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7 Jan 2008 : Column 330W—continued
Enterprise Investment Scheme
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of businesses that will be affected by the changes in the Enterprise Investment Scheme as a result of the changes in capital gains tax. [175734]
Jane Kennedy: The 2007 pre-Budget report announced a reform of the capital gains tax regime for individuals. The reliefs available under the Enterprise Investment Scheme remain unchanged. The value of EIS reliefs for investors, and thereby the impact on investee companies, will depend on individual circumstances.
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies used the Enterprise Investment Scheme (a) in 2005-06 and (b) in 2006-07; and how many have used it in total. [175735]
Jane Kennedy: National statistics on the number of companies that have issued shares under the Enterprise Investment Scheme, each tax year and in total, are published by HM Revenue and Customs at:
Published totals for 2005-06 and 2006-07 are currently incomplete because companies have up to three years to submit a return informing HM Revenue and Customs of a share issue under the scheme.
Excise Duties: Fuels
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce duty on petrol and diesel to reflect recent changes in oil prices. [170309]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 3 December 2007] : Budget 2007 pre-announced fuel duty rates for three years for environmental reasons, to fund public services and provide certainty alongside the other tax reforms in that Budget. The Government keeps all taxes under review and will continue to monitor developments in the oil market.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will freeze the rate of fuel duty; what recent representations he has received about the issue; and if he will make a statement. [172469]
Angela Eagle: It is the Government’s policy that fuel duty rates should rise each year at least in line with inflation as the UK seeks to reduce polluting emissions and fund public services. The 2007 Budget announced fuel duty rates for the next three years. The Treasury routinely receives a range of stakeholder views in the approach to the Budget and the Chancellor considers all relevant economic, environmental and social factors when deciding taxation policy.
Foreign Workers
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people born abroad have gained employment in the UK since 1997. [174395]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 7 January 2008:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number of people who were born abroad and have gained employment in the United Kingdom since 1997. I am replying in her absence.
Between the second quarter of 1997 and the second quarter of 2007 there was an increase of 1.4 million foreign-born workers of working age in employment in the UK. The data to support this response was provided in PQ478 (Hansard ref 464 Column 1535) sent to Mr David Laws on 17th October 2007. This figure was also recently published in the Statistics Commission briefing ‘Foreign Workers in the UK’
The data for analysing migrant workers comes from the Labour Force Survey. The National Statistics method for estimating the number of migrant workers employed in the UK is 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 is important to bear in mind that the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is not designed to cover everyone who is present in the UK. The survey may undercount the numbers of people who were born overseas.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
Fuels: Prices
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the reasons for recent increases in the price of (a) heating oil, (b) petrol and (c) diesel; and if he will make statement. [174912]
Angela Eagle: The price of heating oil, petrol and diesel are influenced by a range of factors, including international crude oil prices, exchange rates, seasonal factors, level of stocks, refinery capacity, distribution costs and the degree of retail competition.
International oil prices have been high and volatile in recent years, more than doubling between 2004 and 2007, and this has been reflected in the retail prices of all fuels. The rise in prices has been due to a range of factors, notably strong and resilient global oil demand growth, tight refining and production capacity and geopolitical uncertainty in several key oil-producing countries. In 2007 Q4, additional factors including oil supply shortages have also contributed to increased crude oil prices.
Oil price is only one of these factors and there is typically a lag to changes in retail pump prices as retailers absorb temporary changes in oil prices in their profit margins.
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the retail price of (a) heating oil, (b) petrol and (c) diesel is accounted for by tax. [174913]
Angela Eagle: Liability to pay fuel duty only applies to fuel refiners or producers. This is because the point at which the duty is paid is when the finished product leaves the refinery or production plant. Fuel duty is set at a fixed monetary value per litre rather than as a percentage of the retail price.
The duty rates that refiners and producers pay to HM Revenue and Customs were set out in Budget Note 53—http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2007/bn53.htm—;published by HMRC on 21 March 2007. As retail prices may vary so fuel duty expressed as a percentage of the retail price may also vary.
Government Departments: Property
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2007, Official Report, column 1413W, on Government Departments: Property, how much (a) total floor area and (b) vacant space was recorded on the electronic property information mapping service database for each
Government Department and agency in the most recent period for which figures are available. [174811]
Angela Eagle: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
HM Revenue and Customs’ Data
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2007, to Question 172044 on HM Revenue and Customs' data, what guidance he has given to his officials on responding to parliamentary questions on data loss during the on going review. [175417]
Jane Kennedy: I have referred to the ongoing review where it is appropriate to do so.
Housing: Prices
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average (a) total and (b) percentage change in house prices was in each region in each month in 2007. [175791]
Angela Eagle: The information requested is available on the website of the Department of Communities and Local Government at:
Immigrants: France
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of French nationals living in the UK. [172927]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 7 January 2008:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question concerning the number of French nationals living in the UK. I am replying in her absence. (172927)
In the twelve months to December 2006, there were an estimated 118,000 French nationals living in the UK. This figure is based on the Annual Population Survey (APS) and, as with any sample survey, APS estimates are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
Insurance Companies
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will initiate an investigation into the use of captive insurance companies by accountancy firms. [175528]
Angela Eagle: The Government have no plans to establish such a committee.
Landfill Tax
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much of the revenue generated from landfill tax revenue in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07 has been allocated to the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste programme; [169403]
(2) what the total amount of landfill tax revenue was in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07; and how much of that revenue in each year was allocated to his Department; [169404]
(3) what estimate has been made of the likely income from landfill tax in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09; [169405]
(4) how much of the income from landfill tax in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09 has been allocated to the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste programme. [169406]
Angela Eagle: Landfill tax revenues are published on the Uktradeinfo website and are available at
The value of the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste programme was £43 million in 2005-06 and £95 million in 2006-07.
Forecast landfill tax receipts for 2007-08 and 2008-09 are published in Table B8 of the 2007 pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review available at
DEFRA has allocated £125 million to the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste programme in 2007-08.
The comprehensive spending review allows for the continuation of funding for business resource efficiency. DEFRA has not yet announced allocations for 2008-09.
Migrant Workers
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) of 19 October 2007, Official Report, columns 1353-55W, on migrant workers, how many of the 0.3 million additional UK born workers of working age in work between 1997 and 2007 had previously claimed benefit. [175299]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 18 December 2007]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 7 January 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about how many of the 0.3 million additional UK-born workers of working age in work between 1997 and 2007 had previously claimed benefits. (175299)
The estimate of 0.3 million additional UK-born workers of working age between 1997 and 2007 was taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS does not collect information on whether a person was claiming benefit before they entered employment.
National Insurance Contributions
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people paid voluntary national insurance contributions in each of the last 10 years. [175055]
Jane Kennedy: Latest available figures from 1995-96 are shown in the following table.
National insurance class 3 contributions must normally be made before the end of the sixth tax year following the one for which they were due; but the time
limit has been extended for the 1995-96 to 2001-02 tax years. Customers have up to 5 April 2010 to pay if they reach state pension age before 24 October 2004, or 5 April 2009 if they reach state pension age on or after 24 October 2004. Because of this the figures detailed are likely to increase, particularly the latest years.
| In respect of tax year | Contributors (thousand ) | National in surance class 3 contributions (£ million) |
| Note: Based on a 1 per cent. sample extracted from the National Insurance Recording System on 13 July 2007. | ||
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many computer—generated letters were sent out by HM Revenue and Customs notifying a shortfall in national insurance contributions for the 2005-06 tax year; and how many were sent in error. [175056]
Jane Kennedy: To date HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has sent 2.41 million letters to customers advising them of a potential shortfall in their National Insurance contributions for 2005-06. It expects to issue a further 340,000 in January 2008.
A relatively small number of letters will have been sent in error but it is not possible to determine precisely how many.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much is payable in annual national insurance contributions by a person with gross annual earnings of (a) £12,000, (b) £24,000, (c) £50,000 and (d) £100,000 in 2007-08. [175529]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is as follows.
| Earnings( 1) | Employee national insurance payable (£) |
| (1 )Assumes that earnings are paid monthly and spread evenly throughout the year and the employee is in ‘not contracted out’ employment. | |
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