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21 Apr 2008 : Column 1680W—continued
Income Tax: Scotland
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many individuals in (a) Scotland, (b) each Scottish parliamentary constituency and (c) each Scottish local authority area were paying only the 10 pence starting rate of income tax as at 1 April 2008; [199169]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of individuals in (a) Scotland, (b) each Scottish parliamentary constituency and (c) each Scottish local authority area who will (i) be better off, (ii) be worse off and (iii) will experience a neutral effect from the abolition of the 10 pence starting rate of income tax; [199170]
(3) how many households in (a) Scotland, (b) each Scottish parliamentary constituency and (c) each Scottish local authority area were paying only the 10 pence starting rate of income tax as at 1 April 2008; [199171]
(4) what estimate he has made of the number of households in (a) Scotland, (b) each Scottish parliamentary constituency and (c) each Scottish local authority area which will be (i) better off, (ii) worse off and (iii) will experience a neutral effect from the abolition of the 10 pence starting rate of income tax. [199172]
Jane Kennedy: The removal of the 10p rate is part of a package of reforms announced in Budget 2007 that also involved changes to tax credits, which are awarded based on family income. As a result of these reforms four-in-five households in Scotland are better or no worse off than if they had not taken place. The average Scottish household will be £80 better off as a result of this package. It is not possible to estimate the impact of the reform package below devolved administration or Government Office Region level.
An estimate for the number of taxpayers in Scotland paying tax only at the starting rate of income tax for 2007-08 is provided in table T2.2, which is available from HM Revenue and Customs website.
The effect of the package of personal tax reforms announced in Budget 2007 on taxpayers paying income tax only at the starting rate will depend on their individual circumstances, for example, whether they have dependent children, or their age.
Available information on the total number of taxpayers in Scotland, Scottish local authorities and each Scottish parliamentary constituency are shown in tables T3.13, T3.14 and T3.15 respectively, which can be found at the HM Revenue and Customs website.
Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the revenue to the Exchequer from an increase in the higher rate of income tax by one penny in 2008-09 from (a) England and (b) the United Kingdom; [199099]
(2) what estimate he has made of the gross revenue which will accrue from an increase in the basic rate of income tax by one penny in 2008-09 from (a) England and (b) the UK. [199112]
Jane Kennedy: The cost or yield from a 1p change in the basic and higher 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.
Karian and Box
Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of each contract awarded by his Department to Karian and Box since 1997. [199633]
Angela Eagle: The Treasury has awarded no contracts to Karian and Box since 2002. Information on contracts prior to 2002 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Low Incomes: Personal Savings
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government have taken in the last 12 months to encourage low income families to save money. [199316]
Angela Eagle: Since 1997, the Government have sought to support saving and asset ownership for all, from childhood, through working life and into retirement. The Government have introduced ISAs which seek to develop and extend the saving habit; one in five people from low income groups now holds an ISA. The Government have also introduced the Child Trust Fund, which will ensure that, in future, all young people have a financial asset at 18. Personal Accounts, for pension saving, will be introduced in 2012 and will promote saving for retirement. Budget 2008 announced that the Saving Gateway will be introduced nationally, with the first accounts available to savers in 2010. The scheme will provide a financial incentive to save for those on lower incomes through matching (a Government contribution for each pound saved).
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 27 February 2008 from the hon. Member for Walsall North on a constituent. [199498]
Angela Eagle: I have replied to the hon. Member.
National Savings and Investments: Advertising
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the advertising and sponsorship spend of National Savings and Investments in 2007-08. [199527]
Angela Eagle: The estimated spend on NS and I advertising and sponsorship in 2007-08 is £8.3 million. This is an estimate and final outturn will be reported in NS and I's 2007-08 annual report.
Northern Rock
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he plans to account for the borrowing needed to provide loans to Northern Rock; and where the borrowed funds will appear in his Department's accounts. [171170]
Angela Eagle: Current accounting arrangements for loans made by the Bank of England to Northern Rock are set out in to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 22 January 2008, Official Report, column 1962W.
In Budget 2008, following the decision to take Northern Rock into a period of temporary public ownership, the Treasury announced it will replace the Bank of England's loan to Northern Rock with direct Treasury funding during 2008-09 (Budget 2008, Chapter 2, paras 42-46). The Government Financial Reporting Manual (FReM) requires disclosure of future developments, and post balance sheet events, in a Department's Resource Accounts. These requirements will be taken into account when preparing the HM Treasury's 2007-08 accounts. Future accounting arrangements will be set out in future HM Treasury departmental resource accounts.
Northern Rock: Financial Services Authority
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff at the Financial Services Authority were engaged in supervising Northern Rock prior to September 2007; and how many are currently employed in supervising Northern Rock. [199892]
Angela Eagle: The Financial Services Authority is responsible for the recruitment and management of its own executive staff. Hector Sants, chief executive of the FSA, has agreed to write to the hon. Member on this matter.
Northern Rock: Mortgages
Chris Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of whether mortgages classified by Northern Rock as undergoing a voluntary payment holiday are correctly so classified. [190301]
Angela Eagle: Northern Rock's policy on payment holidays has been considered by the Financial Services Authority as part of its supervision of the bank.
Property Development
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what works have been undertaken on his Department's property under the Circular 18/84 procedure and its successor since May 1997. [199109]
Angela Eagle: Planning consents were obtained for:
the refurbishment of the West End of the Government Offices, Great George Street including restoration works to the central circular courtyard, addition of a roof over a western internal courtyard, installation of new lifts and plant, enhanced goods and waste servicing on King Charles Street and associated works;
the refurbishment of part of Trevelyan House, Great Peter Street, London for the Office of Government Commerce; and
the refurbishment of part of Rosebery Court, Norwich also for the Office of Government Commerce.
Public Expenditure: Department for Work and Pensions
Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department made of the trend in the take-up rate of (a) pension credit, (b) council tax benefit, (c) disability living allowance, (d) attendance allowance, (e) income support, (f) housing benefit and (g) jobseeker’s allowance when establishing the spending allocation for the Department for Work and Pensions in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11. [199254]
Jane Kennedy: The DEL spending allocated to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11, was set out in the 2007 pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review and covers the cost of administering social security benefits. The Government's forecast on spending on social security benefits is included in AME expenditure and is forecast separately at every pre-Budget report and Budget. The benefit take-up rates are not explicitly forecast for the benefits listed. The forecasts implicitly assume that recent trends in take-up rates continue into the future, which for most benefits means that future take-up rates are broadly constant.
Public Sector: Pay
Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Office of National Statistics has made of the effect on the overall inflation rate of providing a public sector pay rise of (a) two per cent., (b) three per cent. and (c) four per cent. [196930]
Yvette Cooper: The Office for National Statistics has made no estimate of public sector pay rises on the overall rate of inflation.
Rackspace
Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of each contract awarded to Rackspace by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last nine years. [197513]
Angela Eagle: No contracts have been awarded to Rackspace by the Treasury or its agencies.
Stamp Duties
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what adjustment he has made to the previous £15 million budget for stamp duty relief for zero-carbon homes as a result of the Budget 2008 announcement that flats and maisonettes will now qualify; [200197]
(2) what assumptions he has made of the numbers of additional flats and maisonette properties which will qualify for the stamp duty relief for zero-carbon homes as a result of the Budget 2008 announcement that flats and maisonettes will now qualify; [200198]
(3) what total stamp duty relief has been claimed to date in relation to zero-carbon home purchases, broken down by stamp duty band (a) 1 per cent., (b) 3 per cent. and (c) 4 per cent. [200199]
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many new homes have qualified for zero-rate stamp duty for zero-carbon homes since the discount was introduced; [199973]
(2) how many of those purchasing a residential property since the zero-rate of stamp duty land tax for zero-carbon homes came into effect have been liable for any stamp duty land tax. [199950]
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the Exchequer of his proposal to extend stamp duty zero-carbon tax relief to flats in (a) real and (b) cash terms; [199020]
(2) what the maximum fee is that an assessor can charge to assess whether a dwelling meets the zero-carbon standard; and whether the fee applies to (a) domestic and (b) commercial property; [199107]
(3) what estimate he has made of the number of properties that will take up the proposed stamp duty zero-carbon tax relief for flats in the first full year of the exemption’s operation. [199108]
Angela Eagle: As stated in the Budget 2007 report, the Exchequer cost of extending stamp duty zero-carbon tax relief to flats is expected to rise to around £15 million in 2011-12. This cost takes into account new flats and maisonettes as well as new houses. The stamp duty land tax relief for new zero-carbon homes only applies to residential property.
Of those transactions for which a stamp duty land tax certificate was issued between 1 October 2007 and 31 March 2008, 10 transactions claimed the stamp duty land tax relief for new zero-carbon homes. All of these transactions fell in the 1 per cent. tax band. No data currently exists for April.
450,368 residential transactions were liable for stamp duty land tax between 1 October 2007 and 31 March 2008. No data currently exists for April.
The tax relief will help kick-start the market for new highly efficient technologies in homes, both for the fabric of the building and in the use of microgeneration, and sets a gold standard for green homes.
We expect the number of qualifying transactions, including flats and maisonettes, to be initially low in the first few years but to rise as more properties eligible to claim the relief go on the market. For example, in December of last year, the Government announced details of 200 new homes to be built to a zero-carbon standard in Hanham Hall, near Bristol. The media release can be found at:
The Government are committed to conducting an interim review of the relief in 2010 which will examine the effectiveness of the relief in stimulating the innovation necessary to ensure that all new homes are built to a zero-carbon standard from 2016.
The level of fees that an energy assessor can charge for assessing whether a dwelling meets the Treasury’s stamp duty land tax zero-carbon standard is purely a commercial decision. However, if the energy assessment is carried out by a Government Department, not in competition with commercial suppliers, then in line with Treasury guidelines on managing public money, the charge cannot exceed the full cost of the service provided without parliamentary approval.
Stamp Duties: Tax Yields
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the receipts to the Exchequer from (a) stamp duty and (b) stamp duty land tax in each of the next three years. [199022]
Angela Eagle: Estimated and projected revenues for total stamp taxes, in 2007-08 and 2008-09, are published in Table C6 of the Budget 2008 report. The breakdown between stamp duty land tax and stamp taxes on share transactions is given in the following table:
| £ billion | ||
| 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
Stamp Duty Land Tax: Shared Ownership Schemes
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the Exchequer of his proposal to amend stamp duty rules to provide that purchases of property in shared ownership pay stamp duty land tax on the final 20 per cent. of the value of the property in (a) real and (b) cash terms; [199002]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of his proposal to change stamp duty land tax liability for purchases of property in shared ownership; [199024]
(3) whether his proposal to change stamp duty land tax liability for shared ownership purchases will apply to open market homebuy schemes. [199110]
Jane Kennedy: The stamp duty land tax rules for leases resulted in stamp duty land tax being payable on the upfront premium for any transaction in respect of which the annual rent exceeded £600. In Budget 2008 the Government abolished this rule for residential transactions with effect from Budget day.
As stated in the 2008 Budget report the Exchequer cost of the abolition of this rule for residential property is projected to be £5 million in each of the fiscal years 2008-09 to 2010-11.
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