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Married Personal Allowance

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of couples receiving married couple's tax allowance where one partner was not resident in the United Kingdom in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [189556]

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available.

Metronet: Finance

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of Barnett consequentials are for the £1.7 billion to be paid to Transport for London to cover the cost of the guarantee with respect to Metronet. [188308]

Yvette Cooper: The Barnett formula applies to changes in the Department's overall DEL provision in the comprehensive spending review and produces block increases for the Welsh Assembly government, which it then allocates to programmes to reflect its own priorities. The Department for Transport has not received any additional provision beyond its CSR settlement in respect of the £1.7 billion for Transport for London.

Minimum Wage: Stockton on Tees

Ms Dari Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Stockton South constituency were in receipt of no more than the national minimum wage in the last period for which figures are available. [189327]

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 27 February 2008:

Negative Equity: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have gone into negative equity in each London borough since 2000. [188971]


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Angela Eagle: The Government have made no estimate of the number of people who have gone into negative equity in each London borough since 2000. Land Registry data show an average monthly increase in house prices since May 2000 in each London borough of between 0.7 per cent. and 1.0 per cent., reducing the probability that individuals in London boroughs will have experienced negative equity in that period.

Public Expenditure

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish the next Long-Term Public Finance Report. [183717]

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the Long Term Public Finance Report for 2007 to be published. [183915]

Yvette Cooper: The Government publish the Long-term Public Finance Report to provide a comprehensive analysis of long-term socio-economic and demographic developments, and their likely impact on the public finances, based on the most up to date information available.

The population projections provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are central to this analysis. Given that ONS did not publish the new population projections until 23 October 2007, after publication of the 2007 pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review, the next Long-term Public Finance Report will be published once it has been finalised.

Revenue and Customs: Data Protection

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2008, Official Report, columns 675-6W, on Revenue and Customs: data protection, how many of the new data guardians will be based in (a) London, (b) Tyne and Wear and (c) elsewhere. [189371]

Jane Kennedy: Since November 2007 each of HMRC's Business Units has appointed a data guardian to strengthen the management of the Department's data assets. 37 have been appointed in all.

The data guardians are appointed on a functional basis covering all areas of HMRC's business and offices throughout the UK. Data guardians are not appointed by reference to a particular geographical area, but it happens that 24 are based in London, two in Tyne and Wear and 11 in other locations.

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew: Public Expenditure

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis the Barnett formula comparability factor for Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, was changed from 100 per cent. in the 2004 Treasury Statement of Funding to 0 per cent. in the corresponding 2007 statement. [188309]

Yvette Cooper: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew currently performs functions which benefit the UK as a whole and it was therefore treated on that basis in the Statement of Funding Policy published in 2007.


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Taxation: Gambling

Mr. Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the effective tax rates for (a) bingo and (b) other gaming products. [189824]

Angela Eagle: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such representations.

Mr. Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what information his Department requests from the gaming industry when calculating effective tax rates for gaming products; [189741]

(2) pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008, Official Report, column 369W, on taxation: gambling, what method his Department uses to calculate the average effective rates of taxation on (a) bingo, (b) casinos, (c) gaming machines and (d) betting. [189864]

Angela Eagle: Effective tax rates for gambling products are calculated as: total tax divided by the tax base. Total tax is equal to duty receipts, plus net VAT where applicable (bingo and gaming machines), while the tax base is gross profits (stakes minus winnings i.e. net stakes).

Most of the information required to make these calculations is from statutory returns to HMRC (supported by data collected by the Gambling Commission). Any further information required is obtained during consultations, from reports commissioned by the industry or from industry representations (in which case we may ask for further information or clarification).

Taxation: Official Residences

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance HM Revenue and Customs has issued on the tax liability of the use of official ministerial residences for those who (a) are and (b) are not Ministers of the Crown occupying a ministerial residence; and if he will place such guidance in the Library. [189530]

Jane Kennedy: HMRC has not issued any specific guidance on the tax liability in relation to the use of official ministerial residences.

Taxation: Romania

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of progress on his Department’s work with the Romanian Ministry of Finance on Risk Assessment Procedures for the selection of tax audits; and if he will make a statement. [188734]

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs submitted a proposal to the Romanian Government on 21 January 2008 to assist the Ministry of Finance with strengthening tax administration reform, including the use of risk-based selection of taxpayers for audits. It is proposed that the work will be delivered jointly with
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the German Ministry of Finance via the European Union’s twinning programme which entitles other member states to also bid for this work. The Romanian Government will decide which member state will be selected following presentations due to take place in Bucharest on 29 February 2008.

Unemployment: Stockton on Tees

Ms Dari Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many unemployed people there were in Stockton South constituency in (a) 1997 and (b) 2007. [189328]

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 27 February 2008:

Table 1: Unemployed, resident in Stockton South parliamentary constituency
Thousand
12 months ending: Level

February 1997(1)

(3)—

June 2007(2)

1

(1) Source Annual Labour Force Survey.
(2) Source Annual Population Survey.
(3) Note estimates not available since the group sampling size is zero or disclosive.

Working Tax Credit: Stockton-on-Tees

Ms Dari Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of families received the childcare element of the working tax credit in Stockton South constituency in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [188935]

Jane Kennedy: The most recent estimates of the average number of families with tax credits awards, including those benefiting from the child care element of the working tax credit, by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes, are presented in table 3 of the HMRC publication “Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards. Geographical Analysis 2005-06”. This publication is available on the HMRC website at:


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Innovation, Universities and Skills

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many of his Department's civil servants have been (a) suspended and (b) dismissed for accessing (i) obscene and (ii) other prohibited material on work computers in each of the last five years. [188783]

Mr. Lammy: DIUS was created by Machinery of Government changes in June 2007 from elements of the then Department of Trade and Industry and Department for Education and Skills. As a consequence it has not existed for the period covered in the question.

However in the period since DIUS was created no members of staff have been suspended and/or dismissed for such activities.

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