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4 Dec 2007 : Column 1196W—continued
Child Benefit: Pregnant Women
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his announcement of child benefits in pregnancy in his 2006 pre-Budget Speech, if he will place in the Library copies of (a) representations he has received and (b) minutes of meetings he has held on that policy since that date. [170574]
Jane Kennedy: Representations received on the Health in Pregnancy Grant since the 2006 pre-Budget report are contained in the Treasury’s 14 November 2007 press notice on the grant, on the HM Treasury website. Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Child Care Tax Credit
Ms Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households were in receipt of childcare tax credit in each local authority in England in April 2007. [170670]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available at this date.
The latest information available on the average number of families benefiting from the childcare element of working tax credit, by local authority, is published in the HMRC statistical publication “Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Finalised Awards 2005-06. Geographical analyses”, which is available on the HMRC website at:
The same information for 2006-07 is due to be published in May 2008.
Departmental Computers
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department’s (a) computers and (b) laptops have been stolen in 2007; and what the value of those items was. [168594]
Jane Kennedy: HMRC records show that seven computer base units and 45 laptop computers were reported stolen between 1 January 2007 and 28 November 2007, 16 of them during a break in at one of HMRC’s offices. The cost of replacement is approximately £43,000.
HMT records show that six laptop computers were reported stolen in 2007. The cost of replacement is approximately £4,000. No other computers were recorded as stolen.
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of encrypting all sensitive e-mails sent from his Department. [168866]
Jane Kennedy: The costs of encrypting e-mails sent from HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs is not available. These costs are included in the overall costs of the services provided.
Departmental Databases
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when each electronic database in his Department containing personal information on members of the public was first created. [169711]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.
EU Budget
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's most recent estimate is of the levels of (a) fraud and (b) waste in expenditure under the EU budget in 2007. [170445]
Kitty Ussher: Table 1 (page 5) of the European Anti Fraud Office's (OLAF) fight against fraud report in respect of 2006 estimated the levels of fraud in that year. The Government's EU expenditure reform priorities include the phasing out of CAP direct payments by 2020, and Structural and Cohesion Funds, of which in 2007 60 per cent. of spending is still going to richer member states.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much underspend there was on the European Communities annual budget in each year since 1997; and how much of that underspend was (a) carried over into the following year’s budget, (b) returned to member states and (c) returned to the United Kingdom. [170446]
Kitty Ussher: All EC budget surpluses are returned to member states in the following year.
The surpluses and the GNI-shares on which they are returned to member states are detailed annually in Amending Budgets published in the Official Journal of the European Union—the most recent of which is Amending Budget 3/2007 ( O fficial Journal of the European Union(1)/203 Budget 3/2007).
EU Law: Insurance
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to ensure that European Union legislation on the regulation of the commercial insurance brokerage industry is not gold-plated in its implementation by the Financial Services Authority. [168620]
Kitty Ussher: The regulation of commercial insurance brokerage is ultimately a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA is independent from the Government although subject to the provisions of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA).
The FSA has an obligation under FSMA to undertake cost-benefit analysis of any proposed new rule. The FSA has committed to go beyond the minimum standards necessary when implementing EU law on financial services only where a demonstrably convincing case can be made.
The FSA is currently looking at its general insurance regime through a review of its Insurance: Conduct of Business (ICOB) rules. In particular it is looking at those ICOB rules that require firms to go beyond the minimum necessary to comply with the relevant EU Directives.
Foreigners: Greater London
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many non-UK domiciled persons became resident in London in each of the last 10 years for (a) fewer than 12 months and (b) more than 12 months. [169673]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available.
HM Revenue and Customs
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his statement of 20 November 2007, Official Report, columns 1101-2, on HM Revenue and Customs, how many of the individuals’ records missing in the transfer of information from HM Revenue and Customs are (a) current and (b) former claimants of child benefit. [168561]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 29 November 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to the statement given in the House by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 20 November 2007, Official Report, columns 1101-04.
Income Tax
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the percentage of income tax payable which was collected in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK in 2007. [171194]
Jane Kennedy: Information on income tax liabilities in Scotland and the UK can be found in table 3.11 “Income and tax by gender, region and country” on the HM Revenue and Customs website.
The information is based on the Survey of Personal Incomes, of which 2004-05 is the latest available.
The Scottish Executive produce estimates of tax revenues attributable to Scotland in their publication “Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland”. These are published at:
Inheritance Tax
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the cost of raising the inheritance tax threshold to £1 million while maintaining the married couples transferable allowance over the comprehensive spending review period. [163259]
Jane Kennedy: Raising the inheritance tax nil rate band to £1,000,000 with effect from 2008-09 would have the following impact on forecast revenue receipts:
| Estimated reduction in revenue arising from raising the nil rate band to £1,000,000 | |
| £ billion | |
| Retaining transferable allowances | |
Mr. Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated cost to the Exchequer would be of raising the individual inheritance tax allowance to £1,000,000 if (a) allowances were transferable between spouses and civil partners as announced in the 2007 pre-Budget report and (b) the system operated as it did prior to the changes announced in the 2007 pre-Budget report in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10. [162581]
Jane Kennedy: Raising the inheritance tax nil rate band to £1,000,000 with effect from 2008-09 would have the following impact on forecast revenue receipts:
| Estimated reduction in revenue arising from raising the nil rate band to £1,000,000 | ||
| £ billion | ||
| (a) Retaining transferable allowances | (b) Removing transferable allowances | |
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the letters from the right hon. Member for North-East Hampshire of 23 June 2006, 1 September 2006, 29 November 2006 and 20 June 2007 on the tax credit problems of the right hon. Member's constituent Mrs. Adair. [164103]
Jane Kennedy: The chairman of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) wrote to the right hon. Member about his constituent's case on 27 November.
National Insurance Contributions: Females
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason women who had stopped receiving deficiency notices prior to 1996-97 and who did not receive a letter in 2004-05 as part of the deficiency notice recovery programme were allowed to pay class 3 national insurance contributions on favourable terms in respect of the years from 1996-97 to 2001-02 inclusive. [169198]
Jane Kennedy
[holding answer 29 November 2007]: When deficiency notices were re-instated, legislation (SI 2004/1362) was introduced, allowing for Class 3
contributions for tax years 1996-97 to 2001-02 to be paid until 5 April 2009 (or 5 April 2010 if the contributor reached pensionable age before 24 October 2004) and allowing them to be paid at the rate in force for the tax year concerned.
Contributors are entitled to pay contributions on these terms for reasons of practicality and to reduce the administrative burden.
National Insurance Contributions: Holiday Pay
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) on what basis he decided to abolish the national insurance contributions exemption for holiday pay schemes outside the construction industry from 30 October 2007; [162295]
(2) what estimate he has made of the likely annual saving in National Insurance contributions for an employee with 20 days' annual leave earning (a) £10,000, (b) £15,000, (c) £20,000 and (d) £25,000 per annum who is a member of a holiday pay scheme and does not pay Class 1 National Insurance contributions on his holiday pay; [162322]
(3) how many employees are members of holiday pay schemes, broken down by employment sector; [162323]
(4) what proportion of the savings identified in the 2007 pre-Budget report/comprehensive spending review, Table B4, from the removal of the National Insurance contributions exemption for holiday pay schemes are attributable to (a) employee and (b) employer contributions; [162324]
(5) how many employees earning (a) less than £10,000, (b) £10,000 to £15,000, (c) £15,000 to £20,000, (d) £20,000 to £25,000 and (e) more than £25,000 per annum are members of holiday pay schemes and not paying National Insurance contributions on their holiday pay; [162325]
(6) if he will place in the Library projections of the estimated change in Government revenue which will arise from the abolition of the National Insurance contributions exemption for holiday pay schemes in each year to 2015; [162326]
(7) what organisations his Department consulted prior to the announcement in the 2007 pre-Budget report/comprehensive spending review of the removal of the National Insurance contributions exemption for holiday pay schemes; [162327]
(8) what consideration he gave to abolishing the national insurance contributions exemption for holiday pay schemes on a phased basis; and what the reasons were for deciding not to proceed on that basis; [165522]
(9) what estimate he has made of the cost to employers outside the construction sector of ending holiday pay schemes by 30 October 2007. [165523]
Jane Kennedy: The NICs exemption was designed for the construction industry and dates back to the 1960s. This pre-dated the right to four weeks paid leave per year provided by the Working Time Regulation in 1998. The rationale for changes to the NICs exemption is set out in chapter five of the 2007 pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review, PBR note 02 and impact assessment which can be found at:
The following table shows estimated annual savings in 2008-09 in employee NICs for an employee with 20 days annual leave earning at various annual rates, who is a member of a holiday pay scheme.
| Annual pay | Annual saving employee NICs (£) |
HMRC does not hold information on the number of employees within holiday pay schemes broken down by employment sector.
The following table shows how the savings identified in 2007 pre-Budget report Table 4, from the removal of the NICs exemption for holiday pay, are attributable to employee and employer contributions.
| £ million | ||||
| 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
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