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17 Oct 2007 : Column 1134W—continued
Prime Minister
Departments: Internet
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister (1) how many websites his Department operates; how many it operated at 1 January 2005; and what the estimated annual cost has been of running his Department’s websites in the last five years; [157913]
(2) how many hits the (a) most and (b) least popular website run by his Department has received since 1 January 2007. [157914]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor (Tony Blair) to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) on 9 May 2007 , Official Report, column 196W.
Information on the number of visits to the site can be found on the No. 10. website (http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page13384.asp). A copy of this webpage has been placed in the Library of the House.
The running costs for the No. 10 website the financial year 1 April 2006-1 April 2007 were £189,689. The costs reflect the creation of new channels with which to engage with the public, including e-petitions and the YouTube channel, both of which are major innovations in online Government communication.
Departments: Official Hospitality
David Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent by his Office on official hospitality in the last 12 months. [158901]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes (Shona McIsaac) on 25 July 2007, Official Report, column 1108W. Figures for the financial year 2007-08 will be published in the usual way after the end of the financial year.
Ministers: Grace and Favour Housing
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the grace and favour properties available to members of the Government; and who the current occupants of those properties are. [157812]
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Prime Minister which Ministers occupy each of the official ministerial residences; and which of them (a) pay and (b) do not pay council tax on their official residences. [158074]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 15 October 2007]: The flats above numbers 10 and 11 Downing Street have traditionally been the residences of the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer. I currently reside in Number 11 Downing Street and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer resides in Number 10 Downing Street. One of the flats in Admiralty House is currently occupied by my right hon. Friend, Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown). Council tax is paid personally on these official residences by me and both my right hon. Friends. The remaining official residences are currently unoccupied. The ministerial residence in South Eaton Place, Pimlico, is no longer required and it will be sold, with the proceeds going to the Exchequer.
In addition, I have the use of Chequers and my right hon. Friends the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Foreign Secretary, have the use of Dorneywood and Chevening respectively. Council tax in respect of Chequers, Dorneywood and Chevening is a matter for the trustees. Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office have the use of accommodation in Hillsborough Castle and Stormont.
Prime Minister's Questions
Jeremy Wright: To ask the Prime Minister how many hours are spent each week in preparation for Prime Minister’s Questions by (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers (i) in Downing Street and (ii) on average in other Departments; and if he will make a statement. [158828]
The Prime Minister: I am briefed in exactly the same way as my predecessors were.
Royal Household: Finance
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister what contributions to the cost of the Royal Household are met by countries other than the United Kingdom where Her Majesty the Queen is Head of State; and if he will make a statement. [156845]
Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
Treasury
Air Passenger Duty
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to tax aircraft emissions rather than impose air passenger duty; and if he will make a statement. [157260]
Dr. Blackman-Woods: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues about potential alternatives to air passenger duty; and what plans he has to change the current system. [157317]
Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Members to the Chancellor’s statement in the House on 9 October 2007, Official Report, column 167W, and to the pre-Budget report and Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 ‘Meeting the aspirations of the British people’ (Cm.7227) paragraphs 7.54 to 7.56.
Breast Cancer
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people in (a) Hertfordshire and (b) England developed breast cancer in each of the last three years; [157519]
(2) what proportion of people in (a) Hertfordshire and (b) England developed breast cancer in each of the last three years. [157520]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell dated, 16 October 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking how many people developed breast cancer (a) in Hertfordshire and (b) nationally in each of the last three years [157519], and what proportion of people developed breast cancer (a) in Hertfordshire and (b) nationally in each of the last three years [157520].
The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases (incidence) of malignant neoplasm of breast are for 2004. Numbers and rates per 100,000 for 2002-2004 for England and the county of Hertfordshire are given in Table 1 below.
It is not possible to produce breast cancer rates for males in Hertfordshire due to the small numbers involved.
| Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases and rates( 1) per 100,000 of malignant neoplasm of breast( 2) : England and the county of Hertfordshire( 3) , by sex, 2002-04 | |||||||
| Registrations | Rates | ||||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | ||
| (1 )Rates are directly age-standardised to control for differences in the age structure of populations between geographical areas over time. (2) Breast cancer is defined as code C50 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (3) Rates were not calculated for males in Hertfordshire as the numbers of registrations were too low. Source: Office for National Statistics | |||||||
Childcare: Finance
Jo Swinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funds are available to local authorities for provision under the forthcoming childcare duty. [157750]
Beverley Hughes: I have bean asked to reply.
We are determined that local authorities should have the resources they need to fulfil the statutory duty to secure from April 2008, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient childcare to meet the needs of working parents. From that month the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant to local authorities in England will include revenue and capital funding as shown in the table to fund Sure Start Children’s Centres; support outcomes, quality and diversity; and support child care sufficiency and access, This funding is not ring-fenced and it remains up to individual local authorities to determine how their funds will be spent.
| £ million | ||
| Revenue funding | Capital funding | |
Departments: Secondment
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff are seconded to his Department from outside Government; from which outside body each has been seconded; and what the length is of each secondment. [157908]
Angela Eagle: Information relating to staff currently seconded to the Treasury can be found on the HMT Website at:
Disability Aids: Finance
Lorely Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will allocate additional funding to improve wheelchair and mobility equipment available to disabled children and young people as set out in the report Aiming High for Disabled Children by his Department and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. [156953]
Andy Burnham: The Department of Health (DH) 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) settlement of £110 billion by 2010-11 included additional resource to support improved outcomes for disabled children (as committed in the HM Treasury/Department for Education and Skills (DCSF) report “Aiming high for disabled children: better support for families”.
Improving outcomes for disabled children and their families will also be reflected in the new PSA and indicator set, with a joint DCSF/DH national disabled children’s indicator as part of the new CSR performance management framework setting out Government priorities and driving improved provision and delivery of services.
Employment: Mentally Ill People
Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to publish his Department’s Review of Mental Health and Employment; if he will give priority to extending access to proven psychological therapies in order to increase employment opportunities and reduce the risk of unemployment among people with mental health problems; and if he will make a statement. [157846]
Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health made on 10 October 2007.
Housing: Valuation
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many residential dwellings in England are recorded by the Valuation Office Agency with the dwelling house coding of having (a) one bedroom, (b) two bedrooms, (c) three bedrooms and (d) four or more bedrooms. [158058]
Jane Kennedy: As at 4 October 2007, the relevant number of dwellings in England were 2,545,082 with one bedroom, 6,247,291 with two bedrooms, 10,045,887 with three bedrooms and 3,139,945 with four or more bedrooms.
Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the likely change in revenue from reducing the (a) basic rate of income tax and (b) higher rate of income tax by one per cent. in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09. [158076]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested will be published in the next edition of HM Treasury's tax ready reckoner—‘2007 tax ready reckoner and tax reliefs’—which will be published later this year.
Influenza
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Financial Services Authority is taking to assess the effectiveness of the contingency plans of the UK's financial institutions for a potential influenza pandemic. [158470]
Kitty Ussher: In October/November 2006, the Financial Services Authority, on behalf of the Tripartite Authorities (HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority (FSA)), led a six week market wide exercise on pandemic flu. Around 70 market participants took part and a report on lessons learned is available on the Tripartite Financial Sector Continuity website (www.fsc.gov.uk).
The Tripartite Authorities have held a series of follow up events to discuss key issues arising from the exercise and the FSA continues to work with retail banks, insurance firms, recovery site providers and telecommunications firms to produce statements about how they would respond in a pandemic.
In addition, the FSA has conducted benchmarking to establish the preparedness of firms to deal with a range of threats or hazards, including pandemic influenza.
Long Term Public Finance Report 2007
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the Long Term Public Finance Report 2007 was not published with the Pre-Budget Report; and when he plans to publish it. [158850]
Andy Burnham: As set out in paragraph 2.45 of the 2007 pre-Budget report, the Government publish the “Long-term public finance report” to provide a comprehensive analysis of long-term socio-economic and demographic developments, and their likely impact on the public finances, based on the most up-to-date information available.
The population projections provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are central to this analysis. Given that ONS will not publish the new population projections until the 23 October 2007, the next long-term public finance report will now be published at a later date.
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