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17 Mar 2008 : Column 887W—continued
Charities
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal measures the Government have taken to support charities. [193341]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 12 March 2008]: The Government continue to support charities through a range of tax reliefs for charitable giving worth over £3 billion per annum.
The Budget announced a package of measures in response to the consultation on Gift Aid, including payment of Gift Aid at a transitional rate of 22 per cent. for three years.
The Government also support charities, and the third sector more broadly, through a variety of non-fiscal measures, including £515 million of investment over the comprehensive spending review period (2008-09 to 2010-11), delivered through the Office of the Third Sector.
Departmental ICT
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) start date, (b) original planned completion date, (c) current expected completion date, (d) planned cost and (e) current estimated cost is for each information technology project being undertaken by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement. [180576]
Angela Eagle: An updated list has been placed in the Library of the House of Commons for the Treasury and its agencies (except Office for National Statistics).
Departmental Temporary Employment
Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average hourly rate his Department paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by employment agency. [187911]
Angela Eagle: The average hourly rate per agency is commercially sensitive and therefore cannot be disclosed. Data prior to 2004-05 are not held centrally.
The overall average hourly rate per year is as follows:
| Average hourly rate (£) | |
Excise Duties: Shipping
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many responses have been received to the Government’s consultation document, Energy Products Directive—Expiry of the Derogation for Private Pleasure Boats: Consultation on the Options for Change; and if he will make a statement; [194697]
(2) what estimate he has made of the annual tax revenue that will be generated by the reduced rate of fuel duty for private pleasure boating when it is introduced from 1 November 2008, broken down by the type of vessel; and when he plans to announce the new rate of such duty; [194695]
(3) what revenue was generated from duty on red diesel in 2006-07, broken down by type of vessel and vehicle; and what revenue is forecast for (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09. [194696]
Angela Eagle: 515 responses to the consultation were received.
A summary of responses and the Impact Assessment setting out the outcome of the consultation are available from the HMRC website. The Impact Assessment includes details of the duty rate and an initial estimate of the Exchequer impact of the changes.
Information on the revenue raised from red diesel (gas oil) is available at the UK Trade Info website at:
Table 3 shows fuel duty receipts from gas oil only, a breakdown by vessel and vehicle type is not available.
The revenue forecast from fuel duty in 2007-08 and 2008-09 is published in Table C6 of the 2008 Budget report
A detailed breakdown by fuel type is not published.
Foreign Workers: West Midlands
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the number of migrant workers in (a) Tamworth constituency, (b) Staffordshire and (c) the West Midlands in each of the last five years. [193599]
Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 17 March 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on what the most recent estimate is of the number of migrant workers in (a) Tamworth constituency, (b) Staffordshire and (c) the West Midlands in each of the last five years. (193599)
The Office for National Statistics compiles statistics on migrant workers for local areas from the Annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) . The National Statistics method for estimating the number of migrant workers employed in the UK is routinely based on the number of people at a given time who were born abroad, are of working age (16-64 for men, 16-59 for women), and in employment. This question has been answered on this basis. It means, for example, that some people who are UK nationals will be included in the total of “foreign born” and that people who are working but are above state pension age are not included.
The table attached shows the numbers of working age in employment who were not born in the UK and were resident in Tamworth Parliamentary constituency, Staffordshire and the West Midlands. The figures cover, the twelve month periods ending in February for 2003 and, 2004 from the annual LFS, and ending in March for 2005, 2006, and 2007 as well as June 2007 from the APS. The July to June 2007 APS dataset is the most recent for which figures are available, whereas a consistent time series is best provided using March and February data.
When interpreting these figures, it is important to bear in mind that the APS is not designed to cover everyone who is
present in the UK. The survey may undercount the numbers of people who were born overseas. The reasons are set out in the table footnote.
As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
APS estimates at this detailed level are only available consistent with population estimates published in February and March 2003 and are not comparable with the estimates published in the Labour Market Statistics First Release on 13 February 2008, which are based on latest population estimates.
| Number of non-UK born persons in employment in West Midlands, Staffordshire and Tamworth constituency in the last five years | |||
| Thousand | |||
| Migrant Workers( 1) | |||
| 12 months ending | West Midlands | Staffordshire | Tamworth |
| (1) Includes males aged 16-64 and females aged 16-59. Does not include respondents who did not answer the question on country of birth. (2) Numbers in this cell are too small and could be disclosive. Notes: 1. As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to margin of uncertainty. 2. It should also be noted that the country of birth question in the APS may undercount the number of people who were born overseas: it excludes certain people who have been resident in the UK for less than six months. it excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent. it excludes people in most other types of communal establishments (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.). it is grossed to population estimates that exclude migrants staying for less than 12 months. microdata are grossed to population estimates consistent with those published in spring 2003, which are significantly lower than the latest population estimates. Source: Annual Labour Force Survey/Annual Population Survey. | |||
HM Revenue and Customs: Fraud
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 22 February 2008, Official Report, column 1117W, on fraud in HM Revenue and Customs, how many of the investigations into suspected fraudulent activity which have been conducted since 1 April 2007 led to a prosecution. [193312]
Jane Kennedy: Prosecutions have led to two cases being concluded in the courts.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 22 February 2008, Official Report, column 1117W, on fraud in HM Revenue and Customs, if he will list the divisions of HM Revenue and Customs in which staff who were investigated for fraudulent activity in the last 12 months were employed. [193315]
Jane Kennedy: Personal issues are confidential and it would be inappropriate to comment.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish the review into housing benefit announced in paragraph 4.14 of Budget 2008. [194793]
Jane Kennedy: Budget 2008 announced the Government’s intention to undertake a comprehensive review of the housing benefit system. The Government will announce their findings in due course.
Income
Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the distribution by household income decile of expenditure on (a) tax credits and (b) child benefit; and what the income ranges are of each household income decile. [193376]
Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the breakdown of entitlements to tax credits and child benefit in 2007-08 by household income decile are provided in the following table.
| Household income decile | Percentage of all entitlements to tax credits | Percentage of all entitlements to child benefit |
Household entitlements to tax credits and child benefit are modelled using Family Resources Survey data assuming 100 per cent. take-up of tax credits and income-related benefits, and are subject to sampling variation. Take up of tax credits is 82 per cent. for families with children and 96 per cent. for families with incomes of less than £10,000.
This table is broadly consistent with household incomes by decile published in ‘Households Below Average Income—An analysis of the income distribution 1994-95 to 2005-06, Table A2’, but with assumed complete take-up of support tending to raise incomes at the low end of the distribution.
Income Stifling
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many responses he received to the consultation on the introduction of rules on income stifling; and how many of these were in favour of the proposed rules. [194193]
Jane Kennedy: By 28 February 2008, the formal closing date of the consultation Income shifting: a consultation on draft legislation, the Government had received 260 responses. The Government are continuing to review the detailed issues contained in the responses and will publish its formal response document in line with Cabinet Office guidelines.
Income Tax: Tax Yields
Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue would be raised by an additional one per cent. on the basic rate of income tax in the fiscal year (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09. [194239]
Jane Kennedy: The cost or yield from a 1p change in the basic rate of income tax is regularly published in the “Tax ready reckoner and tax reliefs”, copies of which are in the Library, and in Table 1.6 on the HM Revenue and Customs’ website:
An updated version of Table 1.6 reflecting changes announced in Budget 2007 which take effect from April 2008 is due to be published at the end of April.
Local Income Tax
Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether HM Revenue and Customs have estimated the likely costs of collecting a local income tax that is (a) nationally set and (b) locally varied. [194264]
Yvette Cooper: Costs of collecting a local income tax depend on the details of the proposed scheme.
No detailed estimates have been made.
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