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26 Nov 2008 : Column 1902W—continued
Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander: Isle of Man
Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assistance he plans to offer to British citizens with deposits in Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander, Isle of Man; and if he will make a statement; [239736]
(2) what recent estimate he has made of the number of British citizens who are depositors in Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander, Isle of Man; what estimate he has made of the average size of deposits in such cases; and if he will make a statement; [239737]
(3) what recent representations he has received on the possible liquidation of Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander, Isle of Man; and if he will make a statement; [239738]
(4) what recent assessment he has made of the situation of British depositors in Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander, Isle of Man. [239739]
Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for new Forest, West (Mr. Swayne) on 5 November, Official Report, column 539W.
Landfill Tax
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether community sports clubs are eligible to apply to the Landfill Communities Fund for grants. [239231]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 25 November 2008]: Since April 2002 community sports clubs meeting certain requirements have been able to register with HMRC as CASCs and so benefit from a range of reliefs, similar to those normally given to charities.
Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) are eligible to apply under the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) for grants to undertake projects that meet environmental objectives, as defined in the Landfill Tax Regulations 1996. Either the CASC, or an organisation on their behalf, must register with ENTRUST as an Environmental Body (EB) in order to receive funding. ENTRUST is the regulator of the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF).
Landsbanki
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he had with the Financial Services Authority between March 2008 and October 2008 on its supervisory responsibilities in respect of (a) Landsbanki and (b) Heritable, with particular reference to the liquidity of both banks. [238062]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 24 November 2008]: The FSA intensified its supervision of deposit-taking by Icelandic banks (including through increased contact with the banks themselves and the Icelandic regulator) from the beginning of 2008. As the macroeconomic situation deteriorated during the year and particularly since September the FSA has worked increasingly intensively with the banks concerned.
As the Memorandum of Understanding between HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the FSA sets out, the FSA informs the Tripartite of any concerns about individual financial institutions on a regular basis.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what responsibilities the Financial Services Authority had for monitoring the global liquidity position of (a) Landsbanki and (b) Kaupthing. [238063]
Ian Pearson
[holding answer 24 November 2008]: Under the Banking Consolidation Directive, banks from other EEA member states have the right to “passport” into the UK and to operate here as a branch. These banks are authorised by their home-state regulator. For the UK business of these branches, the FSA has
responsibility for the supervision of conduct of business, money laundering and financial crime, and branch liquidity. The FSA exercises supervision of branch liquidity in co-operation with the “home state” authority. The FSA does not supervise the liquidity position of the bank as a whole, which is the responsibility of the home state regulator under the directive.
Lloyds TSB: Directors
Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2008, Official Report, column 932W, on banks: incentives, whether he expects to be consulted on the size of any stock bonuses which may be paid to directors of Lloyds TSB. [239170]
Ian Pearson: It has not proved possible to answer the hon. Member's question, of which Treasury Ministers first received notice on 24 November 2008, before Parliament is prorogued later today.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual change was in local government expenditure funded by central Government in each of the last 10 years. [225431]
Yvette Cooper: In England, the year on year increase in total Government grant for local authority revenue expenditure on a like for like basis (taking account of changes in finance or function) is as follows:
| £ billion | |
This is the increase in gross aggregate external finance (AEF), and includes Formula Grant, redistributed business rates and specific grants within AEF. It does not include capital grants provided by central Government, and excludes Housing Revenue Account Subsidy.
Spending by local authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the devolved administrations. However, table 9.13 of ‘Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2008’ gives information about total local authority identifiable expenditure on services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Mortgages: Interest Rates
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on (a) high street banks in which the Government has purchased an interest and (b) their subsidiaries passing on reductions in the bank base rate to their mortgage holders; and if he will make a statement. [239003]
Ian Pearson: As part of their investment, the Government have agreed a range of commitments with banks accessing the recapitalisation scheme. These include agreements to make available affordable products during this period of global turbulence in financial markets, help individuals struggling with their mortgage payments stay in their homes and support the expansion of financial capability initiatives.
Decisions on lending to individual customers and on mortgage rates remain commercial decisions for the individual banks, based on borrowers' individual circumstances. The banks concerned are expected to review their business strategies in light of the recapitalisations and their commitments.
In addition, the Government's investments will be managed on a commercial basis by an arm's length company, ‘UK Financial Investments Limited’ (UKR), whose overarching objective will be to protect and create value for the taxpayer as shareholder with due regard to the maintenance of financial stability and to act in a way that promotes competition. More details can be found in the letter to the chairman of the Treasury Committee (the right hon. John McFall) dated on 3 November from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which is available in the House of Commons' Library.
National Insurance
Mr. Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue the Exchequer received from employer national insurance contributions in the last tax year; and what proportion of this came from employers running (a) small, (b) medium-sized and (c) large enterprises. [228470]
Mr. Timms: Receipts of employer national insurance contributions were £58.1 billion in 2007-08. A breakdown of this total between small, medium and large companies is not available.
National Insurance Contributions
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to level payments on national insurance between earned and unearned income. [239517]
Mr. Timms: There are no plans to charge national insurance on unearned income.
National Insurance: Exemptions
Susan Kramer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the effect on revenue for the Exchequer if his Department ended the exemption from national insurance contributions and tax relief for employers providing qualifying childcare and vouchers towards the cost of childcare in each of the next five years; [225532]
(2) what the cost to the Exchequer has been of exemptions from national insurance contributions and tax relief for employers providing qualifying childcare and vouchers towards the cost of childcare in each year since its introduction. [225533]
Mr. Timms: The estimate of the costs to the Exchequer of the tax and National Insurance Contributions reliefs for Employer Supported Childcare is published in Table 7 of Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs, a supplementary document to the 2008 pre-Budget report.
The Report and supplementary documents are available on the HM Treasury website, at the following address:
Northern Rock
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2008, whether it is his policy to treat Northern Rock as a public authority for the purposes of the Human Rights Act 1998. [235565]
Ian Pearson: During its period of temporary public ownership Northern Rock is being managed on a commercial basis at arm’s length from the Government.
Northern Rock: Nationalisation
Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the monetary value of compensation to be paid to Northern Rock shareholders in respect of the shares taken into public ownership. [238875]
Ian Pearson: An independent valuer has been appointed to assess any compensation that may be payable to those affected by the transfer of Northern Rock to the Treasury on 22 February 2008.
More information is available on the Treasury website at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_91_08.htm and on the valuer's website at http://www.northernrockvaluer. org.uk
Office of Government Commerce: Health Services
David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings officials of OGC Buying Solutions have had with representatives of (a) strategic health authorities and (b) primary care trusts in (i) the East Midlands and (ii) England in the last two years. [238399]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 24 November 2008]: The information requested is as follows:
| Number of meetings held | ||
| East midlands | England | |
Office of Government Commerce: Zanzibar
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2008, Official Report, columns 1017-18W, on the Office of Government Commerce: Zanzibar, how much his Department spent on (a) the development and (b) the implementation across Government of the Zanzibar eProcurement Service, in each of the last four years. [227155]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 14 October 2008]: An answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the savings achieved for the use of the Zanzibar eProcurement Service across public sector bodies and Government departments in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08; and what savings are predicted for (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11. [227156]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 14 October 2008]: The information is as follows.
| £ | |
| (1) The Zanzibar Service went live in October 2006; therefore the estimated savings in 2006-07 only covers the period October 2006 to March 2007 | |
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which organisations have signed memoranda of understanding to implement the Zanzibar eProcurement Service. [227157]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 14 October 2008]: The following fourteen organisations signed memoranda of understanding to implement the Zanzibar eProcurement Service:
Cabinet Office
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Department for Transport
Department of Health
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Environment Agency
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
HM Customs and Excise
Home Office
Inland Revenue
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)
Office of Government Commerce (OGC)
Prison Service
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA)
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what initiatives, procedures or training programmes his Department has to ensure the take up of the Zanzibar eProcurement Service by public sector bodies and Government Departments. [227158]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 17 October 2008]: The following activities are undertaken by OGC.Buying. Solutions to support the take up of the Zanzibar eProcurement Service.
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