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10 Mar 2008 : Column 129W—continued
Congestion Charge: Greater London
Robert Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the London congestion charge is classified by the Office for National Statistics for statistical purposes. [192410]
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 answer your recent Parliamentary Question on the classification of the congestion charge for statistical purposes. (192410)
London congestion charge payments are classified as service payments for National Accounts purposes. The classification is in line with international statistical guidance on payments for using produced assets, road tolls and road charging.
The decision on the classification of city charging schemes was taken by the National Accounts Classification Committee (NACC) prior to the introduction of the London charge in February 2003.
Valuation Office
Robert Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many digital photographs of domestic properties in England are stored by the Valuation Office Agency. [192163]
Jane Kennedy: As at 19 December 2007 the number of digital photographs of domestic properties stored by the Valuation Office Agency was:
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Valuation Office: Data Protection
Robert Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 23 January 2008, Official Report, column 2099W, on the Valuation Office: data protection, what types of data are sent by (a) fax, (b) email and (c) CD/DVD. [192199]
Jane Kennedy: Faxes are used to send ad hoc copies of general correspondence and data with a protective marking no higher than ‘Protect’.
General correspondence, performance monitoring reports and data with a protective marking no higher than ‘Restricted’ are sent by email.
Encrypted core business data, where data sharing is permitted under the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005, including non-domestic rating list and summary valuation data are sent by CD/DVD.
The Valuation Office Agency follows HMRC operating standards for the handling of data.
Robert Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 23 January 2008, Official Report, column 2099W, on the Valuation Office: data protection, in how many cases in the last 36 months a CD/DVD sent by post or courier has been lost. [192200]
Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency is not aware that it has lost any CD/DVDs sent by post or courier in the last 36 months.
VAT: Fraud
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was lost to the Exchequer from VAT carousel fraud in (a) each of the last 12 months and (b) in each of the last five years for which statistics are available. [192068]
Jane Kennedy: HMRC published annual estimates of the impact of MTIC fraud on VAT receipts for 2005-06 and 2006-07 alongside PBR 2007 in “Measuring Indirect Tax Losses—2007”, which is available from the House of Commons Library or from the HMRC website:
Annual estimates for the periods 2000-01 to 2004-05 were published in “Measuring Indirect Tax Losses—2005”, which is also available from the House of Commons Library or from the HMRC website:
While no monthly estimates are available for the revenue lost to the Treasury from MTIC fraud, monthly estimates of MTIC related trade are published by the ONS using overseas trade data supplied by HMRC and are available from their website:
Welfare Tax Credits
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the qualifying income level for tax credits is for (a) a two-person single-earner household and (b) a two-person single-earner household with (i) one, (ii) two and (iii) three children. [191975]
Jane Kennedy: Two-person single-earner families without children can benefit from working tax credit up to annual incomes of around £16,000. Two-person single-earner families with children can benefit from tax credits up to annual incomes of around £58,000 (£66,000 if there is at least one child who is less than a year old).
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many (a) individuals and (b) households (i) were owing and (ii) owed arrears of (A) working tax credit and (B) child tax credit in each year since their inception; [192135]
(2) how many households with (a) one individual, (b) a lone parent with dependent children, (c) a couple with no children and (d) a couple with children (i) were owed and (ii) owed arrears of (A) working tax credit and (B) child tax credit in each year since their inception. [192136]
Jane Kennedy: Tax credit payments are made on a weekly, fortnightly and four-weekly basis. As a result, when comparing the tax credit entitlement to payments made, a family will by definition be paid in advance or arrears at any given time.
Welfare Tax Credits: Lancashire
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Morecambe and Lunesdale received working families tax credit in the latest period for which figures are available. [192597]
Jane Kennedy: Working families tax credit was replaced by child and working tax credits in April 2003.
Estimates of the number of recipient families of working families tax credit in 2001-02, broken down by constituency, appear in the HMRC quarterly WFTC and DPTC Geographical Analyses. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
Estimates for 2005-06 of the number of in-work families with tax credit awards, by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2005-06 are published in “Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Annual Awards 2005-06. Geographical Analysis.” This publication and provisional estimates for the number of in-work families by constituency with tax credit awards as at selected dates in 2006-07 and 2007-08 are available on the HMRC website at:
Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many overpayment cases were identified for (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit in each financial year since their inception. [192137]
Jane Kennedy: Information on the number of awards with an overpayment of tax credits in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 is produced in the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Supplement on Payments in" for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
HMRC do not produce these statistics separately for child tax credit and working tax credit.
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit overpayments were made to residents of (a) Morecambe and Lunesdale, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK in the most recent period for which figures are available. [192594]
Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the numbers of families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by constituency, local authority and country, based on final family circumstances and incomes, for 2005-06, are available in the HMRC publication “Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards 2005-06. Supplements on Payments in 2005-06. Geographical Analysis”. This is available on the HMRC website at:
Estimates for 2006-07 tax credit awards are due to be published in May 2008.
Culture, Media and Sport
Tote
12. Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made towards the sale of the Tote; and if he will make a statement. [192295]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my written statement to the House on 5 March 2008, Official Report, column 113WS.
Schools: Culture
14. Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to encourage access for school children to high quality creative and cultural experiences. [192297]
Margaret Hodge: On 13 February 2008 we announced a £25 million Find Your Talent programme of 10 pilots that will trial ways of offering children and young people a range of high quality cultural experiences for five hours a week, in and out of school.
In addition to this we will invest a further £110 million to expand the successful Creative Partnerships programme over the next three years so that it works with more than 2,000 schools per year.
Sport: Children
15. Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps he has taken to increase children's participation in sport; and if he will make a statement. [192298]
Mr. Sutcliffe: DCMS and DCSF continue to work together to develop the plans to offer children and young people, aged five to 16 years, five hours of sport a week and three hours for young people aged 16 to 19 years from April 2008.
We are currently working with governing bodies and school sport associations to improve their competition frameworks and we are also establishing a national network of Competition Managers to implement our plans at a local level.
Additionally we are introducing a new National School Sport Week, championed by Dame Kelly Holmes, to encourage all schools to run sports days and tournaments. This will build on the success of the UK School Games and its impact on motivating young people to take part in competitive sport.
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to encourage school children to become more fit and active. [192591]
Mr. Sutcliffe: DCMS and DCSF continue to work together to develop the plans to offer children and young people, aged five to 16 years, five hours of sport a week and three hours for young people aged 16 to 19 years from April 2008.
We are currently working with governing bodies and school sport associations to improve their competition
frameworks and we are also establishing a national network of Competition Managers to implement our plans at a local level.
Additionally we are introducing a new National School Sport Week, championed by Dame Kelly Holmes, to encourage all schools to run sports days and tournaments. This will build on the success of the UK School Games and its impact on motivating young people to take part in competitive sport.
The DCSF and DCMS are also ensuring that children enjoy an active childhood by providing them with more opportunities for physically active play. To back up new investment announced in The Children's Plan, we will publish a new national strategy on play later this year.
Licensing Laws
16. Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to bring forward amendments to the licensing laws; and if he will make a statement. [192300]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The evaluation of the Licensing Act 2003, published on 4 March, reveals a mixed picture. Our main conclusion is that people are using the freedoms but people are not sufficiently using the considerable powers granted by the Act to tackle problems, and that there is a need to rebalance action towards enforcement and crack down on irresponsible behaviour.
We have announced measures to address problems including better use of the powers in the Act, such as tough conditions or withdrawal of licences, but also introducing new initiatives to tackle alcohol related anti-social behaviour. We will consider how we will take these proposals forward once a summit of police and local authorities has been held.
Bingo Industry: Taxation
18. Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the Treasury on the taxation regime for the bingo industry. [192302]
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the Treasury on the taxation regime for the bingo industry. [192296]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with Treasury about a range of gambling issues.
Creative Britain Apprenticeships
Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how his Department plans to ensure all children and young adults have access to Creative Britain apprenticeships. [192285]
Margaret Hodge: My Department is already working with employers, sector skills councils, trade associations, the Learning and Skills Council and other Government Departments to ensure the provision of high quality places.
We will work with the new National Apprenticeship Service to expand opportunities for young people and adults in line with the recommendations of World-class Apprenticeships which are designed to encourage more employers to offer apprenticeships.
National Lottery
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the levels of unspent surpluses held by the national lottery distributors are. [192294]
Mr. Sutcliffe: At the end of January 2008 the National Lottery Distribution Fund balance stood at £1,695 million. That was 55 per cent. lower than July 1999 when the balance peaked. £100 million was held by the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund.
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