Previous Section Index Home Page

27 Mar 2008 : Column 381W—continued

27 Mar 2008 : Column 382W

Data Protection

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2008, Official Report, column 1642W, on data protection, what plans HM Revenue and Customs has to appoint further data guardians. [196393]

Jane Kennedy: HMRC continues to keep the role and number of Data Guardians under review. There are currently 38 Data Guardians, reflecting current business demands.

Excise Duties: Beer

Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was received from duty on beer in the last financial year; and how much is expected to be received in the 2008-09 financial year. [196536]

Angela Eagle: Information on the revenue raised from beer is available at the UK Trade Info website. Table 2 shows duty receipts from beer.

The revenue forecast from beer and cider in 2007-08 and 2008-09 is published in Table C6 of the 2008 Budget Report:

A detailed breakdown of beer and cider is not published.

Members: Correspondence

Mr. Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letters of 10 December 2007 and 11 February 2008 from the hon. Member for the Forest of Dean on Northern Rock. [196984]

Angela Eagle: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Money Markets

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to restore stability and liquidity to the UK money market; and if he will make a statement. [196248]

Angela Eagle: The provision of liquidity to the money markets through open market operations is a matter for the Bank of England. The Bank of England has already taken steps to provide liquidity to the money market in increased amounts, at longer maturities and against an enlarged set of collateral The UK Authorities stand ready to take further steps if necessary.

Northern Rock: Guernsey

Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total deposits are of Northern Rock (Guernsey) Bank. [194577]

Angela Eagle [holding answer 14 March 2008]: During this period of temporary public ownership, Northern Rock is managed by its Board at arm's length
27 Mar 2008 : Column 383W
from Government on commercial principles. It publishes its audited reports and group accounts on a regular basis in accordance with statutory reporting requirements. The group accounts will provide information about the Northern Rock group, which includes its subsidiary in Guernsey.

Overseas Aid

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of turbulence in international credit markets on the delivery of overseas development assistance pledges; and if he will make a statement. [196281]

Angela Eagle: The Government are committed to reducing international poverty. We announced in the 2007 comprehensive spending review that DFID’s budget would rise from £5.4 billion to £7.9 billion a year in 2010-11. This will enable total UK Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to reach over £9.1 billion a year by 2010-11. We continue to urge all countries similarly to live up to their commitments, including the promises made at the 2005 Gleneagles summit, and to achieve the millennium development goals. The successful recent replenishments of the World Bank’s International Development Association and of the African Development Fund in 2007, to which the UK pledged £2.134 billion and £417 million respectively over the next three years, will ensure that low-income developing countries will continue to benefit from the concessional finance and expertise of these institutions.

Suicide: Stroud

Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) males and (b) females of each 10 year age cohort committed suicide in Stroud constituency over the last 10 years. [196421]

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 27 March 2008:


27 Mar 2008 : Column 384W
Table 1: Number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death, Stroud parliamentary constituency( 1) , by sex and age group( 2) ,1997-2006( 3)
Deaths
Age-group Male Female

15-24

5

4

25-34

10

4

35-44

20

7

45-54

10

7

55-64

8

3

65-74

4

1

75-84

3

2

85+

6

0

Total

66

28

(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) Suicide and undetermined intent deaths have not been included for children under the age of 15 years.
(3) Figures are for deaths registered in the calendar years 1997 to 2006 combined.

Television

Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many plasma television screens have been purchased by his Department and its agencies, and at what cost in the last 24 months. [191029]

Angela Eagle: The following plasma screen televisions were purchased in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

2005-06 2006-07
Number Cost (£) Number Cost (£)

HM Treasury (inc. Group Shared Services)

2

5,398

4

6,515

OGC.bs

1

3,133

HM Revenue and Customs

1

582

National and Investments

5

11,649

Office for National Statistics

1

823


Wales

Departmental Domestic Visits

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what visits he made to (a) Harrogate International Centre, (b) International Conference Centre, Birmingham, (c) Manchester Central, (d) Scottish Exhibitional and Conference Centre, Glasgow, (e) Edinburgh International Conference Centre, (f) Bournemouth International Conference Centre, (g) the Brighton Centre, Brighton, (h) the Riviera Centre, Torquay, (i) Queen Elizabeth Centre, London, (j) Excel Conference Centre, Docklands, London, and (k) Business Design Centre, Islington, London, in the period 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2007; and what events he attended at each. [197150]


27 Mar 2008 : Column 385W

Mr. Paul Murphy: Neither myself nor my predecessor have visited any of the listed venues in a Wales Office ministerial capacity between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2007.

Departmental Training

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff in his Department attended the (a) Influencing with Integrity, (b) Emotional Intelligence, (c) Counselling Skills for the Workplace, (d) Managing your Confidence, (e) Balancing Work/Life Realities and (f) Working Assertively training course run by the National School of Government in the last 12 months for which information is available; and at what cost. [197071]

Mr. Paul Murphy: None

Legislative Competence

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will consider conducting a review of the effectiveness of legislative competence orders. [196157]

Mr. Paul Murphy: The UK Government are working closely with the Welsh Assembly Government to deliver the new legislative arrangements for Wales set down in the Government of Wales Act 2006. I keep these arrangements under constant review and will continue to do so.

National Assembly for Wales

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to announce planned forthcoming meetings between Ministers in his Department and Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government. [196159]

Mr. Paul Murphy: I can confirm that I meet or speak with the First Minister on a weekly basis. The Parliamentary-under-Secretary of State and I also meet regularly with all Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government.

Rackspace

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the value was of each contract awarded to Rackspace by his Department in each of the last nine years. [197519]

Mr. Paul Murphy: Nil

Women and Equality

Government Equalities Office: Publicity

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what Government Equalities Office initiatives have been advertised to the public; and at what cost since the Office was established. [192467]


27 Mar 2008 : Column 386W

Barbara Follett: The Government Equalities Office is not a public service delivery department and so has not advertised initiatives to the public.

Work and Pensions

Children: Poverty

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were living in households with income below 60 per cent. of the median after housing costs in each year since 1979; and how many are projected to be in this category in each of the next five years. [195723]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 20 March 2008]: The Government are fully committed to their targets to halve child poverty by 2010 and to eradicate it by 2020.

Information on the number of children living in households with less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income after housing costs in each year from 1979 to 2005-06 is given in the following table.


27 Mar 2008 : Column 387W
Number of children living in households with less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income for available years (after housing costs)
Million

Family Expenditure Survey (UK)

1979

2.1

1981

2.9

1987

3.4

1988-89

3.5

1990-91

4.0

1991-92

4.2

1992-93

4.4

1993-95

4.4

1994-96

4.5

1995-97

4.8

Family Resources Survey (GB)

1994-95

4.1

1995-96

4.2

1996-97

4.3

1997-98

4.2

Family Resources Survey (UK)

1998-99

4.4

1999-2000

4.3

2000-01

4.1

2001-02

4.0

2002-03

3.9

2003-04

3.7

2004-05

3.6

2005-06

3.8

Notes:
1. Family Expenditure Survey figures are for the United Kingdom. Family Resources Survey figures are for Great Britain up to 1997-98, and for the United Kingdom from 1998-99 onwards, with estimates for Northern Ireland imputed for the years 1998-99 through to 2001-02.
2. The reference period for Family Resources Survey figures is single financial years. Family Expenditure Survey figures correspond to single calendar years for 1979, 1981 and 1987, two combined calendar years from 1988-89 to 1992-93, and two financial years combined for 1993-95 to 1995-97.
3. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication ‘Households Below Average Income’ series, which uses disposable household income, equivalised for household size and composition, as a proxy for standard of living. This uses the OECD equivalence scale for all years in the series.
4. The median income of the survey year in question has been used, namely the contemporary median, instead of using a fixed median for a particular year.
5. For after housing costs, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are deducted from income.
6. Amounts in the tables have been presented in millions, rounded to the nearest 100,000 children.

Next Section Index Home Page