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9 Feb 2009 : Column 1625W—continued
Pensions: Private Sector
John Mason: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on private pensions of the recent stock market downturn. [255180]
Ian Pearson: The effect on private pensions of the recent stock market downturn varies with the share of assets individual schemes assign to equities. In general UK pension funds have substantially reduced their exposure to equities in recent years.
The Government have taken a number of steps to support good quality pension provision and are committed to helping scheme sponsors through this difficult time within the framework provided by the Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund.
We will continue to work with groups representing pension schemes, employers and scheme members to consider what further steps can be taken to support schemes.
Public Bodies: Finance
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many organisations providing public services in Wales have received a total of £200,000 or more from public funds in the last five years. [254706]
Yvette Cooper: In devolved areas of spending it is for the Welsh Assembly government to decide what organisations it funds. In reserved areas of spending it is for the relevant Government Department to decide what organisations it funds.
Public Works Loan Board
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was owed to the Public Works Loan Board at the end of each of the last five financial years by (a) the Scottish Government and (b) parish councils in England. [248042]
Angela Eagle: The Public Works Loan Board lends only to local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, therefore the Scottish Government has no outstanding debt with the PWLB.
The balance outstanding to the Public Works Loan Board in respect of parish and town councils in England at the end of each of the last five years was as follows:
| Balance of principal (£) | |
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was lent by the Public Works Loan Board to (a) the Scottish Government and (b) parish councils in England in each of the last five financial years. [248043]
Angela Eagle: The Public Works Loan Board lends only to local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales therefore the Scottish Government has no outstanding debt with the PWLB.
The total amounts lent to the parish and town councils in England in each of the last five years are as follows:
| Amount (£) | |
Stewart Hosie:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid to the Public Works Loan Board by
(a) the Scottish Government and (b) parish councils in England in each of the last five years. [248044]
Angela Eagle: Where PWLB debt is repaid by Scottish local authorities prematurely using proceeds from the sale of housing stock and where there is overhanging debt, the Scottish Government often contributes to the total sum repayable to the PWLB. Payments received from the Scottish Government by PWLB in this respect in each of the last five years are as follows:
| £ | ||||
| Principal | Interest | Premium | Total | |
Public Works Loan Board receipts from parish town councils in England in each of the last five years are as follows:
| £ | ||||
| Principal | Accrued interest | Premium | Total | |
Repossession Orders
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many properties were repossessed in (a) England and (b) North Yorkshire in each year since 2004. [254203]
Ian Pearson: The Government do not hold these figures. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) publishes the total numbers of properties taken into possession in the UK, available at:
Research and Development Tax Credit
Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of uptake of research and development tax credits by (a) clean technology companies and (b) green technology companies was in 2008-09. [255088]
Angela Eagle: Information on R&D tax credits is not yet available for 2008-09. The most recent National Statistics, published on the HMRC website on 19 December 2008, cover financial years up to 2006-07.
Information on claims for R&D tax credits by clean tech and green tech companies is not available because the data are broken down by industry sector using the UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities (SIC), and clean tech and green tech are not identified as separate sectors in this classification.
Revenue and Customs: Complaints
Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints his Department has received on the number of days between the date on which members of the public receive letters from HM Revenue and Customs and the date on the letter. [254517]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not compiled centrally.
Revenue and Customs: North West
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what renovation and refurbishment works have been carried out on the HM Revenue and Customs' offices in (a) Blackburn and (b) St Helens in the last 12 months; and at what cost. [254759]
Mr. Timms: No renovation or refurbishment works have been carried out in HM Revenue and Customs’ offices in Blackburn and St. Helens in the last 12 months.
Both of these offices are occupied under the terms of an estates private finance initiative (PFI) contract. Planned preventive and lifecycle maintenance will have been undertaken by HMRC’s estates partner, Mapeley, who are responsible for maintenance of the sites to the required contractual accommodation standards.
Royal Bank of Scotland
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on answering parliamentary questions on (a) the Government's expenditure on and (b) the operations of RBS. [254541]
Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers answer parliamentary questions about Government expenditure on RBS as fully and accurately as appropriate, consistent with the Department's responsibilities. Questions about the operations of RBS are a matter for the directors of the bank.
Smuggling
Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many offences of smuggling of illegal and counterfeit tobacco were recorded in each of the last five years. [253974]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available.
The following table shows the number of cases brought and the number of criminals sentenced for tobacco offences in each of the last five years.
| Cases brought | Number of people sentenced | |
Valuation Office: Overseas Visits
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what overseas conferences have been attended by representatives of the Valuation Office Agency at public expense in the last 12 months; [252430]
(2) with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst, of 17 March 2008, Official Report, column 899W, on the Valuation Office: visits abroad, which overseas destinations have been visited by Valuation Office Agency staff since March 2008; how many visits were made to each destination; and what the purpose of each visit was. [252490]
Mr. Timms: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) receives a number of requests to provide advice overseas. Where VOA participation is expected to be beneficial at an overseas conference or seminar some or all of the costs incurred are normally borne by the conference organisers.
Since March 2008 staff from the Valuation Office Agency have made the following visits:
Fully paid for by the event organisers;
One person visited Moscow as a Keynote speaker at Russian Society of Appraisers Conference; and
One person visited Kansas City to attend a meeting of the International Association of Assessing Officers to review mass appraisal courses and textbooks.
Five visits, consisting of one person each time, were made to Dublin to discuss valuation practice and procedures across England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland;
One person visited Toronto to attend the Mass Appraisal Valuation Symposium, partly paid for by the organisers;
One person visited Warsaw as a Keynote speaker at the European Valuers Conference;
One person visited Beijing to attend an International Property Tax Institute Conference, partly paid for by the organisers;
One person visited Adelaide as a Keynote speaker at the Australian Valuer General, Registrar General and Surveyor General's Conference, partly paid for by the organisers; and
One person visited Cannes to attend Gartner's Symposium / IT(xpo) 2008.
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