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22 Jan 2009 : Column 1632W—continued
Ian Pearson: During this period of temporary public ownership, Northern Rock is managed by its Board at arm’s length from the Government on commercial principles. It is a matter for the company’s management to release specific business updates or provide any required disclosures in their audited annual report and accounts.
Under the Northern Rock Shareholder Relationship Framework Document the Government require that executive incentivisation be linked to delivery of the objectives set out in the business plan. Individual executive bonuses are for the Board’s Remuneration Committee to determine, taking account of performance against the objectives set in the business plan. Staff pay and incentivisation arrangements are a matter for the company.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what investigations (a) his Department, (b) the Bank of England and (c) the Financial Services Authority have made into securitisation practices (i) in the UK and (ii) by British companies internationally. [249657]
Ian Pearson: The tripartite authorities have been working in both national and international forums to produce analysis and policy recommendations on improving the operation of securitisation markets and enhancing transparency and valuation. Details of these can be found in ‘Financial stability and depositor protection: strengthening the framework’, published in January 2008 (Cm7308), ‘Financial stability and depositor protection: further consultation’, published in July 2008 (Cm7436). Furthermore, on 9 April 2008, the Chancellor announced that Sir James Crosby would provide advice to the Government on options for improving the function of mortgage finance markets, working closely with mortgage industry experts. This was published alongside the 2008 pre-Budget report on 24 November and sets out Sir James' recommendations.
The documents can be found at:
Child Tax Credit
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2009, Official Report, column 275W, how much his Department has spent on child tax credit payment to individuals subject to control orders in each year since 2005. [249499]
Mr. Timms: The information is not available in the format requested. Applications for child tax credit do not establish whether an applicant is subject to a control order. This information is therefore not readily available.
Churches: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to issue a report on funding assistance for the repair of church buildings. [248147]
Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
Work to finalise a report jointly written by Government Departments and the Church of England is ongoing. Its primary purpose is to explore and address any barriers that exist to places of worship accessing funding to support community action projects.
The report will set out the funding assistance available to faith-based and other third sector organisations to support community initiatives that could be used for enhancements to places of worship.
The report will be published in the coming weeks and I will arrange for copies to be laid in the Libraries of both Houses.
Derbyshire Building Society
Sir John Butterfill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that guarantees by Derbyshire Building Society which were transferred to the Icelandic government are honoured in full. [249669]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 20 January 2009]: Derbyshire Offshore (the trading name for Derbyshire Building Society's Isle of Man subsidiary) was established in the Isle of Man in 1990 and was regulated by the Isle of Man Financial Supervision Commission.
Arrangements for depositors in banks in the Isle of Man are a matter for the Government of the Isle of Man.
In line with usual constitutional arrangements, the UK Government will represent the Crown dependencies in their negotiations with the Icelandic authorities.
Economic and Monetary Union
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the President of the European Commission on Britain's prospective membership of the euro. [249540]
Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers discuss a wide range of issues with their counterparts in other countries, as well as the European Commission. The Government's policy on membership of the single currency is unchanged. It remains as set out by the Chancellor in his statement to the House of Commons in October 1997, and again in the Chancellor's statement on the five tests assessment in June 2003.
Financial Services Compensation Scheme
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the terms on which (a) banks and (b) building societies will contribute to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme levy; and if he will make a statement. [250372]
Ian Pearson: The Financial Services Compensation Scheme is an independent organisation set up under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. It is responsible for setting levies on firms within the rules and limits set by the Financial Services Authority. These rules also specify the levies that may be collected from each class of firm and the apportionment of levies between individual firms within each class.
Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.
Government Contracts
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Office of Government Commerce's guidance on including general break clauses in government contracts. [250483]
Angela Eagle: The guidance has been placed in the Library.
Income Tax
Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many higher rate income tax payers there are in each parliamentary constituency. [249694]
Mr. Timms: The number of individual income taxpayers by constituency can be found in table 3.15 ‘Income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency’ on HM Revenue and Customs' website at:
Estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes, of which 2005-06 is currently the latest available. Estimates for 2006-07 will be published at the end of January.
Reliable information on the number of higher rate taxpayers at constituency level is not currently available.
Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander: Isle of Man
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the potential liability to the public purse of guaranteeing the deposits of UK citizens in the Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Isle of Man bank for (a) all deposits, (b) deposits up to £50,000 and (c) deposits up to £100,000. [247844]
Ian Pearson: Deposits with Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander, Isle of Man, will be subject to the Isle of Man Deposit Compensation Scheme. This scheme is administered by the Isle of Man authorities.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to protect investors who originally banked with the Derbyshire Building Society but who subsequently found themselves customers of Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Isle of Man bank. [247846]
Ian Pearson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 26 November 2008, Official Report, column 1902W.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Isle of Man authorities on UK citizens’ savings that were deposited with Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Isle of Man bank. [247848]
Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
Sir John Butterfill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the government of the Isle of Man regarding funding to enable the Isle of Man to compensate British depositors with Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander. [249670]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 20 January 2009]: Arrangements for depositors in banks in the Isle of Man are a matter for the Government of the Isle of Man.
Deposits with Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander, Isle of Man, will be subject to the Isle of Man deposit compensation scheme.
Landsbanki: Guernsey
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of the collapse of Landsbanki Guernsey. [243801]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 15 December 2008]: Arrangements for depositors in banks in Guernsey are a matter for the Government of Guernsey.
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will meet representatives of UK nationals who were depositors with Landsbanki Guernsey to discuss their position. [249894]
Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
In line with usual constitutional arrangements, the UK Government will represent the Crown dependencies in their negotiations with the Icelandic authorities.
Members: Correspondence
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 27 October 2008 from the hon. Member for Hazel Grove on a constituent's difficulties regarding the collapse of Lansbanki. [249299]
Ian Pearson: Due to the large volume of correspondence received on these issues there has been a delay in sending some responses. The Financial Services Secretary hopes to be in a position to reply to the hon. Member shortly.
Clare Short: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when a reply will be sent to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood's letter of 28 November 2008 on behalf of Gordon Ferguson of the Kaupthing Banking Group. [249550]
Ian Pearson: Due to the large volume of correspondence received on these issues there has been a delay in sending some responses. The Financial Services Secretary hopes to be in a position to reply to the right hon. Member shortly.
Public Sector: Procurement
Mr. Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the merits of proposals to introduce a single on-line pre-qualification questionnaire for small businesses to access public procurement projects. [249843]
Angela Eagle: The Glover Committee report, “Accelerating the SME Economic Engine” published on the HMT website in November 2008, made 12 recommendations to improve SME access to public procurement including:
“Qualification criteria that are not specific to a sector should be standardised and incorporated in all pre-qualification questionnaires so that businesses do not need to repeatedly submit the same core information in different formats.”
Government are currently implementing these recommendations.
Revenue and Customs: Leicester
David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) redundancy payments to staff who are unable to relocate and (b) daily travel allowance payments to staff relocating to other offices resulting from HM Revenue and Customs’ decision to close two offices in Leicester; and what the estimated annual saving in accommodation costs as a result of the closure of these two offices is. [249414]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 19 January 2009]: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is vacating one office in Leicester, Attenborough House. Enkalon House, which formerly housed one member of HMRC staff, has already been vacated.
HMRC expects staff to relocate with their teams to another office within reasonable daily travel, almost all of them to one of the two offices in Leicester that are being retained, Saxon House and City Gate House. Daily Travel Assistance (DTA) may be payable to individual members of staff who incur additional costs in commuting to a new office. The total cost of DTA for staff relocating from Attenborough House will not be known until solutions have been found for all staff involved, but is unlikely to be substantial. As HMRC expects that staff will relocate, no estimate has been made of potential redundancy costs.
The closure of Attenborough House, Leicester will contribute to estimated estate savings of £10.4 million per year in the east midlands. These savings are only part of the overall savings HMRC expects to achieve as a result of business efficiencies arising from restructuring.
HMRC is unable to disclose the estate savings for a particular office on grounds of commercial sensitivity.
Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if HM Revenue and Customs will establish a hotline for hon. Members to contact them on behalf of constituents on matters other than tax credits. [249660]
Mr. Timms: A list of HMRC helplines for hon. Members is available on the parliamentary website.
HMRC operates a child benefit helpline for hon. Members as well as one for tax credits. There are no current plans to expand telephone hotline services for hon. Members but the situation is kept under review.
Stamp Duty Land Tax
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the revenue received by the Exchequer in stamp duty land tax since the announcement of the stamp duty holiday in September 2008; what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of the stamp duty holiday; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the stamp duty holiday on the housing market. [249305]
Ian Pearson: Since the advent of the stamp duty land tax holiday in September stamp duty land tax receipts for the three months from September to November 2008 have amounted to £1.1 billion.
The estimated exchequer cost of the stamp duty land tax holiday, published in the pre-Budget report, was £280 million.
It is too early to make an assessment of the effect of the stamp duty land tax holiday on the housing market.
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