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19 Mar 2007 : Column 707W—continued
Economic Growth
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate (a) the level of non-oil related GDP growth and (b) contribution to non-oil related GDP growth of (i) labour productivity growth, (ii) employment rate growth, (iii) average hours worked growth and (iv) working-age population growth in real terms in each year since 1977. [127342]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 March 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding a request for an estimate of (a) the level of non-oil related GDP growth and (b) the contribution to non-oil related GDP growth of (i) labour productivity growth, (ii) employment rate growth, (iii) average hours worked growth and (iv) working-age population growth in real terms in each year since 1977. (127342)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not calculate an estimate of non-oil related GDP but I have provided our published estimate of gross value added excluding oil and gas (table A). The difference between GDP and gross value added is that GDP includes the effects of taxes and subsidies on products whereas gross value added does not. However, in terms of growth rates the difference is minimal.
ONS does produce estimates of labour productivity, the employment rate, average hours worked and the working-age population. However, these are not used directly in the calculation of GDP and gross value added.
| Table A: UK gross value added excluding oil and gas | ||
| £ million | Annual growth (%) | |
| (1 )These figures are based on data published on 23rd February 2007 | ||
Economic Situation: Cumbria
David Maclean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the gross value added rate was of the Cumbrian economy in each year since 1990. [127181]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell dated 19 March 2007:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question about Gross Value Added (GVA) of the Cumbrian economy in each year since 1990. (127181)
Regional GVA data are currently published in The Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics (NUTS) regions and Cumbria is a NUTS2 region. Table A has the latest available data from 1995 to 2004.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data prior to 1995 were published biennially at the county level. These data were last published in 1998. Table B has the data for Cumbria from 1991 and 1993.
Both data-sets are at current prices, therefore the effects of inflation are not taken into account. The data sets in Table A and Table B were calculated using different methodologies and cannot be used together to obtain a consistent time series.
| Table A | |
| Gross value added in Cumbria (£ million) | |
| Table B | |
| Gross domestic product in Cumbria (£ million) | |
Excise Duties: Beer
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will freeze beer duty; and if he will make a statement; [127171]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of beer duty on profitability in the brewing industry; [127172]
(3) if he will introduce measures to assist investment and growth in the UK brewing industry; and if he will make a statement; [127173]
(4) what assessment he has made of the contribution made to the UK economy of the brewing and pub sector. [127174]
John Healey: Decisions on the taxation of beer are made by the Chancellor at Budget taking all relevant factors into consideration, including the state of the industry and its contribution to the economy.
Excise Duties: Gaming Machines
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will freeze duty on gaming machines; and if he will make a statement. [127175]
John Healey: Decisions on the taxation of gambling are made by the Chancellor at Budget taking all relevant factors into consideration, including the state of the industry and its contribution to the economy.
Financial Services: Advisory Services
Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the appropriateness of the registration fees of small to medium-sized independent financial advice practices; what representations he has made to the Financial Services Authority regarding those fees; and if he will make a statement. [127525]
Ed Balls: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is operationally independent of Government including in relation to the setting of fees. The FSA consults annually on its proposed regulatory fees and levies. The FSA consultation for 2007-08 was published in February and is available at:
Inheritance Tax
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the consequences for public revenues of reducing the rate of inheritance tax from 40 per cent. to 10 per cent., taking account of the probable behavioural impact of such a change; and if he will make a statement. [128018]
Dawn Primarolo: An estimate of the impact on tax revenues of reducing the inheritance tax rate to 10 per cent. from the year 2007-08 can be obtained from the ready reckoner table published by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs at:
The ready reckoner figures do not include any allowance for the impact of behavioural responses to the change; we can not provide a reliable estimate of such an impact.
Investment Appraisals
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government’s cost of capital is for the purpose of investment appraisals and cost comparisons; how this figure is arrived at; how often and against what criteria it is reviewed; and if he will make a statement. [127979]
Mr. Timms: The Government use a discount rate of 3.5 per cent. in real terms in central Government appraisals. This reflects the social time preference rate rather than the cost of capital. The rate is kept under constant review. Further information is contained in “The Green Book: Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government”.
Owner Occupation
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the mean imputed rent is for owner-occupiers in each household income decile. [127313]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 March 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the mean imputed rent is for owner occupiers in each household income decile. (127313).
This information is not available. The main National Statistics on household income distribution, such as Households Below Average Income (HBAI) and The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, do not use definitions of income which include imputed rent for owner-occupiers. HBAI presents statistics using two definitions of income: 'before housing costs' and 'after housing costs'. This latter measure achieves greater comparability between owner-occupier households and those that rent accommodation, albeit only for a measure of income which disregards housing and the contribution it makes to a households standard of living.
Comparisons of income distributions between countries are particularly affected by structural differences between housing markets. Therefore in statistics for international comparison, the treatment of housing is particularly important. The new EU-SILC (European Union—Survey on Income and Living Conditions) will include estimates of imputed rent from the 2007 survey onwards (data available from 2009
onwards).
Estimates of the total imputed rent for all owner-occupiers are included in the National Accounts, although this information is not available by income decile group.
Personal Income
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) mean and (b) median age is of the household reference person in each household income decile. [127327]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 March 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the (a) mean and (b) median age is of the household reference person in each household income decile. (127327).
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