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17 Dec 2008 : Column 824W—continued
Income Tax
Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of administering (a) the PAYE system, (b) the child tax credit system and (c) the working tax credit system was in each of the last three years. [241562]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 9 December 2008]: The information is as follows:
(a) The costs of collecting Income Tax through PAYE in each of the last three years are shown in the following table:
| Costs (nearest £ million) | |
(b) and (c) The costs of managing and paying child and working tax credit for the last three years are set out in Notes 3.4 and 3.5 of the Trust Statement to HM Revenue and Customs Accounts for 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Revenue and Customs
Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government has to improve access for hon. Members to assist them in dealing with constituent issues concerning HM Revenue and Customs. [244139]
Mr. Timms: HMRC operate exclusive MP telephone hotlines for tax credit and child benefit issues.
HMRC currently has no plans to create further MP hotlines. However HMRC aim to provide a timely and high quality service to MPs who raise matters on behalf of their constituents with the Department.
Revenue and Customs: Correspondence
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 2 June 2000, Official Report, column 720W, on Revenue and Customs: correspondence, on what dates and for what amounts tax credit manual payments have been issued to the constituent referred to in the Answer in 2008-09 to date; and how many of these were substitute payments. [244001]
Mr. Timms: The right hon. Gentleman wrote to me about his constituent on 1 December 2008 and I have responded to him in writing today.
Tax Credit: Telephone Services
Jenny Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether tax credit helpline call centres have caller identification technology in place. [241461]
Mr. Timms: I can confirm that tax credit helpline call centres do have caller identification technology in place.
Tax Yields
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the difference was between tax owed to and tax received by the Exchequer in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08. [243688]
Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs produce figures on amounts of bad and doubtful debts each year. These figures are shown in the Statement of Revenue and Expenditure in the Trust Statement which forms part of its published accounts.
The accounts for 2007-08 (HC 674) which include these figures for 2006-07 and 2007-08 were published on 14 July 2008. Copies of the accounts are available on the HMRC website at:
Taxation: Football
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to discuss with football authorities payment of tax arrears by professional football clubs. [243687]
Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs does not treat football clubs differently from any other business in respect of tax arrears.
Work and Pensions
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department’s IT and data security policies and procedures; [240266]
(2) what security controls are in place in respect of each data set his Department holds; and whether such controls are based on the level of risk. [240269]
Jonathan Shaw: The Department has an extensive range of policies, standards and procedures for the protection of information (including personal data), and the associated information technology systems. In common with all data controllers formally registered under the Data Protection Act, there are legal obligations placed on the Department to ensure that personal data is properly protected from theft or loss, and the Department takes these responsibilities very seriously. It is not in the interests of data subjects for the Department to publish the detailed methodologies, controls and processes which apply to the protection of information in general and personal information in particular, and the related security policies that apply to information technology systems. To do so could enable individuals to deduce how successful the Department is in protecting its systems, in identifying vulnerabilities, and detecting attacks, and might assist such persons in testing the effectiveness of the Department’s controls, and thus unlawfully procuring information and data. This would not be in the public interest.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what risk assessment his Department has made in respect of each data set it holds. [240267]
Jonathan Shaw: In accordance with the Cabinet Office’s review of Data Handling Procedures in Government, the Department is required to conduct annual risk assessments of its information assets. A formal statement of the Accounting Officer’s overall assessment of the level of information risk will be given in the Department’s annual Resource Account for the year ending March 2009. However, it is not in the interests of data security for the Department to publish its detailed assessments of the level of risk attached to specific data sets. To do so could enable individuals to exploit any identified vulnerabilities, and thus unlawfully to obtain information and data. This would not be in the public interest.
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants in his Department have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended and (c) dismissed for (i) losing and (ii) deliberately disclosing (A) data stored on departmental equipment and (B) confidential information in each year since its inception. [242919]
Jonathan Shaw: Information on the numbers of staff in the Department for Work and Pensions that have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended and (c) dismissed for (i) losing and (ii) deliberately disclosing (A) data stored on departmental equipment and (B) confidential information in each year since its inception is not available in the format requested.
The Department for Work and Pensions records the numbers of staff investigated, suspended and dismissed for misconduct under general headings but does not record this information under the specific categories requested. To extract more detailed information from individual records under the categories requested would be at disproportionate cost.
Following publication of the Data Handling Review in June 2008, the Department is introducing changes to its disciplinary rules and standards of behaviour to reinforce security measures around the handling and safeguarding of customer data and equipment. The
Department’s Discipline and Standards of Behaviour policies and procedures in relation to data loss are brought to the attention of staff via the Department’s intranet site.
Domestic Safety: Natural Gas
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) injuries and (b) fatalities as a result of domestic gas accidents there have been in each of the last 10 years. [241939]
Jonathan Shaw: The following information is taken from gas statistics published by HSE from data reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR). While most of the reports made relate to domestic incidents some non domestic incidents may have been included. Because of the level of detail recorded on individual RIDDOR reports further separation of the statistics could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
| (a) Number of non-fatal injuries | ||||
| Explosion/fire | CO exposure | Other exposure | Total | |
| (b) Number of fatalities | ||||
| Explosion/fire | CO exposure | Other exposure | Total | |
| n/a = Not available (1) Provisional (subject to statistical verification) | ||||
Natural Gas: Engineers
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the adequacy of standards in the regulation of domestic gas fitters and engineers; and what consideration he has given to the amendment of the existing regulatory regime. [241938]
Jonathan Shaw: The Health and Safety Executive addressed these matters in a review of the domestic gas safety regime in 2006. From April 2009 a reformed and expanded gas installer registration scheme, itself based in gas safety law, will include new arrangements seeking to ensure competent gas work by registered installers.
Occupational Pensions
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Pensions Regulator on companies with final salary pension schemes making up shortfalls in assets following the credit crunch. [242854]
Ms Rosie Winterton: DWP Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Pensions Regulator to discuss the regulatory framework, including the ability of companies to make up final salary pension schemes’ shortfalls.
The Pensions Regulator published its second analytical document on scheme funding and recovery plans on 11 December 2008. The report is available at the Pensions Regulator’s website.
The regulator’s analysis of recovery plans shows positive trends in addressing pension deficits but recognises that there are challenges ahead. Reasonable affordability remains the key and the regulator has issued statements on 24 October and 11 December reaffirming the flexibility of the scheme funding regime in relation to current market conditions.
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