom of Information
Mr. Wills: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of monitoring the time spent processing requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the purposes of the proposed fees regulations. [121718]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Redcar (Vera Baird) on 22 February, Official Report, 1926W.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many requests received by his Department under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 were responded to substantively within (a) 20 days, (b) 60 days, (c) 90 days and (d) 180 days; how many requests were outstanding (i) nine months and (ii) 11 months after first receipt; and what the reason is for the delay in each case. [123161]
John Healey: Statistics on the Treasury's performance under the Freedom of Information Act are available from the House Library and published by the Department for Constitutional Affairs. The most recent publication is available at:
http://www.foi.gov.uk/reference/statsAndReports/stats06_jul-sep.htm
The data published comply with the agreed reporting requirements for central Government Departments and show that HMT responded to 97 per cent. of FOI requests within the statutory deadline.
Fraud
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the level of carousel fraud in each year since 2003-04. [123357]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 6 February 2007, Official Report, column 914W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath (Mr. Godsiff).
Grants: Renewable Energy
John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the impact of capital grant incentives on the UK micro-renewables market. [122992]
John Healey: The Department of Trade and Industry has commissioned various studies which include analysis of the impact of capital grants on the micro-generation market, including for example, the Energy Saving Trust’s “Potential for micro-generation: study and analysis” (published in 2005).
Budget 2006 announced an additional £50 million to provide grants for micro-generation, funding the Low- Carbon Buildings Programme: phase 2.
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