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11 Jun 2008 : Column 308W—continued
Taxation: Income
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of table 14A from the Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, broken down by the age of the household reference person in five year bands from the ages of 20 to 80 rather than by household income deciles for the current year, for (a) 2000, (b) 1995 and (c) 1990. [208787]
Mr. Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 11 June 2008:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking if a copy of table 14A from the Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, broken down by the age of the household reference person in five year bands from the ages of 20 to 80 rather than by household income deciles for the current year, for (a) 2000, (b) 1995 and (c) 1990 can be placed in the House of Commons Library. I am replying in her absence. (208787)
The table requested is provided here for the years 2005/06, 2000/01, 1995/96. Comparable data for 1990/91 are not available. These tables will also be provided to the House of Commons Library.
Average incomes, taxes and benefits have been presented with households grouped in five year bands according to age of the household reference person (HRP). To ensure that all households are classified, an age group for households where the HRP is aged 80 or over has been included. Households where the HRP is under 20 (of which there are relatively few) are classified in the same group as those where the HRP is aged 20 to 24.
The concept of HRP was adopted on all government surveys from 2001/02, replacing head of household. Therefore in the tables for the years 2000/01 and 1995/96 head of household is used instead of HRP.
Treasury
Income
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much households headed by 25 year olds earned as a proportion of the earnings of households headed by people aged 50 to 60 years in (a) 1980, (b) 1985, (c) 1990, (d) 1995, (e) 2000, (f) 2005 and (g) 2008. [208790]
Mr. Watson: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 11 June 2008:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how much households headed by 25 year-olds earned as a proportion of the earnings of households headed by people aged 50 to 60 years in (a) 1980, (b) 1985, (c) 1990, (d) 1995, (e) 2000, (f) 2005 and (g) 2008. I am replying in her absence. (208790)
The table provided shows average household wages and salaries for two age bands (under 30 years old and 50 to 64 years old). Data covering ages 25 years' old and 50 to 60 years' old are not readily available. In addition the latest year for which data are available is 2006.
From 2001-02, the concept of 'Household Reference Person' (HRP) was adopted on all government surveys in place of head of household. The table is therefore presented by 'Head of household' for the years 1980 to 2000/01 and HRP for the years 2005-06 and 2006.
The information in this response is based on the Expenditure and Food Survey, which has a sample size of approximately 7,000 households. When breaking down this sample into age bands the sub-samples become quite small. For example in 2006, the age group 'under 30 years group' is based on a relatively small sub-sample of around 600 households, while the 650 to 64 years' group is based on 1,700 households. With such small sample sizes caution should be exercised when drawing any conclusions from this time series.
| Average household earnings by households headed by age groups under 30 years and 50 to 64 years( 1, 2, 3) — United Kingdom, 1980 to 2006( 4) | |||
| Wages and salaries ( £ per week)( 5) | |||
| Under 30 years | 50 to 64 years | Earnings ratio of under 30 group to 50 to 64 age group | |
| (1) The Family Expenditure Survey was replaced by the Expenditure and Food Survey in 2001-02. (2) Head of Household was replaced by Household Reference Person (HRP) in 2001-02. The HRP is largely determined by who owns or is responsible for the household accommodation, whereas in the case of a couple, the head of household was always the husband. (3) From 2000-01 estimates in this table are based on weighted data, whereas estimates before this are not. (4) From 1957 to 1993 data were collected on a calendar year basis and then from 1994-95 to 2005-06 on a financial year basis. In 2006 the Expenditure and Food Survey was collected on a calendar year basis. (5) Figures rounded to nearest pound. Source: Family Spending, Office for National Statistics. | |||
Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the removal of the 10 pence income tax rate. [209878]
Jane Kennedy: The Chancellor receives a wide range of representations on many different issues
On 13 May he announced an increase in the individual personal tax allowance by £600 to £6,035 for this financial year, benefiting all basic-rate taxpayers under 65 and removing 600,000 low-income individuals from tax. Around 22 million basic-rate taxpayers will gain an additional £120 this year, fully compensating 80 per cent. of households that lose from the Budget 2007 reforms, with the remaining 1.1 million households seeing their loss at least halved.
Minimum Wage: Prosecutions
Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2008, Official Report, columns 143-4W, on minimum wage: prosecutions, how arrangements for employers to pay minimum wage arrears are established and monitored; and if he will make a statement. [203863]
Jane Kennedy: HMRC have a clearly defined process for monitoring the payment of identified arrears to workers. National minimum wage compliance officers send letters to any workers for whom they identify arrears, advising them of the amount due to them and asking them to contact the officer by a due date if the employer does not make payment. An officer will also ask the employer to provide evidence of payment of arrears to workers. Where it is evident that an employer has not made payment to all workers to whom arrears are due, the officer will pursue this with the employer. HMRC remain committed to ensuring that workers receive what they are due and the proposals in the Employment Bill will improve and strengthen the enforcement regime of the minimum wage.
Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2008, Official Report, columns 143-4W, on minimum wage: prosecutions, how many employers have accrued minimum wage arrears in each year since the minimum wage was introduced, broken down by region. [203866]
Jane Kennedy: This information is not available.
Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2008, Official Report, columns 143-4W, on minimum wage: prosecutions, how many enforcement notices have been issued to employers who have accrued arrears through failure to pay the minimum wage in each year since the minimum wage was introduced, broken down by region. [203870]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available.
Non-domestic Rates: Small Businesses
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many hereditaments in England have been eligible to receive the Small Business Rate Relief in each of the last three financial years. [209662]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Local Government to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Alan Duncan) on 29 April 2008, Official Report, column 319W.
Revenue and Customs: Aylesbury
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs pay in rent at Kingfisher House, Aylesbury, (a) overall and (b) per square metre. [209874]
Jane Kennedy: The majority of HMRC offices, including Kingfisher House, Aylesbury, are held under Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts which differ from traditional lease arrangements. An all-inclusive facility price is paid for the provision of serviced accommodation and a standard rent is not paid.
Tax Avoidance
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what prosecutions in relation to which proceedings have been completed were brought for the (a) sale, (b) marketing and (c) operation of illegal schemes purporting to operate as tax avoidance schemes in each of the last five years. [209761]
Jane Kennedy: Historical records kept in complex fraud cases did not separately identify whether the frauds investigated involved the operation of illegal schemes purporting to operate as tax avoidance schemes. It has been established however that there are currently six such schemes under active criminal investigation. As these are ongoing criminal investigation cases it is not appropriate to provide any additional details at this time.
Taxation: Business
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he holds on the liability for UK tax of the organisations represented on the business-government forum on tax. [209760]
Jane Kennedy: HMRC receives and holds broadly the same information about all companies that are liable to taxes and duties in the United Kingdom. HMRC has a duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality, and it is not therefore possible to release information about the individual tax affairs of particular companies.
Welfare Tax Credits
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of unclaimed tax credits was in each of the last three years. [209754]
Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the amounts unclaimed for child and working tax credits in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are available in Table 1 in the HMRC publications “Child and Working Tax Credit take-up rates”, for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
These are the latest years for which estimates are currently available.
Justice
Children: Death
Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if his Department will put in place measures to ensure that (a) coroners and (b) local safeguarding children boards work together more effectively on investigating child deaths. [209781]
Bridget Prentice: The Coroners (Amendment) Rules 2008 will put measures in place to allow coroners and local safeguarding children boards (LSCBs) to work together to enable LSCBs to meet their obligation to conduct child death reviews and to fulfil their statutory obligations more generally. A new rule, which I plan to lay in Parliament later this month, will (i) require coroners to notify LSCBs of a child death and (ii) enable coroners to share relevant information (such as reports from post-mortem examinations and documents given in evidence at an inquest) with LSCBs.
Dangerous Driving: Sentencing
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what sentencing guidelines apply to the offence of causing death by careless driving. [209668]
Mr. Hanson:
Sentencing guidelines for the offence of causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink and drugs are contained in the Court of Appeal judgment R v. Cooksley and others (2004)1 Cr App R (S) 1, as modified by R v. Richardson and others (2006) EWCA Crim 3186. The Sentencing Guidelines
Council is expected to publish a definitive guideline on causing death by driving offences shortly. We will commence the new offence of causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving after the guideline has been published.
Dogs
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many successful prosecutions there were for the breeding of each prohibited breed of dog in each of the last five years. [210052]
Maria Eagle: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for the offence breeding or breeding from a fighting dog in England and Wales for the years 2002 to 2006 is in the following table.
The table gives the numbers of successful prosecutions in respect of all four prohibited types of dog. Figures on prosecutions do not differentiate between the different types.
| N umber of defendants found guilty at all courts for the offence breeding or breeding from a fighting dog in England and Wales, 2002 - 06( 1, 2, 3, 4) | |
| Found guilty | |
| (1) The data are on the principal offence basis. (2) The data cover the following statute: Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec l(2)(a). (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) The figures in this table give the numbers of successful prosecutions (i.e. convictions) in respect of all four prohibited types of dog. | |
These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
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