Previous Section Index Home Page

1 May 2008 : Column 634W—continued


For the number of calls answered each month by the TCO MP hotline up to and including May 2007, I refer the hon. Member to the answer that the then Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, South (Dawn Primarolo) gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 25 June 2007, Official Report, column 419W. The information requested for 2006-07 and 2007-08 is provided in the following table.

Received Handled Abandoned

2006-07

17,776

17,360

416

2007-08(1)

12,654

12,452

202

(1) To end of February 2008.

New telephony equipment was introduced to the hon. Members’ hotline in October 2005 so the first full year in which information about the number of calls that were abandoned before being answered by an adviser is 2006-07.

With regard to the number of calls received on the Tax Credits helpline, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today (194486), which shows that monthly figures, to April 2007, have previously been provided. The following table shows this information for those quarters where the full information has not previously been provided.

Quarter ending Calls received (Thousand)

June 2007

7,080

September 2007

7,303

December 2007

4,305


TCO does not record separately the number of calls it receives from its customers.

The other information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.

HM Treasury does not routinely record statistical information on the number of letters, calls or e-mails it receives about tax credits.


1 May 2008 : Column 635W

Welfare Tax Credits: Telephone Services

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many calls were (a) received, (b) handled and (c) unanswered by (i) the claimants’ and (ii) hon. Members’ tax credit hotline in each year since 2003. [194486]

Jane Kennedy: With regard to (i) the tax credits helpline, I would refer the hon. Member to previous answers provided by the then Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, South (Dawn Primarolo):

where elements of the requested information have been provided giving details of calls received, handled, busy/engaged and abandoned for each year to 31 March 2007. The full year figures to 31 March 2008 are not yet available.

On (ii) calls to the hon. Members’ hotline, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today (194467 and 194469).

Welfare Tax Credits: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Warrington are in receipt of each category of tax credit. [203169]

Jane Kennedy: HMRC do not produce statistics separately for child tax credit and working tax credit, however estimates of the number of families with tax credits in 2005-06 in each local authority, based on final family circumstances and incomes, are published in “Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2005-06 Geographical Analysis”. This publication is available on the HMRC website at:

The information on the number of out-of-work families includes those who are receiving child support through income support and jobseeker’s allowance.

The same information for 2006-07 is due to be published on 20 May 2008.

Wine: Prices

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the evidential basis was for his statement on 12 March 2008, Official Report, column 298, that the average bottle of wine costs £4.00. [202761]

Angela Eagle: This figure has been calculated for a 75cl bottle of wine from market data for the off trade.


1 May 2008 : Column 636W

Justice

Compensation: Industrial Diseases

Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer by the Prime Minister of 12 March 2008, Official Report, column 276, on compensation for those with pleural plaque, when he expects the consultation to be launched. [202715]

Bridget Prentice: The House of Lords judgment on pleural plaques raises very complex issues. We are currently giving serious consideration to all the representations which have been made to us, and are actively exploring how people who have pleural plaques as a result of exposure to asbestos might be supported. We will set out our views as soon as we have analysed all the options.

Custodial Treatment: Young People

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much and what proportion of the Youth Justice Board's budget was spent on (a) purchasing remand and custodial places for offenders, (b) grants to local authorities and other bodies to support the development of effective practice and (c) commissioning research and publishing information in each year since it was established; and if he will make a statement. [199961]

Mr. Hanson: Since it was established in 1998 the total YJB budget of £2,939 million has been spent as follows:

A breakdown of this information is detailed in the following table.

YJB operating expenditure
£ million
Purchasing remand and custodial places Grants to local authorities and other bodies Commissioning research Total

1999-2000

29

1

30

2000-01

188

45

2

235

2001-02

208

77

2

287

2002-03

231

118

2

351

2003-04

245

112

2

359

2004-05

249

123

2

374

2005-06

285

128

2

415

2006-07

283

143

2

428

2007-08

303

155

2

460

Total

1,992

930

17

2,939

Total (percentage)

67.8

31.6

0.6

100


1 May 2008 : Column 637W

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008, Official Report, column 187W, on departmental ICT, how many of the missing or stolen (a) laptops and (b) personal digital assistants have been replaced by his Department; and at what cost. [202506]

Mr. Wills: The Department does not keep a central record of laptops that have been replaced since 2001. As the losses were incurred from different areas across the Department, this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. When items are replaced, they are drawn either from the existing resource pool or new purchases are made through the IT suppliers' contracts.

Available records show that the personal digital assistant reported lost in 2003 was replaced at a cost of approximately £250.00.

Departmental Written Questions

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many days it took on average to answer written parliamentary questions tabled by each hon. Member for answer by him in the last six months. [201755]

Mr. Straw: The information requested is in the following tables. It includes questions tabled for answer between 6 November 2007 and 4 April 2008.


1 May 2008 : Column 638W

1 May 2008 : Column 639W

1 May 2008 : Column 640W
Ordinary written questions
MP Total number of questions tabled Average time in sitting days for answer

Diane Abbott

2

4.5

Adam Afriyie

4

4.0

Peter Ainsworth

1

5.0

Danny Alexander

4

4.25

David Amess

27

4.63

David Anderson

3

5.40

Janet Anderson

1

3.0

Norman Baker

9

7.67

Tony Baldry

2

4.5

Gordon Banks

1

4.0

Hugh Bayley

4

4.75

Alan Beith

1

24.0

Henry Bellingham

72

4.64

Roger Berry

1

5.0

Peter Bone

1

4.0

Tom Brake

9

5.78

Julian Brazier

1

4.0

James Brokenshire

18

4.44

Jeremy Browne

12

10.42

Malcolm Bruce

2

7.0

Simon Burns

2

2.5

David Burrowes

13

4.92

Paul Burstow

2

7.0

Lorely Burt

1

4.0

Vincent Cable

3

23.33

Ronnie Campbell

7

3.14

Alistair Carmichael

1

6.0

James Clappison

8

3.88

Nick Clegg

1

4.0

Harry Cohen

3

3.33

Jim Cousins

4

9.25

Mary Creagh

1

5.0

John Cummings

4

5.25

Claire Curtis-Thomas

1

4.0

Dai Davies

2

5.0

David Davies

8

4.25

Philip Davies

33

3.82

David Davis

22

((1))8.18

Andrew Dismore

1

4.0

Jonathan Djanogly

3

7.0

Jim Dowd

1

16.0

David Drew

21

7.0

Alan Duncan

1

4.0

Philip Dunne

7

3.29

Jeff Ennis

2

5.0

Bill Etherington

1

8.0

Nigel Evans

1

13.0

David Evennett

4

6.0

Tim Farron

1

4.0

Lynne Featherstone

8

5.13

Frank Field

2

4.0

Don Foster

2

4.0

Liam Fox

2

4.5

Roger Gale

2

6.0

Edward Garnier

67

5.25

David Gauke

5

5.8

Neil Gerrard

11

7.27

Cheryl Gillan

24

5.08

Linda Gilroy

1

2.0

Julia Goldsworthy

3

19.0

Paul Goodman

2

4.5

James Gray

8

6.13

Damian Green

7

6.14

Dominic Grieve

9

4.33

Nia Griffith

9

3.78

John Gummer

9

6.89

Andrew Gwynne

2

4.5

William Hague

2

3.0

Fabian Hamilton

2

3.5

Philip Hammond

16

12.44

Mike Hancock

8

3.5

Greg Hands

2

4.5

Mark Harper

4

5.25

John Hayes

17

9.29

David Heath

19

7.63

John Hemming

3

3.33

Stephen Hepburn

1

5.0

Nick Herbert

41

4.93

Lady Hermon

18

5.89

Mark Hoban

65

7.4

Philip Hollobone

2

5.0

Kelvin Hopkins

1

1.0

Martin Horwood

1

3.0

Stewart Hosie

1

5.0

David Howarth

1

1.0

Lindsay Hoyle

6

5.5

Chris Huhne

9

7.56

Joan Humble

1

4.0

Mark Hunter

1

3.0

Nick Hurd

25

2.96

Adam Ingram

1

4.0

Stewart Jackson

7

4.29

Sian James

1

3.0

Brian Jenkins

11

6.73

Boris Johnson

9

4.0

David Jones

1

8.0

Kevan Jones

1

4.0

Lynne Jones

7

4.0

Sir Gerald Kaufman

4

4.75

Daniel Kawczynski

1

13.0

Sally Keeble

3

5.0

Fraser Kemp

5

5.8

Robert Key

1

2.0

David Kidney

14

4.14

Susan Kramer

4

6.0

Ashok Kumar

13

6.0

Norman Lamb

2

4.0

Mark Lancaster

3

4.0

Andrew Lansley

2

6.5

David Laws

6

(1)12.66

Oliver Letwin

1

19.0

Tom Levitt

2

5.0

Ian Liddell-Grainger

1

6.0

Elfyn Llwyd

28

4.46

Tim Loughton

4

2.25

Ian Lucas

2

5.0

Denis MacShane

3

4.67

Fiona Mactaggart

5

3.8

Anne Main

6

4.17

Humfrey Malins

29

4.24

John Mann

3

5.0

Francis Maude

20

6.05

Theresa May

11

8.55

John McDonnell

33

5.91

Anne McIntosh

2

6.0

Shona McIsaac

1

1.0

Alan Meale

1

4.0

Patrick Mercer

7

4.29

Anne Milton

6

5.67

Austin Mitchell

8

5.75

Madeleine Moon

2

5.0

Michael Moore

1

7.0

Margaret Moran

14

4.79

Jessica Morden

1

4.0

Julie Morgan

2

5.5

Elliot Morley

1

2.0

Greg Mulholland

3

5.67

Chris Mullin

2

3.5

Denis Murphy

7

6.0

Andrew Murrison

8

5.0

Robert Neill

20

4.8

Brooks Newmark

3

4.0

Stephen O’Brien

2

6.5

George Osborne

3

3.67

James Paice

4

3.75

Owen Paterson

5

4.0

Mike Penning

2

7.5

Eric Pickles

31

2.61

Greg Pope

2

4.0

Gordon Prentice

4

5.0

Adam Price

2

4.0

John Randall

1

5.0

John Redwood

1

4.0

Jamie Reed

1

1.0

Linda Riordan

1

4.0

Angus Robertson

1

6.0

Iris Robinson

1

5.0

Dan Rogerson

9

5.0

Andrew Rosindell

29

3.55

David Ruffley

22

6.23

Bob Russell

5

4.0

Andrew Selous

2

4.0

Virenda Sharma

3

4.67

Barry Sheerman

1

3.0

Richard Shepherd

3

5.0

David Simpson

11

7.45

Keith Simpson

1

5.0

Geraldine Smith

1

5.0

Peter Soulsby

1

5.0

John Spellar

8

6.13

Michael Spicer

1

3.0

Bob Spink

14

10.64

Richard Spring

5

5.2

Anthony Steen

1

32.0

Howard Stoate

3

4.0

Andrew Stunell

1

9.0

Jo Swinson

2

3.0

Hugo Swire

3

4.67

Dari Taylor

2

7.0

David Taylor

2

8.5

Matthew Taylor

1

5.0

Sarah Teather

8

6.5

Mark Todd

5

4.6

Jon Trickett

3

3.0

Andrew Tyrie

8

4.0

Ed Vaizey

1

5.0

Shailesh Vara

7

7.43

Keith Vaz

7

6.86

Theresa Villiers

6

6.5

Rudi Vis

33

5.61

Charles Walker

5

6.6

Michael Weir

6

8.83

Bill Wiggin

2

10.0

Roger Williams

4

(1)8.75

Phil Willis

1

8.0

Jenny Willott

74

(1)5.19

David Wilshire

2

4.0

Pete Wishart

2

5.5

Mike Wood

10

4.5

David Wright

1

5.0

Tony Wright

1

5.0

Richard Younger-Ross

2

4.0

Total

1,468

5.60


Next Section Index Home Page