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8 Oct 2007 : Column 209W—continued
| Box 1: Al cohol-related causes of death, International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) | |
| Cause of death | ICD-10 code(s) |
|
Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver (excluding Biliary cirrhosis) | |
Bank Services
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the value of deposits in dormant bank accounts in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom. [154453]
Kitty Ussher: The Government set out in their March consultation document that dormant accounts would include bank and building society accounts where there has been no customer-initiated activity for a period of at least 15 years. On this basis, an assessment by banks and building societies suggests that between £250 million and £350 million lies currently unclaimed in banks, and up to £150 million unclaimed in the building society sector. These figures are for the United Kingdom. There are no specific estimates for Scotland.
The banks and building societies have committed to a comprehensive recruiting exercise in advance of the introduction of an unclaimed assets scheme in the UK. This will build on existing arrangements to help customers to track down their accounts.
Bank Services: Domicile
Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK-domiciled people with undeclared bank accounts abroad. [152912]
Jane Kennedy: HMRC does not have an estimate of the number of UK-domiciled people with undeclared bank accounts abroad.
Cash Dispensing: Yeovil
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce new, free ATMs in Yeovil constituency as part of the Working Group initiative to improve access in low income communities; and if he will make a statement. [154624]
Kitty Ussher: As announced by my predecessor on 19 June, excellent progress has been made towards the goal of providing over 600 new free ATMs across the 1,707 low income target areas identified by the ATM working group as lacking convenient access to free cash withdrawals. Yeovil constituency is not one of the target areas identified by the working group because no areas in Yeovil constituency were found to fall within the most deprived quartile of areas in the UK according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation. However, Yeovil constituency currently has 61 free ATMs, according to LINK data.
Child Benefit
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was underpaid in child benefit in each year since 1997. [154316]
Jane Kennedy: Child benefit is paid for each week of entitlement at a fixed weekly rate. The amount of child benefit paid is solely based on the number of children for whom the claimant is responsible.
All eligible claimants of child benefit receive this full weekly entitlement in respect of all eligible children.
Child Benefit: Overseas Residence
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007, Official Report, column 365W, on child benefits: overseas residence, whether all such cases are handled by a single centralised processing unit. [154058]
Jane Kennedy: All child benefit claims are processed centrally.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 25 June 2007, Official Report, column 365W, on child benefit: overseas residence, for what reason his Department does not hold information on the amount of child benefit and child tax credit paid in respect of children living abroad. [154326]
Jane Kennedy: HMRC collects and publishes a great deal of information on tax credits and child benefit and this is available on its website. The data collected and published are kept under review to ensure that the most helpful information is made available wherever possible.
Child Trust Fund
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the cost to the public purse of the Child Trust Fund in each year from 2007-08 to 2020-21 for which an estimate exists; and if he will make a statement. [154007]
Kitty Ussher: The information is as follows:
AME accruals—I refer the hon. Member to the reply he received from my hon. Friend Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 542W, and to the reply he received from my right hon. Friend Secretary of State for Education and Skills on 17 October 2006, Official Report, column 1112W.
Administration costs—I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 2214W, to the hon. Member for Leeds, North-West (Greg Mulholland). Updated figures will be published later this year.
Clothing: China
Mr. Moore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the value of garments manufactured in China that were imported into the UK from Bangladesh in the latest period for which figures are available. [154083]
Jane Kennedy: The value of garments that originated in China and were imported to the UK from Bangladesh in 2006 was £9,069,751.71.
This figure is based on declarations made to HM Revenue and Customs.
Council Tax: Education
Alistair Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of Modules 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Valuation Office Agency's Council Tax Toolkit (England) learning tools. [151312]
Jane Kennedy: These modules of the Council Tax Toolkit (England) have been placed in the Library.
Departments: Advertising
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of advertising commissioned by his Department in the last 12 months. [148506]
Angela Eagle: The Treasury's only advertising in the last 12 months has been for the purpose of staff recruitment. Posts are only advertised externally where suitable candidates are not expected to be available internally.
The Treasury takes advice from its contracted advertising agency for the most suitable media for each job. The contract was awarded in April 2007 following a competitive tender via the Catalist Framework.
The media used are regularly reviewed for their effectiveness in terms of the quality and quantity of applications generated.
Departments: Consultants
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many consultants' contracts were terminated early in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and at what cost in each year. [154341]
Angela Eagle: This information requested is not centrally held and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departments: Contracts
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government’s policy is on the use of tendering processes as part of the awarding of commercial contracts. [154035]
Angela Eagle: The Government’s policy is to achieve value for money (vfm) in all their purchasing decisions. EU Procurement Directives provide the legal framework for public procurement. They set out the procedures which must be followed before awarding a contract when its value exceeds set thresholds. The EU rules reflect and reinforce the value for money focus of the Government’s procurement policy.
Where a tender process is not subject to the Directives (e.g. below threshold), EU Treaty-based principles of non-discrimination, equal treatment, transparency, mutual recognition and proportionality apply and some degree of advertising, appropriate to the scale of the contract, is likely to be necessary to demonstrate transparency.
Departments: Debts
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what level of the financial remissions set out in the departmental annual report his Department made by (a) recoverable debts caused by official error, (b) recoverable debts not pursued on the grounds of value for money and (c) irrecoverable debts in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement. [154532]
Angela Eagle: Losses and special payments are subject to strict control procedures and notation arrangements as set out in “Government Accounting”. The Treasury complies with those arrangements and reports losses in its Resource Accounts as necessary. A more detailed breakdown than that shown in the Resource Accounts could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Copies of the Resource Accounts can be found at:
Departments: Departmental Reorganisation
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2007, Official Report, column 1066W, on Departments: Departmental reorganisation, what account his Department takes of the Information Commissioner's guidance that no internal review should take longer than 40 days; and how many requests for internal review have exceeded this deadline. [154087]
Angela Eagle: The Department strives to follow best practice guidance in regard to FOI handling including internal reviews. The Treasury has robust systems to ensure a thorough and independent assessment of the original decision.
Departments: Information Officers
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many press officers are employed by the Bank of England. [154432]
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many press officers are employed by National Savings and Investments. [154636]
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many press officers are employed by the Royal Mint. [154721]
Angela Eagle: The information is as follows.
Four press officers are employed by the Bank of England.
No press officers are employed by the Royal Mint.
Four press officers are employed by National Savings and Investments.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many press officers are employed by his Department. [153177]
Angela Eagle: The number of press officers employed within the Chancellors Department as at 1 July 2007 is as outlined as follows:
| FTE | |
Departments: Legislation
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2007, Official Report, column 440W, on Departments: Legislation, which parts of the 60 Acts have not been brought into force. [154204]
Angela Eagle: The information, in relation to Acts other than Finance Acts, is in the table. Since 16 July 2007 one further Act has received Royal Assent, but is not yet in force (the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007).
In relation to the Finance Acts, this information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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