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8 Jan 2008 : Column 503W—continued
| Table 2: Average weekly household income 2004-05( 1) | ||
| £ per week | ||
| Net weekly equivalised household income (before housing costs)( 2) | Net weekly equivalised household income (after housing costs)( 2) | |
| (1) Figures rounded to the nearest 10. (2) Housing costs include rent (gross of housing benefit), water charges, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance and ground rent and service charges. (3) Based on a population weighted average of medium layer super output areas. Source: ONS, Department for Work and Pensions. | ||
Poynter Review
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the timetable is for the (a) completion and (b) publication of the Poynter Review. [176891]
Jane Kennedy: An interim report was published on 17 December 2007 and is available in the Library of the House.
It is expected that the full review will be completed and published in the first half of 2008.
I also refer the hon. Member to the statement by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 17 December 2007, Official Report, column 612.
Research and Development Tax Credit
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of research and development (R and D) tax credits paid to (a) small and medium sized enterprises and (b) larger companies in each year since the R and D tax credit was introduced. [176962]
Angela Eagle: Estimates of the annual cost of R&D tax credits are published as National Statistics on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/randdtcmenu.htm.
Revenue and Customs: Data Protection
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs takes to inform private courier firms of the sensitivity of the contents of packages it employs them to deliver. [169888]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 3 December 2007]: 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.
The interim report was published on 17 December 2007 and is available in the Library of the House.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what form of encryption algorithm is used to encrypt data sent (a) from the Student Loans Company to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and (b) from HMRC to the Student Loans Company. [175752]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 December 2007, Official Report, column 1490W in response to earlier questions on the same subject.
Revenue and Customs: Manpower
Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff work for the International Claims Processing Section of HM Revenue and Customs; and what its annual operating costs were in the last year for which figures are available. [174675]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 17 December 2007]: It is not possible to isolate operating costs or the numbers of staff handling international claims work across HM Revenue and Customs.
Revenue and Customs: Powers
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what powers HM Revenue and Customs has to obtain information on estate agent transactions. [176389]
Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs have a range of powers to obtain information relevant to ascertaining liability to tax and other duties. Estate agents, like others, can come within the scope of these powers but there are no information powers specifically concerned with obtaining information on estate agent transactions.
Revenue and Customs: Prosecutions
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2007, Official Report, column 587W, on Revenue and Customs: prosecutions, how many of the 15 criminal prosecutions completed against HM Revenue and Customs staff for matters relating to their employment during 2006-07 related to (a) fraud, (b) fraud involving financial gain and (c) fraud involving financial gain relating to tax credits. [176797]
Jane Kennedy: Prosecutions are taken forward against the very small number of HMRC’s 88,000 staff who abuse their position of trust.
Of the 15 criminal prosecutions reported on 29 November 2007, Official Report, column 587W:
Six prosecutions related to fraud involving financial gain
Six prosecutions related to fraud involving financial gain relating to tax credits.
The remaining three prosecutions related to charges of misfeasance in a public office.
Temporary Employment: Manpower
Mr. Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) number and (b) percentage of those in employment who were (i) agency workers and (ii) temporary employees was in each year since 1995. [174026]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 13 December 2007]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 8 January 2008:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the (a) number and (b) percentage of those in employment who were (i) agency workers and (ii) temporary employees in each year since 1995. I am replying in her absence. (174026)
The attached table gives the number and percentage of people in the categories requested for the three month period ending June each year, from 1997 to 2007. Comparable estimates are not available prior to 1997 said for 1998 and 2000.
Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
| Number of people aged 16 and over who are temporary employees, April to June, 1997-2007, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted | |||||
| Thousand, except where indicated | |||||
| Three months ending June each year | Total in employment | Temporary employees | Temporary employees as a percentage of total in employment | Temporary agency workers( 1) | Temporary agency workers as a percentage of total in employment |
| (1) Temporary agency workers are included in the temporary employees total. Note: Comparable data not available for 1998 or 2000. Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS) | |||||
Valuation Office
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's CT and Best Practice Process Maps. [176410]
Jane Kennedy: The Council Tax Process Maps and Best Practice guidance is contained in the Valuation Office Agency's "How2" toolkit. This is held in linked electronic formats within the Valuation Office Agency's main IT systems and can be viewed with full functionality only through the appropriate software package. To provide a copy in the Library could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's technical presentation entitled “The Dating Game”. [176415]
Jane Kennedy: ‘The Dating Game’ is not a technical presentation. It is an exercise used for internal staff training purposes. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what use the Valuation Office Agency makes of intelligent addressing for valuation purposes. [176423]
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Valuation Office Agency spent on purchasing floodplain polygons from the Environment Agency; and what use is made of the data for valuation purposes. [176424]
Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency was provided with floodplain polygon data at no charge. The data are not currently used for valuation purposes.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency has purchased a licence to use the pictometry product which Ordnance Survey sells on behalf of Blom Aerofilms Ltd. [176425]
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the average values are of coefficients for the Valuation Office Agency's value significant codes of (a) ZL, (b) ZI and (c) ZH for those sections of the country for which they are available; [176442]
(2) what the estimated weighted national averages of coefficients are for the Valuation Office Agency’s value significant codes of (a) ZL, (b) ZI and (c) ZH; [176443]
(3) what the coefficients are for the Valuation Office Agency’s value significant codes of (a) ZL, (b) ZI and (c) ZH, broken down by (i) time period, (ii) area and (iii) property type; and whether the dependent variables are calculated on a linear basis. [176445]
Jane Kennedy: The information is either not available or could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
Valuation Office: Cars
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Valuation Office Agency spent on hire cars in the last financial year for which figures are available. [176429]
Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency spent a total of £637,028.80 (£542,666.69 excluding VAT) on hire cars in 2006-07.
Hire cars are used by the Agency as a cost effective alternative to paying a mileage rate for private car use on official business. The nature of VOA responsibilities necessitates considerable travelling to inspect and value properties.
Valuation Office: Cole Layer Trumble
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effects the restructuring of HM Revenue and Customs Aspire contract has had on the commissioning of services from Cole Layer Trumble for the Valuation Office Agency. [176384]
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what functions and business areas of the Valuation Office Agency Cole Layer Trumble have provided consultancy advice or support in the last 12 months. [176432]
Jane Kennedy: Over the past 12 months, Cole Layer Trumble has provided consultancy to the Valuation Office Agency on using automated valuation modelling techniques to support the Agency's functions relating to local taxation.
Valuation Office: ICT
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer into which local authority areas the 10,000 localities that the Valuation Office Agency has established for developing the automated valuation model fall. [176388]
Jane Kennedy: All local authorities in England.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Valuation Office Agency has to increase digitisation and computerisation of its records in relation to individual premises or properties. [176400]
Jane Kennedy: The VOA constantly reviews the way in which it holds its key records. Further digitisation or computerisation of its records will only be undertaken where it is considered to be both cost-effective and affordable.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency's information technology and data management systems are BS7799 compliant. [176411]
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether funding has been agreed by his Department for the Valuation Office Agency to obtain a GIS system. [176438]
Jane Kennedy: The VOA has commissioned its IT partner to develop a Geographic Information System.
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