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14 Mar 2007 : Column 416W—continued
| Table 2c: Projected population and proportions of population in 2029 by strategic health authority( 1) for specific age groups | |||||||||
| 2029 | |||||||||
| Total population | Over state pension age | 65+ | 75+ | 85+ | |||||
| Thousand | Thousand | Percentage | Thousand | Percentage | Thousand | Percentage | Thousand | Percentage | |
| (1 )Strategic health authorities based on 2006 boundaries. Source: Office for National Statistics | |||||||||
Revenue and Customs: Standards
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors led to HM Revenue and Customs being awarded a Red RAG score by the Office of Government Commerce in 2006. [126854]
Mr. Timms: The OGC have not published any RAG scores for HM Revenue and Customs in 2006.
Small Businesses: EC Countries
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many small and medium-sized UK enterprises have used the STIMUTRAN-SME project. [126907]
Mr. Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
The STIMUTRAN-SME project aims to boost innovation and knowledge transfer between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of North West Europe through “Transnational Matching Centres” (TMCs). These will help SMEs develop transnational business activities and help them find compatible business partners in the North West Europe region. Small and medium-sized enterprises from the UK have not yet had the opportunity to benefit from the STIMUTRAN-SME project as the TMCs have not yet commenced operations, but will do so shortly.
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost has been to the public purse of the STIMUTRAN-SME project; and how much has been provided by the European Commission to the project. [126908]
Mr. Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
The total budget for STIMUTRAN-SME, a North West Europe INTERREG project, is £171,227.47, which is made up of European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) of £373,069.18 and £404,158.28 match funding provided by the 10 project partners themselves.
The four UK partners (Southern Area Euro Info Centre; Highland Opportunity Limited; Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Business Link Kent) between them have a total budget for the life span of the project (2006-08) of £235,340.92. 48 per cent. of this is funded by ERDF (£112,963.32). The remainder, £122,377.60, has been provided by the four partners themselves. It is not possible to determine precisely how much of the match funding provided by partners may have originated from the public purse.
Statistics: Constituencies
Mr. Slaughter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has issued guidance to other Government departments on the production of statistics for new parliamentary constituencies. [126442]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 March 2007:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to any guidance has been issued to other government departments on the production of statistics for new parliamentary constituencies. (126442)
Firstly please can I refer you to the answer that Colin Mowl gave on my behalf to a closely related question from Roger Godsiff MP (119197) last month (Hansard ref: 19 February 2007, column 233W).
Furthermore there is a draft National Statistics Geography Policy that wherever possible stable geographies should be used as the building blocks for National Statistics. Wherever possible ‘exact’ outputs should be produced and published first for these core geographies. Outputs for other areas, including parliamentary constituencies, will continue to be released as long as they are required. These will be created either from the source data or via best fitting or estimation from the core units. Hence in principle it should be possible to provide the range of statistics that are currently available for existing parliamentary constituencies.
A boundary commission report detailing the proposed new parliamentary constituencies was laid before parliament on 26 February 2007. There has not yet been a date set for the debates in the House of Commons and House of Lords to discuss and vote on these proposals.
When we know the details of the new constituencies the ONS and other government departments will start producing data for them as resources and work programmes allow.
Mr. Slaughter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide the key statistics for the proposed parliamentary constituencies of (a) Ealing Central and Acton and (b) Hammersmith Borough from the 2001 census data. [126443]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 March 2007:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking if we will provide key statistics for the proposed parliamentary constituencies of (a) Baling Central and Acton and (b) Hammersmith Borough from the 2001 Census data. (126443)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is currently reviewing the most appropriate manner in which 2001 Census data could be provided for revised constituencies for the UK Parliament in both England and Wales once the boundaries for England are finalised.
The amount of data produced from the 2001 Census for the revised constituencies, and the timing of its release, will depend on available resources and the priority of other Census outputs.
Tax Evasion
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the differences between the tax and duties which should have been paid and those which were paid in 2005-06. [126236]
John Healey: There are no reliable estimates for the difference between the total tax and duties that should have been paid and the amount actually paid in 2005-06.
However, estimates of revenue losses in indirect taxes are available and are reported in “Measuring Indirect Tax Losses—2006”, which is published alongside the PBR and can be found in the House of Commons Library.
Taxation: Aviation
Natascha Engel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the merits of exempting charities from the requirement to pay air passenger duty. [126544]
John Healey: Air passenger duty increased on 1 February in recognition of the environmental costs of air travel. This will deliver carbon savings of around 0.3MtC a year by 2010-11, or around 0.75MtC per year by 2010-11 when the effect of non-carbon dioxide emissions at high altitude is taken into account.
The Government are committed to supporting charities and the third sector through a range of tax reliefs and other measures. In 2005-06, tax reliefs for the charitable sector were worth in excess of £2.5 billion.
Given the level of support already extended to charities through the tax system and the administrative structure of air passenger duty the Government does not currently believe that an air passenger duty exemption would be appropriate.
The Chancellor keeps all taxation policy under review, and considers all relevant economic, social and environmental factors in deciding future policy.
Tobacco: Smuggling
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of lost revenue to his Department due to tobacco smuggling from other EU states. [126240]
John Healey: It is not possible to estimate the level of tobacco smuggling solely from other EU states. Estimates are only produced on the revenue loss from smuggling originating from within and outside of the EU combined.
The estimated revenue loss to the Exchequer (duty plus VAT) on cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco due to fraud, smuggling and counterfeiting for 2000-01 to 2004-05 is reported in “Measuring Indirect Tax Losses—2006” published by HMRC in December 2006 and is available in the House of Commons Library.
Health
Breast Feeding
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of women who breastfed their babies for the first six months in each year since 1995. [126156]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The national infant feeding survey conducted every five years provides information on the percentage of women breastfeeding their babies for the first six months. Both the 1995 and 2000 survey showed that 22 per cent. of the women breastfed their babies for the first six months in England and Wales as compared to 21 per cent. in the United Kingdom. Figures for the prevalence of breastfeeding each year are not available.
The results of the national infant feeding survey 2005 are expected to be published in summer 2007.
Cancer: Drugs
Mr. Baron:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to undertake an appraisal of the
kidney cancer drugs (a) Sutent and (b) Nexavar; what responsibilities primary care trusts have to make these drugs available to patients; and if she will make a statement. [125213]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 5 March 2007]: The Department has asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to consult on the remit and scope for an appraisal of Nexavar for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. A final decision on referral of this topic to NICE will be made in April 2007. The Department is currently considering referring Sutent to NICE for appraisal.
In December 2006, the Department issued good practice guidance to the national health service on the managed introduction of new technologies. The guidance updates and clarifies the messages in an earlier Health Service Circular 1999/176 and makes clear to NHS organisations that they should not refuse to fund a treatment simply because NICE guidance does not yet exist. Until NICE has issued final
guidance on a treatment, NHS bodies should continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies, taking account of the available evidence.
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