| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
11 Nov 2008 : Column 1087W—continued
The National Archives
Treasury Solicitor
Imports: Israel
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2008, Official Report, columns 885-6W, on imports: Israel, how many of the 26 consignments examined between the end of July and the end of September 2008 were identified as originating in settlements; which settlements were involved; which import/export companies were involved; and for which UK retailer they were intended. [234373]
Mr. Timms: Of the 26 consignments examined between the end of July and end of September 2008 one consignment was identified as originating in a settlement—the Jordan Valley. The import/export company and the UK retailer cannot be named for reasons of commercial confidentiality.
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many consignments of Ahava skin care products have been imported into the UK in each of the last three years; and how many of these consignments were manufactured in settlements in the Occupied Territories. [234374]
Mr. Timms: Commercial confidentiality makes it inappropriate to provide this information for an individual supplier.
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2008, Official Report, columns 885-86W, on imports: Israel, how many of the consignments were labelled (a) West Bank, (b) Jordan Valley and (c) Israel; and how many were identified as originating in an Israeli settlement. [234375]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available. However, the number of consignments identified as originating in an Israeli settlement in the last three years were as follows:
| 1 February to 31 January each year | Number |
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answers of 28 October 2008, Official Report, columns 885-86W and 886W, on imports: Occupied Territories and imports: Israel, how many of the consignments entering the UK in each of the last three years from (a) Israel and (b) the Occupied Palestinian Territories originated in Israeli settlements; and how many were labelled as originating in settlements. [234376]
Mr. Timms: No information is available on how many of the consignments entering the UK from Israel and the Occupied Territories in each of the last three years originated in Israeli settlements, or on the number that were labelled as originating in settlements. Records are available only on imports that are identified as incorrectly claiming Israeli origin.
Maritime and Aviation Intelligence Team
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 19 March 2007, Official Report, column 706W, on customs: manpower, what assessment he has now made of the effect on (a) detection rates and (b) other measures in relation to illegal imports of persons and goods of the disbanding of the Maritime and Aviation Intelligence Team. [234200]
Mr. Timms: The former Paymaster General’s earlier answer still applies in respect of the re-organisation of the former Maritime and Aviation Intelligence Teams (MAIT). The intelligence activity is driven by national hubs of expertise together with target and selection teams, which link into operational teams, resulting in detection activity across the whole of the UK. In addition the Government have created the United Kingdom Border Agency, which is now responsible for all cross border matters including those that were formally the responsibility of MAIT; putting these dual responsibilities under one frontier facing Law Enforcement Agency. HM Revenue and Customs is working closely with the shadow UKBA in building its Border focused intelligence capability.
Public Buildings: Empty Property
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) of 15 September 2008, Official Report, column 2155W, on public buildings: empty property, what the (a) address, (b) occupying organisation and (c) floor area of each part of the Government civil estate that is currently occupied. [233417]
Angela Eagle: The civil estate is defined as:
“the workspace, offices and other property (land and buildings) used to deliver departments’ activities that is owned, leased, or occupied by a government body including non-ministerial departments, agencies, executive NDPBs and Special Health Authorities in Great Britain. It does not include the operational NHS Estate, the Prisons Operational Estate, the Foreign Office Overseas Estate, the Defra Rural Estate, the privatised rail entities, public corporations or the defence estate (except for certain civil elements).”
The information requested has been placed in the Libraries using the aforementioned definition and applies only to occupations of English Departments, agencies
and non-departmental public bodies. It excludes information on all but the headquarters properties occupied by the security services.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) of 15 September 2008, Official Report, columns 2155W, on public buildings: empty property, if he will publish the latest list of actual vacant space by (a) floor area, (b) occupying organisation and (c) location which was used to calculate the 1.43 per cent. figure. [233420]
Angela Eagle: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
Smuggling: Tobacco
Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the correlation between levels of use of hand-rolling tobacco in the UK and the amount of hand-rolling tobacco illegally smuggled into the UK. [234183]
Angela Eagle: HMRC has made no assessment of the correlation between levels of use of hand-rolling tobacco in the UK and the amount of hand-rolling tobacco illegally smuggled into the UK.
Estimates for the total amount of hand-rolling tobacco used in the UK and the amount of hand-rolling tobacco illicitly smuggled into the UK are estimated separately for the years 2001-02 to 2005-06 and are reported in “Measuring Indirect Tax Losses—2007” published by HMRC in October 2007, which is available in the House of Commons Library.
Tax Allowances: Biofuels
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has been made of the number of small processors who take advantage of the under 2,500 litres per annum personal use of biodiesel duty exemption. [234514]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 10 November 2008]: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimate that there are between 1,000 and 1,250 small biofuel producers below the 2,500 litre per annum registration threshold.
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to ensure that the rules relating to the 2,500 litres per annum personal use biodiesel duty exemption are being complied with. [234515]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 10 November 2008]: HMRC ensures that the rules relating to the 2,500 litres per annum biofuel duty threshold are complied with through education, monitoring and targeted assurance activity.
Guidance on the exemption and its limits has been published and publicised on the HMRC website. This publicity has been augmented through attendance at biofuel trade fairs and contributions to trade publications where the regulations restricting the exemption to personal use were explained.
HMRC monitors the position, through administration and assurance activities, of producers operating above and below the limits. Since the threshold was introduced, in July 2007, work has been done centrally and locally to test compliance with the rules. Additionally, through their monitoring of telephone and written enquiries about the threshold, HMRC are satisfied that the rules are generally understood and complied with.
VAT: Planning Permission
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether value added tax must be charged on certificates of lawfulness applications issued by local planning authorities to householders. [234977]
Mr. Timms: Fees charged by local authorities for issuing certificates of lawfulness are outside the scope of VAT.
Culture, Media and Sport
Alcoholic Drinks: Licensing
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) licences and (b) certificates were in force authorising the sale of alcohol in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08. [234045]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The first DCMS Statistical Bulletin on Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment, under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003, was published on 8 November 2007. Based on returns from around 70 per cent. of local councils, this showed that, between April 2006 and March 2007, there were 111,567 premises licences authorising the sale or supply of alcohol (23,218 on-sale only; 32,917 off-sales only; and 55,432 with both on and off sales of alcohol). There were 12,137 club premises certificates authorising the sale or supply of alcohol (4,870 on-sale only; and 7,267 with both on and off sales of alcohol). The April 2007 to March 2008 Bulletin shows that, for this period (based on returns from around 85 per cent. of licensing authorities) there were 140,845 premises licences authorising the sale or supply of alcohol (29,663 on-sale only; 40,606 off-sales only; and 69,189 with both on and off sales of alcohol; 1,387 had permissions to sell alcohol but did not specify in what capacity). There were 14,515 club premises certificates authorising the sale or supply of alcohol (6,654 on-sale only; and 7,758 with both on and off sales of alcohol; 103 had permissions to sell alcohol but did not specify in what capacity).
Alcoholic Drinks: Young People
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many alcohol licences in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire have been revoked on the grounds of sale of alcohol to children since the implementation of the Licensing Act 2003. [233730]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Statistical bulletins on licences to sell alcohol include the number of licences revoked, but do not indicate the reason why. Licences may be revoked on review for one or more reasons relating to the four licensing objectives, including sales of alcohol to children.
The first DCMS Statistical Bulletin on Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment, under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003, was published on 8 November 2007. This shows that, between April 2006 and March 2007, there were no completed reviews in the Dacorum licensing authority area (which covers Hemel Hempstead) and consequently no revocations. For the county of Hertfordshire as a whole, there were 13 completed reviews which resulted in 10 premises licences or club premises certificates having other conditions added or modified, two premises licences or club premises certificates being suspended and one premises licences revoked or club premises certificate withdrawn.
The second statistical bulletin, published on 30 October 2008 and covering the period between April 2007 and March 2008, shows that there were three completed reviews in the Dacorum licensing authority area which resulted in added or modified conditions to the premises licence or club premises certificates. For Hertfordshire as a whole there were 19 completed reviews for this period which resulted in two premises licenses or club premises certificates being suspended and two premises licences being revoked or club premises certificates being withdrawn.
Since 6 April 2007, a premises licence can be suspended by a court under Section 147B(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 (as amended by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006) for the sale or supply of alcohol, following an offence of persistently selling to underage children. No premises licenses or club premises certificates have been suspended on these grounds in Hertfordshire county for the most recent statistical bulletin period.
BBC: Newspaper Press
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the viability of regional newspapers and their websites of the BBC Trust’s Local Video proposals; and what assessment has been made of the competition position of the BBC’s online services in respect of the independent media. [232490]
Andy Burnham: These are matters for the BBC Trust. As part of the public value test considering the local video proposal, Ofcom is conducting a market impact assessment for the trust.
BBC: Public Service Broadcasting
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had on the BBC’s compliance with its public service broadcasting obligations in the last seven days. [233889]
Andy Burnham: On 29 October, Sir Michael Lyons telephoned to brief me on the BBC Trust’s response to the editorial breaches in the “Russell Brand Show”. On 5 November, I had a scheduled meeting with Mark Thompson, in which we discussed the same issue.
British Broadcasting Corporation: Pay
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the BBC Trust on its policy on levels of remuneration for BBC senior executives. [234078]
Casinos: Licensing
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by what procedures local authorities may license new casinos in their areas other than the 16 small and large casinos catered for in his Department’s recently-sponsored legislation. [233566]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 6 November 2008]: Under the 1968 Gaming Act, casinos could be established in 53 permitted areas in England, Wales and Scotland, provided that the Gambling Commission had issued a valid certificate of consent and local licensing justices had approved a casino licence application for the premises.
The final date for applications to the Gambling Commission for a certificate of consent was 28 April 2006. Therefore no new certificates of consent and no related new casino licences can be issued.
There are six potential applications for casino licences (including one card club) under the 1968 Gaming Act that have not yet been heard by local licensing justices. Existing 1968 Gaming Act casinos may also apply to move to substitute premises within the same permitted area. Finally, there are 16 casino licence applications where an appeal has been lodged, or is being considered, against a decision by local licensing justices not to grant a casino licence.
Departmental Conditions of Employment
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of employees in his Department (a) are on a flexible working contract, (b) are on a job share employment contract and (c) work from home for more than four hours a week. [233856]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Staff in DCMS are actively encouraged to work alternative working patterns, including flexible working hours, job-sharing and working from home. These are mainly arranged at local line management level and the Department does not hold comprehensive data centrally about the percentages of staff involved. DCMS are in the process of installing a new human resources information system, which when operational will record this information.
Departmental ICT
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) memory sticks, (b) laptop computers, (c) desktop computers, (d) hard drives and (e) mobile telephones were (i) lost by and (ii) stolen from his Department in each year since its establishment. [234096]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has lost or had stolen the following items since 1998. The Department does not hold records for 1997.
| Memory sticks | Laptops | Mobile phones | ||
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |