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28 Nov 2007 : Column 535W—continued
Data Protection: Public Participation
James Brokenshire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recommendations he has received from the Public-Private Forum on Identity Management; and if he will make a statement. [167989]
Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden (David Davis) on 22 November 2007, Official Report, column 1054W.
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the most recent information security guidelines were issued by (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) his Department. [167685]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: On 13 November HMRC’s chairman wrote to his directors to set out rules governing the transfer of data and also wrote to all staff initiating an immediate tightening of security.
On 27 September the HM Treasury Permanent Secretary emailed all staff in the Department reminding them of their responsibilities. This covered all aspects of security.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Ministers in his Department have responsibility for security of information held by (a) his Department and (b) HM Revenue and Customs. [167687]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: Under the overall direction of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Exchequer Secretary is responsible for the information security in the Treasury.
Operationally, HM Revenue and Customs is independent of Ministers. The Commissioners for Revenue and Customs are answerable to Parliament through the Financial Secretary.
Departmental Foreign Workers
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) EU foreign nationals and (b) non-EU foreign nationals are employed by his Department. [168097]
Angela Eagle: HM Treasury currently employs, in line with HM Government employment guidelines, the following:
(a) 38 EU foreign nationals (including those from the Republic of Ireland) and
(b) 27 non-EU foreign nationals.
Departmental Land
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what land surplus to his Department’s requirements it is (a) selling, (b) leasing and (c) planning to (i) sell and (ii) lease; and what the size and name of each relevant site is. [168857]
Angela Eagle: The Chancellor has no land currently surplus to the requirements of his Department.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the office costs for his Department’s special advisers for 2007-08 are expected to be, including costs of support staff; and how many full-time equivalent civil servants work in support of such special advisers. [164935]
Angela Eagle: As part of their responsibilities, five staff currently provide support to the special advisers to the Chief Secretary and the Chancellor of the Exchequer and to the Council of Economic Advisers. They provide support of a non-political nature in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
Cost details are not disclosed in order to protect the privacy of the individuals concerned. Office costs will be accounted for in the 2007-08 departmental annual report and accounts.
Departmental Publicity
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in the last 12 months. [167946]
Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the then Financial Secretary (John Healey) on 25 June 2007, Official Report, column 374W.
Employment: Peterborough
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of people in the Peterborough City Council area are employed in (a) service industries and (b) manufacturing industries; and if he will make a statement. [168123]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 28 November 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what percentage of people in the Peterborough City Council area are employed in (a) service industries and (b) manufacturing industries. (168123)
In 2005, an estimated 84 per cent of employee jobs in Peterborough local authority area were in service industries and 12 per cent. were in manufacturing industries.
These estimates are from the Annual Business Inquiry (ABI). They do not include self-employment jobs.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the ABI are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
Game Birds
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answers of 19 November 2007, Official Report, column 593W, on VAT: game and 10 October 2006, Official Report, column 725W, on game birds, what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the percentage of game birds shot for sport which are (i) consumed by humans and (ii) disposed of by other means; and if he will make a statement. [168407]
Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
During 2006 and 2007, my Department commissioned research to develop a tool to monitor the harvest of huntable birds and other bird species in the UK using data collected under existing National Gamebag Census (NGC) and Waterfowl Shooting Survey (WSS) schemes for the purposes of monitoring UK bag statistics, in particular for species whose European conservation
status is considered unfavourable. The research found that the NGC and WSS have the potential to monitor bags of 21 out of 27 huntable species and has the potential to monitor all 11 pest species. The tool needs further refinement before it could be used to monitor hunting bags.
A report by the Public and Corporate Economic Consultants in 2006 estimated that the total number of gamebirds and wildfowl shot for sport in 2004 was just under 19 million, almost four fifths of these were pheasants and 99 per cent. was destined for the food chain. A small percentage of birds may not pass as fit for human consumption under EU food hygiene regulations which came into force on 1 January 2006.
Health Insurance
Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies have private health insurance provided as part of their employment package. [167924]
Angela Eagle: No officials in the Treasury or its agencies have private health insurance as part of their employment package.
Invest to Save Budget: Cost Effectiveness
Mr. Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the value for money of the Invest to Save programme. [168292]
Andy Burnham: A review of the Invest to Save Budget: An Innovation Fund for Public Services was published on 24 July 2007 with a chapter on the value for money of the Invest to Save Budget (ISB) portfolio.
A copy of the review can be found in the House Library.
Migrant Workers: Peterborough
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of inward migration on (a) economic activity and (b) the labour market in Peterborough constituency over the last 10 years. [168765]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 28 November 2007:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on economic activity and the labour market in the Peterborough parliamentary constituency. (168765)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the main summary indicator of economic activity in the UK. Because data collection, estimation and reporting are not structured according to demographic groups, the national accounts framework does not however make it possible to identify the direct contribution of immigrants to the measured levels of economic activity.
The Office for National Statistics compiles statistics for labour supply indicators for local areas from the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
The data for analysing migrant workers comes from the above surveys. The National Statistics method for estimating the
number of migrant workers employed in the UK is routinely based on the number of people at a given time who were born abroad, are of working age (16-64 for men, 16-59 for women), and in employment. This question has been answered on this basis. It means, for example, that some people who are UK nationals will be included in the total of “foreign born” and that people who are working but are above state pension age are not included.
When interpreting these figures, it is important also to bear in mind that the LFS and APS are not designed to cover everyone who is present in the UK. The survey may undercount the numbers of people who were born overseas. The reasons are set out in the table footnote.
The annual LFS and APS estimates at this detailed level are only available consistent with the UK population estimates published in February and March 2003 and are not comparable with the estimates published in the Labour Market Statistics First Release on 14 November 2007, which are based on latest population estimates.
The table attached, shows the numbers of employed, unemployed and economically active persons of working age who were not born in the UK and were resident in Peterborough constituency, for the twelve month periods ending in February for 2001 to 2004 from the annual LFS, and for the twelve month periods ending in March 2005, March 2006 and December 2006 from the APS (the January to December 2006 APS dataset is the most recent for which information on country of birth is currently available). The table also shows the numbers of non-UK born economically active persons as percentages of all economically active persons of working age, in the area. Data on country of birth are not available on annual LFS datasets before 2000.
As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty. Estimates of change over time should be treated with particular caution.
| Economic activity status of working age( 1) non-UK born people in the Peterborough constituency | ||||
| Thousands | ||||
| 12 m onths ending | Employment level | Unemployment level | Economically active | Non-UK born economically actives as percentage of all economically actives (Percentage) |
| (1) Includes males aged 16-64 and females aged 16-59 * Sample size too small to provide estimate. — Estimate less than 500 Notes: Estimates are subject to sampling variability. It should also be noted that the country of birth question in the LFS gives an undercount because: it excludes certain people who have not been resident in the UK for six months. it excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent. it excludes people in most other types of communal establishments (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc). it is grossed to population estimates which exclude migrants staying for less than 12 months. microdata are grossed to population estimates consistent with those published in spring 2003 which are significantly lower than the latest population estimates. Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population survey. | ||||
Public Expenditure
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total block grant allocated to (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Wales and (d) comparable Government spending on services in England was in each year since 2001-02. [167900]
Andy Burnham: Departmental expenditure limits of all UK Departments and the devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the years 2001-02 to 2007-08 are set out in table 1.12 of the 2007 edition of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses. Spending totals relating to comparable services in England are not published. The comparability factors for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are published in annex C of the Treasury publication Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy. This was first published in 1999 and has been updated in each spending review.
Revenue and Customs
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer further to his statement of 20 November 2007, Official Report, columns 1101-18, on HM Revenue and Customs, whether he intends to publish the advice he received from the Information Commissioner. [168053]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer received advice from the Information Commissioner at their meeting on 15 November. The Information Commissioner did not provide written advice.
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