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26 Feb 2008 : Column 1481W—continued
Census: Data Protection
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to ensure that all census data collected by private contractors will remain confidential. [188175]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 26 February 2008:
As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking if the Office for National Statistics will ensure that all census data collected by private contractors will remain confidential. (188175)
The data collected in the Census is owned by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Crown. ONS has a well-established reputation of maintaining Census confidentiality which it intends to uphold. Safeguarding data confidentiality and security has carried the highest priority in defining all the legal and contractual arrangements for the 2011 Census.
Confidentiality is an overriding concern, and ONS has a stringent security policy which includes specific measures to safeguard the confidentiality of personal data provided by respondents to Census Tests and to a Census. These measures cover the physical, IT, communications and internet security requirements, and comply with all relevant Government policies and standards. As for previous censuses independent security reviews will be carried out at key stages of the Census operation.
All staff working with, or having access to, Census data, including any contracted service provider, will sign a confidentiality declaration to confirm their understanding and commitment to their legal confidentiality undertakings.
Currently, legal protection is afforded by the Census Act 1920 as amended by the Census (Confidentiality) Act 1991 which makes it a criminal offence for any person to disclose personal information from the Census without lawful authority. Census information is also generally protected in UK law by the provisions of the Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Act.
From April 2008 when the power to conduct a Census and other statistical functions of my post as Registrar General for England and Wales are transferred to the newly formed Statistics Board, data confidentiality will be protected by the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (SRSA) which will replace the confidentiality provisions of the Census Act.
Any breach of the SRSA confidentiality provisions would be a criminal offence, subject to possible imprisonment and fines.
Debts
Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made by (a) the Bank of England, (b) his Department and (c) the Financial Service Authority of the effects of the problems in the US monoline debt default insurance sector on UK financial and economic stability. [188176]
Angela Eagle: The Bank of England and the FSA monitor developments related to the monoline insurance industry and assess the impact for financial and economic stability, in line with their responsibilities. The Bank of England and the FSA share assessments of risks to financial and economic stability with the Treasury. Such assessments may also, where relevant, be published in the Bank of England’s Financial Stability Report and the FSA’s Financial Risk Outlook.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) staff and (b) full-time equivalent staff under 18 years of age are employed by his Department. [189074]
Angela Eagle: Presently HM Treasury has no employees under the age of 18.
Departmental Translation Services
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what documents his Department, associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies translate for people in the UK who do not speak English. [187996]
Angela Eagle: The documents that the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Department, associated agencies and non-department public bodies translate for people in the UK who do not speak English are provided in the following list.
The Treasury translated the Budget and pre-Budget report leaflet into Welsh.
The Euro preparations leaflet was translated in Welsh.
The translation of other documents is done on an ad hoc basis as requests are received.
Documents available in languages other than English (or Welsh) include:
Factsheet on Child Trust Fund accounts (in seven languages in addition to English and Welsh);
Helpsheet on working and paying tax in the UK (in 13 languages plus English);
Helpsheet on the Construction Industry Scheme (in 13 languages plus English);
Miscellaneous airport and port notices;
Correspondence relating to the seizure of cash;
Questionnaires for lorry drivers entering the UK;
Letters to traders relating to VAT requirements;
Notices to detained persons;
Forms P46, P85, P85(S), P86, P91, CWF1;
Race Equality Scheme Monitoring Form;
Customs seizure letters;
Information about requirements for making a tax credit/child benefit appointment;
Tax credit overpayment note to arrange a discussion in a minority language and
Double taxation forms.
All of its literature (brochures and after sales communications) including the NS&I Website area translated into Welsh. NS&I does not provide translation into any other language.
The information is not held centrally and an answer could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) publishes documents in Welsh for taxpayers and ratepayers in Wales. It makes use of Language Line to provide interpreter and translation services where needed in relation to other languages.
Nil response.
Nil response.
Nil response.
Nil response.
Nil response.
Employment
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the employment rate was for (a) lone parents, (b) disabled people and (c) people aged over-50 in each year since 1997. [189320]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 26 February 2008:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the employment rate for (a) lone parents, (b) the disabled and (c) the over-50s in each year since 1997. I am replying in her absence. (189320)
The attached table gives the employment rates for the categories requested for the three month period ending June each year 1997 to 2007. Comparable estimates are not available for 1997 for disabled workers and 1998 and 2000 for all categories.
A historical series of lone parent employment rates is published in the ‘Work and worklessness among households’ First Release, which is available on the National Statistics website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8552.
The LFS estimates at this detailed level are consistent with the UK population estimates published in February and March 2003, whereas those in the Labour Market Statistics First Release are based on more up-to-date population figures.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
| Employment rate( 1) of lone parents, disabled workers and people aged 50 and over, three months ending June each year, 1997-2007—United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted | |||
| Lone parents( 2,3) | Disabled workers( 2,4) | People aged 50 and over | |
| (1) Expressed as the total number of people in employment in each category as a percentage of the total number of people in each category. The base for the lone parent percentages excludes people with unknown employment status. (2) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. (3) Working age people with dependant children under 16 and those children aged 16 to 18 who are never-married and in full-time education. (4) Includes those who have a long term disability which substantially limits their day-to-day activities and those who have a long term disability which affects the kind or amount of work they might do. (5) Comparable estimates for 1997 are not available for disabled people. Source: ONS Labour Force Survey | |||
Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will freeze duty on beer; and if he will make a statement; [188940]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of duty on beer on the viability of the brewing industry; [188941]
(3) what recent assessment he has made of the contribution made to the economy by the brewing and public house industry. [188943]
Angela Eagle: Decisions on the taxation of beer are made by the Chancellor at Budget taking all relevant factors into consideration, including the state of the industry and its contribution to the economy.
Foreign Workers
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many foreign workers in the United Kingdom were aged (a) 16 to 21, (b) 22 to 30, (c) 31 to 40, (d) 41 to 50, (e) 51 to 60 and (f) over 61 years in the most recent period for which figures are available. [188462]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell dated 26 February 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about how many foreign workers in the UK were aged (a) 16 to 21, (b) 22 to 30, (c) 31 to 40, (d) 41 to 50, (e) 51 to 60 and (f) over 61 years in the most recent period for which figures are available. (188462)
The attached table gives the number of people in the categories requested for the three month period ending December 2007.
The data for analysing migrant workers comes from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). 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 and in employment. This question has been answered on this basis.
The LFS estimates at this detailed level are consistent with the UK population estimates published in February and March 2003, whereas data in the Labour Market First Release is based on more up to date figures.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
| Foreign born population in employment by age group, t hree months ending December 2007, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted | |
| Thousand | |
| Note: It should be noted that the estimates: exclude certain people who have been resident in the UK for less than six months. exclude students in halls of residence who do not have a UK resident parent. exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. Hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc). are grossed to population estimates that only include migrants staying 12 months or more. are grossed to population estimates consistent with those published in spring 2003 which are significantly lower than the latest population estimates as used in the Labour Market Statistics. Source: ONS Labour Force Survey | |
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of foreign workers worked in each English region in the latest period for which figures are available. [188463]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 26 February 2008:
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