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12 Dec 2007 : Column 621W—continued
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what estimate has been made of the number of households in London which had (a) a television, (b) satellite or cable television, (c) a home computer and (d) access to the internet in each year since 1997. I am replying in her absence. (172944)
Estimates of the ownership of durable goods appear in the ONS's ‘Family Spending’ report. The latest report for 2005-06 was published on the National Statistics website on 18th January 2007 at
Family Spending is the ONS's annual report on the Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS), an annual survey of approximately 7,000 households in the UK.
The tables provided show the estimated number of households in London owning each of these durable goods (Table 1). In addition, the percentage of households owning these goods have also been provided (Table 2).
Both the estimates of the number of households owning these durable goods, and the estimates of the total number of households in London vary to some extent from year to year. This is because estimates produced from the EFS combine information about ownership of durable goods provided by survey respondents, with London population estimates by age and sex, to produce estimates of the total number of people in London owning these goods. These population control totals are a measure of the number of people in London, but there are no control totals for the number of households. As a consequence, there is some year to year volatility in estimates of the numbers of households.
The figures for ownership of satellite or cable television, home computers and access to the internet are all increasing rapidly, and so while there is some year to year volatility in the estimates, the underlying trend is very apparent. As regards the number of households owning televisions, which one would expect to be changing much more slowly, most of the year to year movement in the figures is likely to be due to the sampling variability described above.
Figures have also been provided on the percentages of households owning these durable goods. As proportions, these figures are affected less by year to year volatility in the estimated numbers of households.
| Table 2: Percentage of households with selected durable goods in London, 1996-97 to 2005-06( 1,2) | ||||
| Percentage | ||||
| Satellite receiver( 3) | Home computer | Internet connection | TV set | |
| (1) London covers the London Government office region. (2) Internet connection data were not collected on the Family Expenditure Survey prior to 1998-99. (3) Includes digital and cable receivers. Source: Family Expenditure Survey (up to 2000-01), Expenditure and Food Survey thereafter | ||||
Trading Funds
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with how many (a) private sector stakeholders and (b) public sector stakeholders the Cambridge university team carrying out the review of trading funds has met. [172475]
Andy Burnham: The Cambridge university team have undertaken the analysis on the definition and charging models for the public information held by trading funds on an independent basis and have met with the stakeholders they consider necessary to inform their analysis.
VAT: Charitable Donations
Mr. Willis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will exempt from VAT charitable donations that companies make out of the purchase price of their products. [173197]
Jane Kennedy: A donation that is freely given and for which nothing is received in return is outside the scope of VAT. Therefore, if payment of an element of the purchase price of goods and services by a customer is optional, and is clearly set out as a donation to charity, no VAT is chargeable on that part of the payment.
Otherwise, VAT is chargeable on the full price paid for a supply of goods or services, subject to the VAT liability rules set out in the VAT Act. This position reflects the requirements of our European VAT agreements.
Working Tax Credits: EU Nationals
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many EU A8 nationals successfully applied for (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit in each year since the accession of the A8 nations; and how many of these had previously been in receipt of each such benefit. [173066]
Jane Kennedy: The Accession monitoring report, last published on 20 November 2007 on the Home Office Borders and Immigration Agency website
provides detailed information including the total number of workers from the new member states of the EU which acceded on 1 May 2004 and who have made claims for tax credits.
The other information requested is not available.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Christmas
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department and its agencies have spent on Christmas (a) cards, (b) parties and (c) decorations in each of the last five years. [171432]
Mr. Thomas: My Department and its agencies have spent the following:
| £ | |||
| Cards | Decorations | Parties | |
Departmental Consultants
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much has been paid by his Department and its predecessor in consultancy fees since (a) 1997 and (b) 2005-06. [171993]
Mr. Thomas: Central records indicate that the cost to the Department of engaging consultants in each of the following financial years has been:
| £ million | |
Information for years prior to 1999-2000 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what reviews have been undertaken of his Department’s rules on data protection in the last two years; if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the last review of his Department’s compliance with data protection laws; and if (a) his Department and (b) his Department’s agencies will undertake a review of their compliance with data protection laws; [168080]
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) on how many occasions the Information Commissioner was contacted by his Department to report breaches of data protection security in each of the last five years; [168822]
(2) how many breaches of data protection security there have been in his Department or his Department's Agencies in each of the last five years; and if he will provide details of each breach. [168835]
Mr. Thomas: I refer the hon. Members to the statement made by right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007, Official Report, column 1179. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on departments' procedures will be made on completion of the review.
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