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23 Feb 2009 : Column 313W—continued
Capital Gains Tax
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue implications of taxing capital gains at the same marginal rates as income tax, with indexation for each financial year from 2009-10 to 2014-15. [257948]
Mr. Timms: It would be very difficult to provide a reliable estimate because of the difficulties of assessing the large behavioural responses which would result from a change of this kind.
Capital Investment
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether all of the re-profiled capital expenditure from 2010-11 has been allocated to specific projects in 2008-09 and 2009-10. [256186]
Yvette Cooper: The re-profiled capital spending brought forward from 2010-11 to 2008-09 has been allocated to specific projects and Departments are on track to deliver the investments.
Departments are on track to allocate the re-profile capital spending brought forward from 2010-11 into 2009-10 and in some cases the capital expenditure has already been allocated to specific projects.
Capital Investment: Venture Capital
Mr. Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the sums invested in venture capital trusts in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08 and (d) 2008-09, to date; and if he will make a statement. [258215]
Mr. Timms: The estimated amount of funds invested in Venture Capital Trusts in each tax-year up to and including 2007-08 is published on the HM Revenue and Customs website:
The estimates for 2008-09 will be published in September 2009.
Car Allowances: Voluntary Work
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce tax relief on the travel expenses of pensioners who work as volunteers for charities. [258048]
Mr. Timms: There are no plans to introduce such a tax relief which would introduce administrative burdens for charities and volunteers. Many organisations demonstrate good practice by reimbursing their volunteers’ travel expenses.
Child Tax Credit: Overpayments
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Tendring in receipt of child tax credit have been asked to repay overpayments. [256414]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) code of practice 26 ‘What happens if we've paid you too much tax credit?’ explains the ways the department collect back an overpayment, and is available at:
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate his Department has made of the proportion of families in Tendring in receipt of child tax credits currently receiving the incorrect amount. [256415]
Mr. Timms: The information is not available in the format requested. Estimates of the number of families with tax credit awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes, for the years 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 are available in the HMRC publications ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Supplement on Payments. Geographical Analysis’, for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
End of year adjustments are not incorrect payments: they are a consequence of the flexible system of tax credits that means that families can get extra support when their needs are greatest.
Child Trust Fund
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average payment has been made by parents into Child Trust Fund accounts in (a) Darlington constituency, (b) County Durham, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since the scheme’s inception. [258257]
Ian Pearson: The Detailed Distributional Analysis, including details of contributions made by parents and others was published on 6 November 2008. These data are only available at Government office region level and can be viewed on the HM Revenue and Customs’ website at:
Constituency level data, including the number of vouchers issued and parental account opening figures, on child trust fund accounts were published on 6 November 2008 and can be viewed on the HM Revenue and Customs’ website at:
Child Trust Fund: Finance
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of the Child Trust Fund in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2014-15. [258254]
Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 10 November 2008, Official Report, column 933W.
Child Trust Fund: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children in City of York constituency have received child trust fund payments of (a) £250 and (b) £500 at birth. [257971]
Ian Pearson: We are unable to supply this information as it would be possible to do so only at a disproportionate cost. However, information on the number of child trust fund vouchers issued and the number of accounts opened in each constituency are published on the HMRC website at:
All children eligible for the child trust fund receive a £250 voucher. Children from low income families receive an additional £250 paid directly into their child trust fund account when the family’s child tax credit award has been finalised.
The latest set of figures was published on 6 November 2008.
Contingency Reserve
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what allocations have been made from the contingency reserve for (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement. [255003]
Yvette Cooper: Allocations from the DEL Reserve to departments are presented to Parliament through the estimates process.
The details of changes that were made to departmental budgets for 2008-09 budgets at winter supplementary estimates (November 2008) can be found on the HM Treasury website using the following link:
A further update to 2008-09 departmental budgets will be provided at spring supplementary estimate, which will be published later this month. Allocations from the DEL Reserves for 2009-10 will be presented to Parliament through the estimates process during 2009-10. The main estimates for 2009-10 will be published following the Budget.
Debts
Mr. Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average level of unsecured personal debt per head of population was in the UK in each year since 1979. [245258]
Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell , dated January 2009 :
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question on what the average level of unsecured personal debt per head of population was in the UK in each year since 1979. (245258)
Statistics for this are available back to 1982 and are shown in the table. The time series in the table below has been derived by linking two different vintages of data together. This is explained in the footnote.
Currently the UK National Accounts are calculated in accordance with the international guidelines set out in the European System of Accounts 1995 (ESA95). In this framework the personal sector equates to the household sector which is combined with the non-profit institutions serving households sector (NPISH), and it is not possible to separate the two. Examples of institutions included within the NPISH sector are: charities; trade unions; universities; churches and political parties. Data on this basis are available back to 1987.
| Table 1— A verage level of unsecured personal debt per head of population in the UK | |
| Personal debt per head of population (£) | |
| Notes: 1. Estimates of household and NPISH unsecured debt are on an ESA95 basis. Similar statistics based on the European System of Accounts 1979 (ESA79) for the personal sector are on a slightly different definitional basis and are available back to 1982. A single series has been obtained by linking the two series together. The series based on ESA79 has been linked onto the series based on ESA95 using the growth rate between 1986 and 1987. 2. Mid year UK resident population estimates have been used to estimate the average unsecured personal debt per head of the population. Source: United Kingdom National Accounts—The Blue Book 1997 United Kingdom National Accounts—The Blue Book 2008 | |
Debts: Developing Countries
Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much (a) low income and (b) lower-middle income countries owe the UK. [253422]
Ian Pearson: The UK is owed a total of £349 million by low-income countries and £1,254 million by lower-middle income countries, using the World Bank's classification of low and lower-middle income countries(1).
The UK has cancelled or is due to cancel 100 per cent. of bilateral sovereign claims on all Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs) at Completion Point under the HIPC Initiative. To date, 24 out of 41 HIPCs have reached Completion Point, with a further 10 having reached Decision Point. The UK also provides 100 per cent. cancellation of debt service payments between Decision Point and Completion Point and holds in trust any payments received from HIPCs before they become eligible for debt relief.
(1) The World Bank's classifications are based on gross national income per capita in 2007.
Departmental Buildings
Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) display energy certificates and (b) advisory reports for public buildings issued in respect of each property occupied by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies. [256040]
Angela Eagle: My Department will place in the Library a copy of the display energy certificates and their associated advisory reports in respect of HM Treasury’s London and Norwich offices. The Debt Management Office is currently working with their advisers and their Landlords’ managing agents towards gathering the required information and will display an energy performance certificate in due course.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a copy of his Department’s website accessibility plan. [257233]
Angela Eagle: Information about accessibility is available on our departmental website at:
Departmental Pay
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government’s policy is on placing a pay cap on (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers. [254906]
Yvette Cooper: The Government’s objective for civil service pay are to recruit and retain the necessary levels of staff needed to support service delivery, to be affordable within the overall fiscal environment, to offer value for money and to be consistent with the achievement of the Bank of England’s inflation target.
Annual pay arrangements for special advisers are decided by the Special Advisers’ Remuneration Committee, reporting to the Prime Minister, based on the general economic and pay context including pay settlements elsewhere including the senior civil service and wider public sector.
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