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6 Dec 2007 : Column 1485W—continued
The Health in Pregnancy Grant cannot be compared with this data, as it is a one-off payment to women during pregnancy. The benefit to all women receiving the Grant will be £190.
Average Earnings: Suffolk
Mr. Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average wage in Suffolk was in each year since 1997. [171617]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 6 December 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average wage in Suffolk was in each year since 1997. (171617)
Levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose pay for the survey period was not
affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
ASHE results can be obtained on the National Statistics website at:
Cancer
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of survival for each type of cancer was in each (a) constituency, (b) primary care trust area, (c) hospital trust area, (d) region and (e) social demographic group in the most recent period for which figures are available. [171906]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 6 December 2007:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the rate of survival for each type of cancer was in each (a) constituency, (b) primary care trust area, (c) hospitals trust area, (d) region and (e) social demographic group in the most recent period for which figures are available. I am replying in her absence. [171906]
The Office for National Statistics does not produce survival rates by (a) constituency, (b) primary care trust area, and (c) hospitals trust area, but the latest one-and five-year survival for eight common cancers by (d) government office region (and strategic health authority), for patients diagnosed in 1997-99 and followed up to 31 December 2004, are available on the National Statistics website at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=11991&;Pos=9&ColRank=l&Rank=272
Five-year cancer survival by (e) social demographic group was published as a collaborative paper between the Office for National Statistics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in Coleman MP et al (2004) ‘Trends and socioeconomic inequalities in cancer survival in England and Wales up to 2001’ in British Journal of Cancer 90, 1367-1373. The deprivation gaps between the most and least deprived groups, in five-year relative survival rates for the 20 most common cancers are available within this publication.
Child Benefit Agency: Pay
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much staff at the Child Benefit Agency were paid in bonuses in the last 12 month period for which figures are available. [168943]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 27 November 2007]: The Child Benefit Office employs around 1,200 people. The director of Child Benefit Operations recognises exceptional performance—including examples of excellent customer service—through a recognition bonus scheme.
The total value of bonus payments made to Child Benefit Office staff from December 2006 to November 2007 inclusive was £17,175.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the 10 largest bonus payments made to Child Benefits Agency staff were in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [168944]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 27 November 2007]: The 10 largest recognition bonus scheme payments made to Child Benefit Office staff from December 2006 to November 2007 were as follows:
| Number of bonus payments | Value of bonus (£) |
Child Benefit: Personal Records
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions CDs containing personal data have been despatched to (a) other departments, (b) agencies and (c) the National Audit Office by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last three years; and how many of those CDs were (i) encrypted and (ii) password-protected. [167681]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: HMRC may only disclose information which it holds in accordance with the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005. Most transfers of data take place under statutory gateways which specify circumstances in which HMRC may disclose such information. All disclosures must be compliant with the Data Protection Act 1988 and the Human Rights Act 1988. Memorandums of Understanding, Partnership Agreements and Codes of Practice set out the relationship between HMRC and the department or other body receiving the data, including the specific procedures and protocols governing the use of information.
On 20 November the Chancellor announced an independent review of HMRC’s data handling procedures to be conducted by Kieran Poynter, the Chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what staff grade at HM Revenue and Customs has the (a) authority and (b) ability to (i) access the entire child benefit database and (ii) transfer data on that database to other storage devices. [167682]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: There is an ongoing police investigation and an independent review of HMRC's security processes and procedures for data handling by Kieran Poynter, the chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The full terms of reference for that review are available on the HM Treasury website at:
Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he estimates will be the total cost to his Department of the repercussions of the loss of personal information from the Child Benefit database, including setting up the HM Revenue and Customs Child Benefit Helpline. [168118]
Jane Kennedy: At this stage it is too early to provide an estimate of what the total cost to HMRC may be.
Peter Viggers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to (a) Government and (b) other bodies of the loss of personal data from the Child Benefit database. [168359]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 26 November 2007]: At this stage it is too early to provide an estimate of the cost to the Government and other bodies.
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the relevant password to open the Child Benefit database was supplied with the data given by the HM Revenue and Customs to the National Audit Office. [168709]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 27 November 2007]: It would be inappropriate for me to provide information relating to this issue at this stage as there is an ongoing police investigation.
Mr. Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the personal details lost by HM Revenue and Customs, how many of those affected were (a) adults and (b) children, broken down by sex. [168787]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 27 November 2007]: The missing information contains details of child benefit records for 25 million individuals, 9.5 million adult claimants, 15.5 million children and 7.25 million families.
A breakdown of the requested information by gender could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the personal details lost by HM Revenue and Customs, how many of those affected were (a) adult and (b) children in North West Cambridgeshire constituency, broken down by sex. [168798]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 27 November 2007]: The missing information contains details of all child benefit recipients, including those in North West Cambridgeshire.
Information on families receiving child benefit at 31 August 2006 by constituency are published as part of National Statistics and can be found in tables 1a, 2 and 3 of Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis which are available on HMRC’s website at:
A breakdown of the requested information by gender could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of those whose data was lost by HM Revenue and Customs were (a) adults and (b) children of each sex in (i) Southend West constituency, (ii) Southend and (iii) Essex. [169421]
Jane Kennedy: The missing information contains details of all child benefit recipients, including those in Southend West constituency, Southend and Essex.
Information on families receiving child benefit at 31 August 2006 by constituency and local authority are published as part of National Statistics and can be
found in Tables 1a, 2 and 3 of child benefit statistics geographical analysis which are available on HMRC’s website at:
A breakdown of the requested information by gender could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sanctions he has (a) taken and (b) plans to take against the HM Revenue and Customs official who posted two compact discs containing confidential child benefit information; what grade the official is; and if he will make a statement. [169430]
Jane Kennedy: It would be inappropriate to comment on this issue as there is an ongoing investigation being conducted by the police.
Mr. Randall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many child benefit claimants in (a) Uxbridge constituency and (b) the London borough of Hillingdon are affected by the loss of bank account details by HM Revenue and Customs. [171090]
Jane Kennedy: The missing information contains details of all child benefit recipients, including those in Uxbridge and the London borough of Hillingdon.
Information on families receiving child benefit at 31 August 2006 by constituency and local authority is published as part of National Statistics and can be found in Tables 1a and 2 of Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis which are available on HMRC's website at
Mr. Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of those whose data was lost by HM Revenue and Customs were (a) adults and (b) children resident in (i) Ribble Valley constituency and (ii) Lancashire; and how many families this represents. [171370]
Jane Kennedy: The missing information contains details of all child benefit recipients including those from Ribble Valley and Lancashire.
Information on families receiving child benefit at 31 August 2006 by constituency and local authority is published as part of National Statistics and can be found in Tables 1a and 2 of Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis which are available on HMRC's website at
Data Protection
Mr. Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what training is provided to staff in his Department and its agencies on the safe handling of data to counteract identity theft and other data security breaches. [171371]
Jane Kennedy: HMRC and its agency has in place a range of measures and procedures in relation to training and guidance on data protection and data security and transfer.
On 20 November, the Chancellor announced an independent review of HMRC’s data handling procedures to be conducted by Kieran Poynter, the chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Death: Elderly
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of excess winter deaths were of pensioners in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [172127]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 6 December 2007:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what percentage of excess winter deaths were of pensioners in the most recent period for which figures are available. (172127)
The latest data for excess winter mortality for England and Wales are currently provisional figures for 2006/07. It is not possible to tell from mortality data whether the deceased was a pensioner. However, ONS has published figures for excess winter mortality by age group and Government Office Region (GOR) of England, and Wales on the National Statistics website at:
Using this table for the latest provisional year’s figures available for the winter of 2006/07, 93 per cent of excess winter mortality occurred in people aged 65 and over.
Death: Macclesfield
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average number of excess winter deaths in Macclesfield constituency was in each year between (a) 2000 and 2005; and how many there were in 2004-05. [172064]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 6 December 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the average number of excess winter deaths in Macclesfield constituency was in the period (a) 2000 to 2005 and (b) 2004-05. (172064)
Estimates of excess winter deaths relate to a four-month period from December of one year to March of the next year. The average annual number of excess winter deaths(1,2) in Macclesfield parliamentary constituency(3) in the five winters from 2000-01 to 2004-05, and the number in winter 2004-05, was 50.
(1) The estimated number of excess winter deaths is the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the preceding four months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July). Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
(2 )Data are based on deaths occurring in each month.
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