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1 May 2007 : Column 1620W—continued
Excise Duty: Alcoholic Drinks
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons were for the recent change in the rate of duty on (a) beer and (b) wine. [134570]
John Healey: Duty on beer and wine was increased in line with inflation at the Budget to maintain revenue levels and support the Government’s spending priorities.
Four Wheeled-drive Cars
Jane Kennedy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will visit the Halewood site of the production of the Land Rover Freelander 2 to discuss with managers and trade union representatives the impact of green taxes on the production of high-performance and four wheeled-drive motor cars with managers and trade union representatives. [129847]
John Healey: The Chancellor and I meet with representatives of the vehicle manufacturing industry and trade unions on a regular basis, on a range of issues of common interest. We will happily continue to meet representatives of the motor industries to discuss these issues.
Gambling: Taxation
Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the total receipts from betting and gaming duties were in 2005-06; and what his Department’s forecasts are for total gaming duty receipts in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08; [133997]
(2) what his Department’s forecasts are for total remote gaming duty receipts in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08; [133998]
(3) what proportion of forecast total gaming duty receipts are expected to be accounted for by remote gaming duty in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08. [133999]
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the effect on Exchequer revenues of the introduction of a remote gaming duty of 15 per cent., broken down by (a) internet, (b) telephone and (c) interactive television gambling; and if he will make a statement. [134170]
John Healey: Revenues from gambling taxes are published in the HM Revenue and Customs Betting, Gaming and Lottery Duties Bulletin, available at:
Revenue estimates of the Budget changes to gambling taxation were published in the 2007 Financial Statement and Budget Report.
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the tax burden on (a) bookmakers, (b) bingo clubs and (c) casinos; and what his policy is on the harmonisation of gaming tax across different forms of gaming. [134484]
John Healey: Revenues from gambling taxes are published in the HM Revenue and Customs Betting, Gaming and Lottery Duties Bulletin, available at http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bullbett. Bookmakers, bingo clubs and casinos are also subject to the usual taxes imposed on business.
The Government take all relevant factors into consideration when establishing and maintaining fair regimes for the gambling taxes.
Gift Aid
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2007, Official Report, columns 983-84W, on Gift Aid, (1) whether the predicted increase of £0.4 billion in Gift Aid in 2007-08 takes into account the reduction of two per cent. in the basic rate income tax; and if he will make a statement; [134699]
(2) what the evidential basis was for the assumption that Gift Aid would increase by 5.6 per cent. in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [134700]
Mr. Timms: The figures provided relate to the year 2007-08. The change to the basic rate of income tax announced in the Budget, takes effect from 2008-09.
The estimate of 5.6 per cent. increase for 2007-08 is informed by the Treasury’s latest projections for average earnings growth and employment growth, which are consistent with the assumptions for trend output growth published in chapter B of Budget 2007.
As announced by the Chancellor in his recent Budget speech, the Government will consult with the charitable sector on measures to increase take-up of gift aid.
Government Services
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average (a) lifetime incomes, (b) lifetime tax revenues and (c) lifetime consumption of Government services of (i) men and (ii) women born in (A) 2000, (B) 1990 and (C) 1980. [134617]
John Healey: The information requested is not available.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) tax revenues paid by, (b) income and (c) consumption of Government services, broken down by type, of (i) a representative man and (ii) a representative woman born in (A) 2000, (B) 1990 and (C) 1980, with reference to the assumptions outlined in Chapter 4 of Long Term Public Finance Report 2006. [134618]
John Healey: The spending and revenue projections given in the long-term public finance report are purely forward looking. The report does not include the type of historical analysis of lifetime tax revenues, income or consumption of government services that would be required to make the estimations outlined in the question.
Health Services: Private Sector
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of private spending on health care in each year since 1997 (a) in cash terms, (b) in real terms and (c) as a proportion of gross domestic product. [133994]
Mr. Timms: The Office for National Statistics provides information on health spending, including private spending on health care up until 2002, on its website (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/healthaccounts/experimental.asp). The ONS series on private health spending is now discontinued.
Internal Treasury estimates for later years, based on a number of assumptions for discontinued data series, are in the following table.
| Percentage | |
HM Revenue and Customs: Contracts
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the contractors used by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in the last 12 months operated via (a) a personal service company and (b) a managed serviced company; and how much was paid by HMRC in fees to such companies in that period. [133973]
John Healey: This information is not available.
HM Revenue and Customs: Wales
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he expects to make in efficiency savings from changes to the HM Revenue and Customs Service in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [133718]
John Healey [holding answer 24 April 2007]: HMRC is structured around customers and business functions rather than geographically. Each of HMRC’s business directorates is required to contribute to HMRC’s overall efficiency savings across the spending review 2004 period, but the requirement is not defined by geographical region.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he expects to pay in redundancy payments to staff who lose their jobs through HM Revenue and Customs efficiency savings cuts in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [133719]
John Healey [holding answer 24 April 2007]: HMRC is on track to achieve its 2004 spending review efficiency targets, including net staffing reductions of 12,500 full-time equivalent posts, by April 2008 without recourse to redundancy. HMRC has a no redundancy agreement with the trade unions lasting until at least September 2007. Its aim is to avoid future redundancies if at all possible, principally by continuing to restrict recruitment and to offer approved early retirement schemes.
Housing: Pollution Control
Mrs. Villiers:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the oral answer by the Chief
Secretary to the Treasury of 23 April 2007, Official Report, column 662, on zero-carbon homes, if he will quantify the number of zero-carbon homes in the UK. [134665]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer the Economic Secretary to the Treasury gave to the hon. Member for Cambridge (David Howarth) on 27 March 2007, Official Report, column 1511W.
Income Tax
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2007, Official Report, columns 985-6W, on income tax: tax rates and bands, how the figures quoted for the cost of changes in the rate of income tax relate to those on line 22 of table A1, page 208 of the Budget 2007; and whether the same assumptions have been used. [134661]
Ed Balls: The answer of 23 April 2007, Official Report, columns 985-6W, on income tax: tax rates and bands were provided on an accruals basis as stated in the reply. The figures quoted for the cost of changes in the rate of income tax shown on line 22 of table A1, page 208 of the Budget 2007 are based on the same assumptions but have been converted on to a national accounts basis. Paragraph A2.8 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report explains how accruals basis figures are converted on to a national accounts basis.
Income Tax: Middlesbrough
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) the North East and (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland paid the basic rate of income tax in the 2006-07 tax year. [134766]
Ed Balls: The latest estimates for the number of individual income taxpayers by country and region can be found in table 2.2 “Number of individual income taxpayers by country and region” on HM Revenue and Customs website.
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income tax/menu.htm
Information on the number of basic rate taxpayers at constituency level is unavailable. Available estimates for the number of individual income taxpayers by constituency be found in table 3.15 “Income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency” on HM Revenue and Customs website.
The information is based on the Survey of Personal Incomes, of which 2004-05 is the latest available, and projected in line with Budget 2007 assumptions.
Sample sizes at constituency level are small and estimates can demonstrate a large variability from year to year, therefore any inference from the information in the table for 2004-05 should take into account the confidence intervals in table 3.15a “Income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency, Confidence Intervals”.
Income Tax: Overpayments
Mr. Anthony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people claimed overpayments in their income tax payments in each year since 1997; and how many of these claims were successful. [134310]
Ed Balls: The total number of repayments made by HM Revenue and Customs in each financial year since 2001-2002 (the data are not held for earlier years) is as follows (this may include more than one repayment to an individual within the same financial year).
| Number | |
HM Revenue and Customs does not hold information on the number of people who have claimed overpayments.
Inflation
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps he plans to take in response to recent trends in the rate of inflation; [134567]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the effects of recent trends in the rate of inflation on the British economy. [134574]
John Healey: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for the conduct of monetary policy. Under the Chancellor’s remit for the MPC, the operational target for monetary policy is an underlying inflation rate (measured by the 12-month increase in the CPI) of 2 per cent. The remit was last confirmed on 21 March 2007.
The Treasury’s latest assessment of the economy was published in Budget 2007 (HC 342). Since then, Consumer Price Inflation turned out at 3.1 per cent. in March, This prompted an open letter from the Governor of the Bank of England and a reply from the Chancellor which further discussed recent developments and prospects for inflation.
For its part, the Government will continue to be vigilant and disciplined in the fight against inflation. To that end, the Chancellor announced to Parliament on 1 March 2007 overall headline settlements for public sector workforces covered by Pay Review Bodies are to be less than the 2 per cent. inflation target in 2007-08.
Managed Service Companies
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish the research which led his Department to conclude, in “Tackling Managed Service Companies” of December 2006, that there are 240,000 workers employed by managed service companies; [134758]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the research that led him to conclude in the Red Book 2007 that the measures on managed services companies set out in Schedule 3 of the Finance Bill 2007 will yield £350 million to the Exchequer in 2007-08, £450 million in 2008-09 and £250 million in 2009-10. [134759]
John Healey: The Government set out their analysis of the problem of workers operating through Managed Service Companies in the consultation document “Tackling Managed Service Companies”. This was published at the 2006 pre-Budget report. Evidence was gathered from a wide range of businesses and other interested parties during the consultation process. This evidence was incorporated into the regulatory impact assessment published alongside the Finance Bill and set out in “Tackling Managed Companies: summary of consultation responses”.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to respond to the hon. Member for Billericay’s letter dated 5 March on Northlands Park Surestart. [133760]
John Healey [holding answer 24 April 2007]: The correspondence was transferred to the Department for Education and Skills on 16 March and the hon. Member was notified by letter on that date.
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