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10 Mar 2008 : Column 124W—continued
National Asset Register
Robert Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what domestic dwellings other than official ministerial residences are on the national asset register. [192196]
Yvette Cooper: The national asset register itemises all assets with a value over £1 million, including residential accommodation. Below this threshold, residential accommodation is included under the category of dwellings. The register is available at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_spending_ reporting/investment_procurement/psr_investment_nar_2007_index.cfm
Pay
Robert Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measure of inflation his Department recommends public authorities use to calculate pay rises for 2008-09. [192197]
Yvette Cooper: The Government's policy is that public sector pay settlements should reflect the individual labour market position of work forces, be consistent with achievement of the Government's CPI inflation target of 2 per cent., be affordable and represent value for money for taxpayers.
Population
Robert Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the (a) number of households and (b) size of the population in each local billing authority in the UK. [192195]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 10 March 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question regarding the estimates of a) the number of households and b) the size of the population in each local authority in the United Kingdom. (192195).
The latest household estimates available by local authority for England are for Mid-2004 and are provided by Communities and Local Government. For other countries within the United Kingdom, household estimates/projections are the responsibility of the relevant devolved administrations.
The latest estimates/projections are available in the published tables linked below however, please be aware that these may not be on a consistent basis:
England-1981-2004
Scotland-1991-2006
Wales-2001-2004
Northern Ireland-2001-2015
The latest population estimates available for local authorities in the United Kingdom are for mid-2006. The mid-2004 estimates have also been included here in order to provide consistency with
those household estimates provided for England. Links for these UK estimates are included below:
Mid-2006 Population Estimates;
Mid-2004 Population Estimates;
Public Expenditure Barnett Formula
Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to publish the Statement of Funding Policy in relation to the Barnett Formula on an annual basis. [192656]
Yvette Cooper: The Statement of Funding Policy is updated and published in each spending review. The population figures used in the Barnett formula reflect the latest ONS population estimates and these are updated annually.
Retail Prices Index
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to recalculate the standard measure for the retail price index to take account of new spending patterns. [192493]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 10 march 2008:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what plans there are to recalculate the standard measure for the retail price index to take account of new inflationary pressures. (192493)
The RPI measures changes in the cost of a representative basket of goods and services. This involves weighting together aggregated prices for different categories of goods and services so that each takes its appropriate share within household budgets. The basket is fixed for a year at a time, but is reviewed every year to reflect changes in household expenditure patterns. A revised basket of goods will be incorporated into the RPI when the estimate for February is published on 18 March. Further information about the combination of goods and services used can be found on the ONS website at: www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/CPI&;RPI_basket_2007.pdf
Revenue and Customs: Dundee
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in the City of Dundee by HM Revenue and Customs, and its predecessors, in each of the last 10 years. [191010]
Jane Kennedy: The number of full-time equivalent staff employed in Dundee by HM Revenue and Customs (previously Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise) since 2000 is as follows.
| As at 1 April: | FTE |
Data before 2000 are not available.
Sandstorm Report
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 340W, on the Sandstorm report, what plans he has to publish the Sandstorm report; [190832]
(2) which (a) individuals and (b) governmental and non-governmental organisations have been provided access to part of the Sandstorm report. [190833]
Angela Eagle: There are no plans to publish the Sandstorm report. A decision will be reached shortly regarding the internal review of an FOI request for the report. Information is shared on a ‘need to know’ basis. The Sandstorm report has been made available to officials involved in a current FOI internal review only.
Smuggling: Tobacco
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been lost to the Exchequer as a result of tobacco smuggling in the last 12 months. [192067]
Angela Eagle: The most recent estimates of the revenue loss from tobacco smuggling are for 2005-06 and were published by HMRC in October 2007 in “Measuring Indirect Tax Losses—2007”.
Estimates for 2006-07 will be published alongside the 2008 pre-Budget report.
Tax Credits Office
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the 1,350 new posts created in the tax credits office in 2006-07 have been filled; and how many of these new positions deal directly with (a) applications for and (b) overpayments of tax credits before 2006-07. [190014]
Jane Kennedy: Staffing numbers related to work on tax credits vary according to work load and season. In 2006-07, staff levels rose to 10,210, an increase of 1,370 on the previous year. Staff work flexibly in a number of different areas, including the tax credits helpline, tax credits office, compliance, and debt management.
Tax Credits: Applications
Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what compensatory or interim payments may be made to claimants for tax credits when they (a) encounter delays in deciding their claim, (b) are querying an overpayment and (c) are applying for a backdated claim. [188716]
Jane Kennedy: The circumstances in which HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will make compensation payments to its customers are explained in the Department’s fact sheet, “Complaints and Putting Things Right”, which is available at:
Cash cheque payments are made manually, and are available in exceptional circumstances, to prevent hardship, or where a claimant is temporarily out of payment.
HMRCs Code of Practice 26 “What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?” explains the Department’s approach to overpayments and is available at:
A tax credits award can be backdated to a maximum of three months from the date of the claim providing eligibility requirements are met at the earlier date.
Tax Free Savings Schemes
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much potential revenue has been lost to the Exchequer arising from tax free savings schemes during the last recorded year. [192069]
Angela Eagle: The estimated cost of tax relief on tax free savings schemes, individual savings accounts and personal equity plans can be found in table 1.5 of HMRC’s published National Statistics available at the following address:
Taxation: Bingo
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications of the European Court of Justice ruling, in Linneweber, for the tax treatment of licensed bingo; and if he will make a statement. [191995]
Angela Eagle: HM Revenue and Customs considers that the judgment has no implications for the tax treatment of bingo.
Taxation: Gambling
Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will visit an amusement arcade on Canvey Island sea front in order to assess the effects of gaming duties on (a) employment and (b) Exchequer revenues; and if he will make a statement. [190440]
Angela Eagle: Treasury Ministers have no plans at present to make such a visit.
Taxation: Waste Management
David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of landfill tax receipts in 2008-09; which environmental projects receive funds from landfill tax receipts; and which environmental projects he expects to do so in 2008-09. [193023]
Angela Eagle: Forecast landfill tax receipts for 2008-09 are published in table B8 of the 2007 pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review available at:
The Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) enables landfill site operators to claim a landfill tax credit for contributions they make to enrolled environmental bodies (EBs) for spending on approved objects. The EBs are those enrolled by Entrust, the regulatory body for the LCF. Projects that are able to benefit from LCF funding include the reclaiming of land, improvements to local community facilities, repairs to places of worship, and habitat creation projects in support of biodiversity.
Details of the enrolled EBs and registered projects are available on the Entrust website at:
Which EBs and projects will receive funding in 2008-09 is a matter for site operators and EBs, within the confines and requirements of the fund.
Teachers: Suicide
Mr. Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many recorded suicides there were by members of the teaching profession in each of the last 10 years. [192143]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 10 March 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many recorded suicides there have been by members of the teaching profession in each of the last 10 years. (192143)
The attached table provides the number of deaths of persons recorded at death as teaching professionals (whether or not in employment at the time of death) where suicide was the underlying cause of death, in England and Wales in 1997 to 2006 (the latest year available).
| Table 1: Number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death( 1) , teaching professionals( 2) , England and Wales 1997-2006( 3) | |
| Deaths (persons) | |
| (1)Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950-E959 and E980-E989, excluding E988.8 for the years 1997 to 2000, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34, excluding Y33.9 (where the coroner's verdict was pending) for the years 2001 to 2006. (2)'Teaching professionals' was defined using the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC90) codes 233, 234, 235 and 239 for the years 1997 to 2001, and the Standard Occupation Classification 2000 (SOC2000) codes 2314, 2315, 2316 and 2319 for the years 2001 to 2006. This definition includes secondary education teaching professionals, primary and nursery education teaching professionals, special needs education teaching professionals, and teaching professionals not elsewhere classified. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. | |
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