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12 Dec 2007 : Column 612W—continued
Treasury
Alternatively Secured Pensions
Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the changes to alternatively secured pensions will be updated in the registered schemes manual; and what steps are taken to ensure that the information in the registered pensions scheme manual are kept up to date. [173271]
Kitty Ussher: The information in the Registered Pension Scheme Manual is regularly reviewed and updated as necessary. The amendments to this manual, arising from the changes made in Finance Act 2007 to the rules governing alternatively secured pensions, were published on 4 December following consultation on draft text.
Bank Services
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the potential liability to the Exchequer from guaranteeing of bank deposits up to (a) £20,000, (b) £30,000, (c) £50,000, (d) £100,000, (e) £150,000 and (f) £200,000. [166575]
Kitty Ussher: The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protects eligible bank deposits up to specified limits. It is funded by levies on financial services firms.
Buildings: Cabinet Office
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 20 November, Official Report, column 701W, on buildings: Cabinet Office, whether the database records figures separately for the Prime Minister’s Offices. [173138]
Angela Eagle: The Electronic Property Information Mapping Service (e-PIMS) database does record figures separately for the Prime Minister’s Offices.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2007, Official Report, column 701W, on buildings: Cabinet Office, what the (a) total area and (b) vacant space in the (i) Cabinet Office’s and (ii) Prime Minister’s Offices was as recorded on the database in 1997 or the nearest available date. [173139]
Angela Eagle: The information requested is as follows:
(i) The total area for the Cabinet Office estate (including the Prime Minister’s Offices) recorded on the Electronic Property Information Mapping Service (e-PIMS) database in 2005-06 was 161,673.2 m(2). The amount of vacant space recorded on e-PIMS for the Cabinet Office estate in 2005-06 was 676 m(2).
(ii) The total area of the Prime Minister’s Offices (10-12 Downing street) recorded on e-PIMS in 2005-06 was 4,066.2 m(2). There was no vacant space recorded for these offices.
Capital Gains Tax
Mr. Dai Davies:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps were taken by his Department to consult the (a) Federation of Small Businesses, (b)
British Chambers of Commerce, (c) Confederation of British Industry and (d) Institute of Directors on changes in taper relief on capital gains tax before publication of the 2007 pre-Budget report. [172806]
Jane Kennedy: The Government do not generally consult on changes to tax rates. Following the publication of the pre-Budget report the Treasury has held constructive discussions with representatives from a number of business groups.
Child Benefit: Personal Records
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the statement of 20 November 2007, Official Report, columns 1110-18, on HM Revenue and Customs, how the password for the discs was transmitted by HM Revenue and Customs to the National Audit Office on each occasion that data were sent. [173427]
Jane Kennedy: The location of the missing data discs is the subject of an ongoing Police investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further. On 20 November, the Chancellor announced an independent review of HMRC’s data handling procedures to be conducted by Kieran Poynter, chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The full terms of reference for that review are available on the HM Treasury website at:
and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the statement of 20 November 2007, Official Report, columns 1110-18, on HM Revenue and Customs, how many personal records contained on the two discs missing from HM Revenue and Customs were from each parliamentary constituency. [173481]
Jane Kennedy: The missing information contains details of all child benefit recipients.
All child benefit customers in all parliamentary constituencies are affected by the data loss. The acting chairman of HM Revenue and Customs has written to all customers affected by the loss of child benefit data.
Information on families receiving child benefit at 31 August 2006 by local authority and parliamentary constituency are published as part of National Statistics and can be found in Tables 2 and 3 of Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis which are available on HMRC's website at:
Civil Service: Cost Effectiveness
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to increase efficiency within the civil service. [172723]
Andy Burnham: The comprehensive spending review announced an ambitious framework for achieving value for money savings in the civil service and the wider public sector. This included a 5 per cent. annual fall in administration budgets in real terms and built on the success of the efficiency programme announced in the 2004 spending review.
Departmental Training
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what records his Department holds of the destinations of each Treasury away day undertaken in 2006-07; [173194]
(2) whether his Department's accounting system records the (a) cost, (b) destination and (c) activities undertaken of away days of the Performance and Efficiency Team in 2006-07. [173195]
Angela Eagle: Information on Treasury teams' away days cannot be disaggregated from accounting system records on training costs and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
Elderly: Staffordshire
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the population of (a) Staffordshire and (b) Tamworth constituency that (i) were aged 65 years and over in each year from 1997 to 2006 and (ii) are aged 65 years and over in 2007; and if he will make a statement. [173079]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 December 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what estimate has been made of the population for (a) Staffordshire and (b) Tamworth constituency that (i) were aged 65 years and over in each year from 1997 to 2006 and (ii) are aged 65 years and over in 2007. (173079)
Whilst population estimates for Staffordshire are available for mid-1997 to mid-2006, population estimates for Tamworth constituency are only available for mid-2001 to mid-2005. Population estimates are not yet available for 2007. The population projection for mid-2007, based on the 2004 mid-year estimates, has been provided for Staffordshire. Population projections are not available for parliamentary constituencies.
Table 1 presents the available population data for Staffordshire, and Tamworth constituency.
Employee Share Ownership Schemes
Mr. Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations his Department has held with the administrators and providers of employee share schemes on the recent pre-Budget report; and if he will make a statement. [173451]
Kitty Ussher: Following the publication of the pre-Budget report the Treasury has held constructive discussions with a range of stakeholders on employee share schemes.
Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) volume and (b) revenue raised in duty of (i) beer, (ii) lager, (iii) cider and (iv) wine in each of the last three years. [170313]
Angela Eagle: Official estimates of clearances data can be found on the HMRC trade information website:
and are summarised as follows.
| Volume of clearances | |||
| T housands of hectolitres | |||
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
Official receipt figures for beer, cider and wine duty can be found in the Budget documentation and are summarised as follows.
| Receipts | |||
| £ million | |||
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
| Notes: 1. Estimates for wine include only product made from fresh grape. 2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £10 million. | |||
Illegal Immigrants
Damian Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many illegal immigrants have been discovered working for his Department and its agencies in the last year for which figures are available. [170506]
Angela Eagle: No illegal immigrants have been discovered working in the Treasury or its agencies during the past year.
Marginal Tax Rates
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of households which will experience marginal deduction rates of (a) 70 per cent. and (b) over 60 per cent. following the changes announced in Budget 2007. [173346]
Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the number of families facing marginal deduction rates above 60 per cent. under the 2008-09 tax and benefits system were published in the 2007 pre-Budget report and Comprehensive Spending Review, Table 5.2.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the marginal deduction rate experienced by a married couple, local authority tenants, with one child under 11, no child care costs, working under 30 hours per week, with gross earnings of £200 per week. [173348]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is published by the Department for Work and Pensions in “Tax Benefit Model Tables April 2007”, Table 1.5a.
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