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4 Mar 2008 : Column 2319W—continued
Gold
Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much gold bullion the Government sold in each of the last 15 years; and what the average sum received per kilogram was in each year. [190828]
Angela Eagle: 395 tonnes of gold were sold from the reserves between July 1999 and March 2002. The Government have not conducted an official gold sales programme since 2002. However the physical stock of gold may change for a number of reasons, including sales of small amounts of gold sovereigns by the Royal Mint; and transaction costs incurred in gold lending and swaps. Data on the physical stock of gold and its current value is available on the Bank of England website:
http //213_225.136_206/statistics/reserves/Tempoutput.xls
Table 1 details average amounts received annually from the official gold sales programme.
| Table 1 | ||
| Tonnes sold | Weighted average $/ounce | |
| Note: That gold is priced per troy ounce, rather than per kilogram. One metric tonne is equivalent to 32,150 troy ounces. | ||
Government Departments: Property
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2008, Official Report, column 2133W, on Government departments: property, what his definition is of (a) actual, (b) future and (c) potential vacant space. [191288]
Angela Eagle: The definitions are as follows:
(a) Actual vacant space that is available now
(b) Future vacant space that is planned to be available at a specific date in the future
(c) Potential vacant space that might become available in the future, but for which no specific date has been identified.
Hacking
James Brokenshire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the use of a hacking tool or other malicious software enabling information to be (a) retrieved and (b) manipulated by a third party has been detected on a (i) network and (ii) computer in (A) his Department and (B) HM Revenue and Customs. [190336]
Angela Eagle: It is not in the interests of the UK’s national security for Departments to confirm whether they hold information about attacks against their IT systems. This would enable individuals to deduce how successful the UK is in detecting these attacks and so assist such persons in testing the effectiveness of the UK’s IT defences. This is not in the public interest.
Import Duties: Motor Vehicles
Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vehicles were seized on entry to the UK for exceeding importation allowances in the last five years; what proportion of such vehicles was (a) not owned by one of those occupying the vehicle at the point of seizure and (b) returned to the owner after seizure; and if he will make a statement. [190425]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available.
Income Tax: Wirral
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of residents of Wirral West constituency paid the higher rate of income tax in each of the last two years for which figures are available. [191281]
Jane Kennedy: The number of individual income taxpayers by constituency can be found in table 3.15 “Income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency” on HM Revenue and Customs’ website.
Estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes, of which 2005-06 is the latest available.
Information on the number of higher rate taxpayers at constituency level is not readily available. Sample sizes at constituency level are small and estimates can demonstrate a large variability from year to year, therefore any inference from the information in table 3.15 should take into account the confidence intervals in table 3.15a “Income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency, Confidence Intervals”.
Life Expectancy
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate (a) the Government Actuary and (b) his Department has made of the impact on longevity of percentage changes, in the winter or summer mean temperature. [190820]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 4 March 2008:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question regarding what estimate has been made of the impact on longevity of a percentage change, up or down, in the winter or summer mean temperature. (190820)
There have been a number of studies of the short-term effects on mortality of summer heatwaves and the intensity and duration of cold spells in winter. However there is no consensus on what impact such seasonal variation has on average longevity, or how a change in mean temperature would impact on mortality.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 29 January, transferred from the Ministry of Justice (PO reference: 7/15515/2008), on the Financial Ombudsman Service. [191220]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 3 March 2008]: I have replied to the hon. Member.
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 3 January, about the abolition of the 10 per cent. tax band for pensioners (PO reference: 1/53530/2008). [191223]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 3 March 2008]: I replied to the hon. Member on 28 February.
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many replies to hon. Members’ correspondence on constituency cases from the Preston tax credit office were signed by the Director of that office in the last 12 months. [191232]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 3 March 2008]: HM Revenue and Customs does not keep the statistical information requested by my hon. Friend.
National Insurance Contributions: Foreign Workers
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many national insurance numbers issued under the Foreign Worker Registration Scheme have no contributions credited to them. [190901]
Jane Kennedy [ holding answer 29 February 2008]: The information is not available. There is no requirement for a person to register with the Worker Registration scheme before applying for a national insurance number (NINO), and the national insurance recording system does not record whether an individual has registered with the Worker Registration scheme.
National Insurance: Personal Records
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have had their national insurance records lost during the last 12 months; what his policy is on paying benefits and pensions to those people; and if he will make a statement. [190998]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 3 March 2008]: National insurance records are held under an individual’s national insurance number on the National Insurance Recording System. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs has no record of lost national insurance records during the last 12 months.
Natural Gas: Prices
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what market price of gas was assumed in his Department’s modelling of corporation tax revenues from the UK’s oil and gas fields for the Budget Statement 2007 and Pre-Budget Statement 2007 projections. [189977]
Jane Kennedy: The projections for gas prices, used in the North sea revenues forecast take into account the spot price for gas, long-term contract prices, futures prices and the expected movement in sterling oil prices.
Gas prices will thus vary on a field by field basis.
Northern Rock
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the obligations of Northern Rock to repurchase mortgages under certain circumstances in accordance with the documentation for the Granite securitisation programme are covered by a Treasury guarantee. [188945]
Angela Eagle: As set out in HM Treasury’s announcement of 18 December 2007, the guarantee arrangements for Northern Rock cover all obligations of Northern Rock plc to make payments on the repurchase of mortgages under the documentation for the “Granite” securitisation programme.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of Northern Rock’s total mortgage assets are contained in the Granite Master Trust. [188959]
Angela Eagle
[ holding answer 25 February 2008]: Information on the value of mortgage assets contained in the Granite Master Trust is set out in investor reports on Granite, which are available on the Northern Rock website. Northern Rock’s financial
statements are also available on its website. Northern Rock’s annual report for 2007 will be published by the end of March 2008.
Prostate Cancer
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the standardised mortality rate from prostate cancer was in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) Government office region and (b) parliamentary constituency. [191553]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 4 March 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the standardised mortality rate from prostate cancer was in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) Government Office region and (b) parliamentary constituency. (191553)
The tables attached provide the age-standardised mortality rate per 100,000 population, where prostate cancer was the underlying cause of death, for (a) Government Office regions and Wales, from 1997 to 2006 (the latest year available) (Table 1) and (b) parliamentary constituencies in England and Wales, for the years 2001 to 2005 combined (the only period available) (Table 2). A copy of Table 2 has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Revenue and Customs
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Robathan) of 24 January 2008, Official Report, column 1626, on HM Revenue and Customs, for what categories of individuals security is a higher priority; and how many people there are in each category. [191039]
Jane Kennedy: HMRC applies high standards of confidentiality and security to all customer data. It would not be in the public interest, and could put individuals at personal risk, to disclose information about the categories of individuals in relation to whose records HMRC provides additional safeguards.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Robathan) of 24 January 2008, Official Report, column 1626, on HM Revenue and Customs, which Minister authorised the practice of according a higher priority to the security of some categories of individual. [191040]
Jane Kennedy: HMRC applies high standards of confidentiality and security to all customer data. The provision of additiona1 safeguards, within HMRC, in respect of data relating to certain categories of individuals is an operational matter for HM Revenue and Customs.
Self-Employed Contributions
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many self-employed people were late in registering their national insurance contributions with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in each of the last
five years; how many of those (a) received and (b) were given an exemption from paying a fine; and what the reason for granting an exemption was in each case. [190586]
Jane Kennedy: The numbers of individuals registering late as self employed for national insurance for the last five complete tax years are as follows:
| Number | |
Data on the number of £100 penalties issued for full tax years prior to 2005-06 is not held but HMRC can confirm the numbers for
| Number | |
The information regarding the reasons for exemption from fines is not available. Common reasons for the penalty not being applied or subsequently being removed include where the earnings in the period of non-registration are within the Small Earnings Exception level, where the individual has advised some part of HMRC of their trading activities or where the individual can demonstrate a reasonable excuse for the delay in notifying.
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