| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
12 Sep 2007 : Column 2154W—continued
The regional development agency with responsibility for Worcestershire—Advantage West Midlands (AWM)—has a general £2 million flooding recovery package and has also established a £1 million flooded areas recovery programme to assist the recovery of particularly badly flooded areas. Worcestershire has been allocated £600,000 of capital funds for infrastructure repairs under this scheme.
AWM are supporting businesses, including farmers, affected by flooding through Business Link West Midlands, with a team of more than 40 advisers offering up to five days of free business advice to help restart the estimated 1,000-plus flood-hit businesses in the region. Business Link may be able to offer up to £2,500 worth of subsidised consultancy to help companies devise a flood recovery plan.
Additionally, a flood recovery loan for companies that have carried out recovery plans has been set up, offering loans of up to £20,000 over two years where companies are unable to get all of the finance they need from their own and mainstream commercial sources.
In term of the specific projects mentioned:
AWM have been in contact with Worcestershire Cricket Club over sponsorship and marketing support for events planned to raise income for the club.
A project is being developed with Evesham Riverside to restore the overall attractiveness of the area and to remove debris to open up the navigation of the river so that boats can start to reuse it.
Fuel Poverty
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to revise the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy in light of the upward price movements in the energy market since its publication in November 2001; and if he will make a statement. [155224]
Mr. Woolas: The Energy White Paper, published in May 2007, outlined current developments in our policies and programmes aimed at tackling fuel poverty, building on the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy.
We continue to keep this policy framework under scrutiny and will report on the way forward in our next Annual Report.
Packaging: Compensation
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if he will assess the likely effects on (a) plastic bag use and (b) the waste stream of a plastic bag tax being introduced at a rate of 10p per bag; [151737]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the case for a trial of a plastic bag tax. [151738]
Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
The Treasury carried out an assessment of the Irish plastic bag tax following its introduction in 2002. A copy of this assessment is available in the Library of the House.
The Chancellor continues to keep all taxes under review. The Government currently have no plans for a plastic bag tax.
Rural Development Programme
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on implementation of the new rural development programmes in England for the period 2007-13. [155358]
Jonathan Shaw: The European Commission (EC) must approve the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13 before it can be fully implemented. The draft Programme was submitted to the EC in May and formally declared admissible in June 2007. The approval process normally takes about six months, or more if the EC seeks further information.
We are working to get formal Programme approval before the end of 2007. The Programme will then be fully implemented at the earliest opportunity.
Rural Development Programme: Finance
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when spending bodies will be allocated their budgets under the Rural Development Programme in England for the period 2007-13; and if he will make a statement. [155359]
Jonathan Shaw: The Rural Development Programme for England will be delivered by Natural England, the Forestry Commission, the Rural Payments Agency and eight separate Regional Development Agencies. These delivery bodies have been made aware of indicative budgets to enable them to meet existing commitments taken forward from the last Rural Development Programme, and help each delivery body plan for new activities. Formal budget allocations cannot be confirmed until the new programme receives European Commission approval.
Water Charges: Low Incomes
Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many successful applications there were for the vulnerable groups tariff in each of the water, and water and sewerage, companies in England in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06. [154956]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 10 September 2007]: Ofwat, the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales, collects data on the number of households receiving assistance under the Vulnerable Groups Regulations, which are set out in the water companies’ annual June returns.
The vulnerable groups tariff, under the Water Industry (Charges) (Vulnerable Groups) Regulations 1999, applies to metered customers who meet certain criteria to protect them from paying large water bills.
The numbers of households in England granted assistance with their water bills in 2004-05 and 2005-06 by individual water, and water and sewerage companies are set out in the following table.
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
Treasury
Departments: Disciplinary Proceedings
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which locations information relating to formal reprimands of staff for failing to follow departmental procedures in relation to calculating the (a) income tax and (b) national insurance liabilities of individuals in each of the last five years are held; and if he will make a statement. [153443]
Angela Eagle:
In the last five years any information relating to formal reprimands for staff for the former Inland Revenue and HM Revenue and Customs failing to follow departmental procedures in relation to calculating (a) income tax and (b) national insurance liabilities of individuals may be held locally with any manager in any of the locations dealing with these
particular issues, if at all. Currently HMRC has about 600 buildings in about 300 locations. National Insurance work is handled primarily in Newcastle. Income tax is handled in many locations too numerous to mention throughout the UK.
Departments: Flowers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on flowers in the last 12 months. [153173]
Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 2 May 2007, Official Report, column 1743W by the former Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth (John Healey).
Departments: ICT
Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many IT contracts in his Department were put out to competitive tender in each year since 1997; how many bidders there were for each tender; and which company won each tender; [155281]
(2) what the (a) estimated and (b) actual (i) cost and (ii) duration was of each IT contract tendered out by his Department since 1997. [155282]
Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer the former Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth (John Healey) gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 20 June 2007, Official Report, column 1880W.
Departments: Press
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on newspapers and magazines in the last 12 months. [153170]
Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 2 May 2007, Official Report, column 1743W to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois).
Departments: Taxis
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on taxis in the last 12 months. [153174]
Angela Eagle: I refer to the answer the then Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth (Mr. Healey) gave on 28 June 2007, Official Report, column 873W to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois).
Departments: Tribunals
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months. [153168]
Employment
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) which constituencies have seen the greatest (a) growth and (b) fall in the total number of (i) jobs and (ii) public sector jobs between 1997 and the latest date for which figures are available; [155325]
(2) how many (a) jobs and (b) public sector jobs there were in each Greater Merseyside constituency in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent date for which figures are available. [155324]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 September 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary questions about numbers of jobs in Greater Merseyside constituencies and about constituencies showing the greatest changes in numbers of jobs since 1997. (155324,155325)
The attached tables show the available information requested. Separate estimates for public sector jobs are not available.
The information is based on data from the Annual Business Inquiry for 2005 and the former Annual Employment Survey for 1997. As with any sample surveys, estimates are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
| Employee jobs by parliamentary constituency | ||||
| Constituencies in Great Britain with the largest percentage growth from 1997 to 2005 | ||||
| Thousand and percentage | ||||
| 1997 | 2005 | Change | Percentage change | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |