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29 Oct 2007 : Column 902W—continued
Methadone: Death
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths there were where methadone was the major contributory factor in each of the last 10 years. [161220]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 29 October 2007:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths there were where methadone was the major contributory factor in each of the last 10 years. I am replying in her absence. (161220)
ONS reports annually on deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales. Where more than one drug is mentioned on the death certificate it is not always possible to tell which of them was primarily responsible for the death. ONS therefore publishes the total number of deaths where methadone was mentioned on the death certificate, the number of these deaths which also mentioned alcohol, and the number where methadone was the only drug mentioned.
Latest available results are for 2005 and figures from 1993 to 2005 can be found in Health Statistics Quarterly,(1) copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library. The figures are also available on the National Statistics website.(2) The table below shows the number of deaths from 1996 to 2005 for drug-related poisonings where methadone was mentioned on the death certificate, where alcohol was also mentioned, and where methadone was the only drug mentioned.
(1) Office for National Statistics (2007) Report: Deaths related to drug poisoning: England and Wales, 1993-2005. Health Statistics Quarterly 33, 82-88. Table 2: Number of deaths where selected substances were mentioned on the death certificate.
(2) Data available to download at:
| Deaths from drug-related poisoning( 1) where methadone was mentioned on the death certificate, mentioned with alcohol, or was the only drug mentioned—England and Wales, 1996-2005( 2) | |||
| All mentions of methadone | All mentions of methadone with alcohol | Methadone mentioned alone | |
| (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 292, 304, 305.2-305.9, E850-E858, E950.0-E950.5, E980.0-E980.5 and E962.0 for the years 1996 to 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes F11-F16, F18-F19, X40-X44, X60-X64, X85 and Y10-Y14 for 2001 onwards. (2) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. | |||
National Insurance Contributions
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Inland Revenue instituted the practice of issuing deficiency notices; to which individuals such notices were issued; whether individuals who did not pay national insurance contributions for a prolonged period were eventually excluded from receipt of deficiency notices; how many individuals were so excluded before 1996-97; whether women paying the married woman’s reduced rate were excluded from deficiency notices; and if he will make a statement. [161387]
Jane Kennedy: Deficiency Notices are targeted at people in the workforce who have incomplete national insurance records for any tax year.
The Inland Revenue (and subsequently HM Revenue and Customs) have issued Deficiency Notices since 1999. Prior to 1999 the process of issuing Deficiency Notices was undertaken by the former Contributions Agency.
Deficiency Notices are not issued to individuals where they have not made national insurance contributions or received a credit for two consecutive years. Details about exclusions from Deficiency Notices issued before 1996-97 are not readily available.
Women paying the married woman’s reduced rate do not receive Deficiency Notices.
Northern Rock
Mr. Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when Ministers or officials in his Department first discussed the issuing of a guarantee to retail banking depositors with Northern Rock with (a) the Governor of the Bank of England and (b) other Bank of England officials; [156045]
(2) whether he plans to seek amendments to the EU Market Houses Directive to allow covert intervention by central banks. [156046]
Mr. Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has the power under the tripartite agreement on the regulation of the financial system to overrule a sale of Northern Rock. [159824]
Kitty Ussher [holding answer 10 October 2007]: I refer the hon. Members to the statement given by the Chancellor to the House on 11 October. As set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act (2000), the Financial Services Authority (FSA) is responsible for the regulation and supervision of financial institutions in the UK. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Treasury, the FSA and the Bank of England setting out the roles and responsibilities with respect to financial stability was last published in March 2006 and made available to the House.
Private Finance Initiative: Schools
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the projects listed as being the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills on the private finance initiative signed projects lists available on his Department's website form part of (a) the Building Schools for the Future programme and (b) the Academies programme. [159917]
Andy Burnham: The Building Schools for the Future projects that are listed on the PFI signed projects list are Bristol, Bradford, Lancashire, Solihull, Sheffield, Newcastle, Leeds and Waltham Forest. Bristol also has one Academies project.
Revenue and Customs: Prosecutions
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much compensation was paid to (a) companies and (b) individuals following failed prosecutions against them by HM Revenue and Customs, in each year since it was established; [160648]
(2) how much compensation was paid to (a) companies and (b) individuals following failed prosecutions against them by the Inland Revenue in each of the last 10 years; [160743]
(3) how much compensation was paid to (a) companies and (b) individuals following failed prosecutions against them by HM Customs and Excise in each of the last 10 years. [160744]
Jane Kennedy
[holding answer 25 October 2007]: There is no record of HMRC, the former IR or the former HMCE having made any payment to
companies or individuals in the last 10 years as a result of civil litigation against the departments for failed prosecutions.
HMRC makes redress payments for mistakes and unreasonable delays, as did its predecessors. The total sums for the last three years are published in HMRC annual reports. In previous years these payments were not specified in the annual reports of either of the predecessor departments. It is not possible for any of the years in question to distinguish whether any payment was made as a consequence of a failed prosecution.
Revenue and Customs: Security
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many breaches of security have occurred at HM Revenue and Customs in the last 12 months. [159920]
Jane Kennedy: Between October 2006 and September 2007, 2,111 reported breaches of security were recorded by HMRC in its 700 offices employing some 90,000 staff.
HMRC takes all such reports very seriously and deals with each one appropriately in accordance with its departmental guidance and procedures.
Smuggling: Radioactive Materials
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to enhance the detection of nuclear material entering the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [161402]
Jane Kennedy: Programme Cyclamen, a risk-based and intelligence-led radiation screening capability, is in the process of being rolled out nationally.
Air, sea, rail and Channel Tunnel traffic is being, or will be, screened, including containers, freight, post, fast parcels, vehicles and pedestrians.
This is being achieved through the deployment of fixed and mobile detection capabilities.
Cyclamen forms a key element of the UK's Counter-Terrorism Strategy, CONTEST.
The Home Office has the lead responsibility for Programme Cyclamen. The Home Office and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) jointly manage the implementation of the programme.
HMRC are also responsible for operating the equipment at UK points of entry and for the initial detection of any imported nuclear or radiological material.
Fixed detection equipment has been successfully installed and is operating at a number of major sea ports and airports and rollout across the UK will continue with completion scheduled for late 2009.
This equipment is fully integrated with existing sea port and airport infrastructure and every effort is made to minimise potential disruption to legitimate business activities.
A number of Mobile Radiation Detection Units (MRDUs) have been deployed to complement the fixed detection capability. They are currently being used to cover points of entry into the UK ahead of the fixed equipment roll out.
These units can also be deployed unpredictably at points of entry anywhere in the UK not covered by the fixed capability on a risk and Intelligence-led basis.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what budget allocation has been made for research into the detection of nuclear material entering the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [161403]
Jane Kennedy: The Home Office CBRN Science and Technology programme is funded to conduct scientific research against cross-Government capability requirements to enhance the UK’s resilience to an incident involving the use, or threatened use, of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear material.
It is Government policy not to disclose how this work is prioritised or how resource is allocated across the programme as this could compromise national security.
Tax Credit
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total annual value was of each form of personal and corporate tax credit in each year since 1997. [160950]
Jane Kennedy: For information on working families’ tax credit payments and disabled person’s tax credits payments for 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2003-04, I refer the hon. Member to Note 3 of the Trust Statement in the “Inland Revenue Annual Report” for years 1999/00, 2000/01 and 2001/02”, and the “Inland Revenue Annual Report and Accounts” for 2003/04. Figures for 2002-03 are published in Note 4 of the Trust Statement in the “Inland Revenue Annual Report 2002/03”. All of these are available on the HMRC website at:
Information on new tax credit expenditure for 2003-04 is published in Note 3 of the “Inland Revenue Annual Report and Accounts 2003-04”, and for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 in Table 3 of the Trust Statement to the “2005-2006 HMRC Resource Accounts and Trust Statement” and “HMRC Departmental Accounts 2006-2007”. All of these are available on the HMRC website at:
Information on Research and Development Tax Credits for 2000-01 to 2004-05 is published as HMRC National Statistics on Corporation Tax. Table 1.5 in Tax Expenditures and Ready Reckoners provides figures for recent years. These are available on the HMRC website at:
The total cost of Land Remediation Relief is estimated at £10 million in 2001-02, £20 million in 2002-03, £20 million 2003-04, and £30 million 2004-05. Projections for recent years are included in Table B.1 of the Tax Expenditures and Ready Reckoners, available as before.
The new Film Tax Relief was only introduced in January 2007; therefore information on expenditure is not yet available.
Tax Yields
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value was, excluding personal tax allowances, of tax foregone as the result of special reliefs, tapers and transferable allowances in each year since 1997. [160951]
Jane Kennedy: The total cost of the tax reliefs is not available. However, a list of the costs of the main tax allowances and reliefs is given in table 7 of the annual “Tax ready reckoner and tax reliefs” published as an associated document with the pre-Budget report. Copies can be found on the HMT website. A link to the latest version is given as follows:
The HMT website also contains copies of the tax ready reckoner back to 2000. These cover estimates of the costs of allowances and reliefs for the years back to 1999-2000. Paper copies dating back to 1997 can be found in the House of Commons Library.
Tax: Television Companies
Alan Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what value of tax allowances and incentives are applicable to the television broadcasting industry in the UK. [161646]
Jane Kennedy: There are no tax allowances or incentives specifically for the television broadcasting industry.
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