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23 Feb 2009 : Column 317W—continued
Departmental Sick Leave
Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average number of days sick leave per staff member in his Department was in each of the last five years. [256390]
Angela Eagle: This information is published data and can be found on the civil service website at:
Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department were recorded as having been on sick leave for over 12 months on 31 December in each of the last five years. [256637]
Angela Eagle: In 2004 there were six employees having been on sick leave for over 12 months, and in each of the years 2005, 2006 and 2008 there were under five employees having been on sick leave for over 12 months. In 2007 no employees were reported having been on sick leave for over 12 months.
Departmental Television
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) of 4 November 2008, Official Report, column 310W, on departmental television, what premium television channels (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) the Valuation Office Agency subscribe to; and at what cost. [250472]
Mr. Timms: Data systems show a total spend of £8,521 across HMRC in the year April 2007 to March 2008 with British Sky Broadcasting Ltd and Sky Business.
The system does not have the level of detail to show the channels subscribed to and would involve disproportionate cost to provide the information requested.
The Valuation Office Agency does not subscribe to any premium television channels.
Employment
Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of the jobs summit held on 12 January 2009 at the Science Museum. [254106]
Jonathan Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
The global economic downturn has far-reaching consequences and requires a coordinated response from across Government and businesses. We have been working hard to promote closer working between employers and Jobcentre Plus. On 12 January, for example, we hosted an Employment Summit, bringing together around 120 employers, representative groups and training providers to discuss how businesses can play their part in the response to rising unemployment. The total cost of the event was £162,076.18.
Building on this, the Secretary of State jointly hosted the first meeting of the National Employment Partnership on 11 February. This event was attended by 22 key employers from across a number of sectors to discuss the implementation of the Government's new package of support for those who are still unemployed six months into a jobseeker's allowance claim, and to discuss the role and importance of Local Employment Partnerships.
In addition to these events, Ministers and senior officials continue to meet with outside organisations on a regular basis to discuss specific issues arising from the recession across the whole spectrum of the Department's work.
Financial Inclusion Fund
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate his Department's expenditure on the financial inclusion fund in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2014-15. [257652]
Ian Pearson: The Financial Inclusion Fund is worth £130 million in 2008-11. The allocations over this time are:
| Financial Inclusion Fund allocation | |
| £ million | |
Financial Services Authority
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions the Chairman of the Financial Services Authority has been consulted about a notice served under section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 prior to it being served on a regulated financial institution. [252196]
Ian Pearson: The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act Code of Practice stipulates that a requirement to disclose a key to protected information from a provider of financial services shall not be imposed upon any company or firm authorised by the Financial Services Authority without prior notification to the Chief Executive of the Authority or a person designated by him for that purpose. I understand that the FSA has not received notification that any such requirement has been issued to a company or firm authorised by them.
Financial Services: Crown Dependencies
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to encourage co-operation between the Financial Services Authority and the Crown Dependencies' financial regulators. [255486]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 11 February 2009]: The Financial Services Authority already has regular contact with the Crown dependencies' financial regulators.
The FSA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with each other of the Crown dependencies' regulators to provide a formal basis for cooperation, including the exchange of information and investigate assistance.
Financial Stability Forum
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reports he has received from the Chairman of the Financial Services Authority following the latter’s attendance at the Financial Stability Forum in Hong Kong. [256840]
Ian Pearson:
As the memorandum of understanding between HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the FSA sets out, the tripartite authorities have regular
meetings and discussions to work together towards the common objective of financial stability in the UK. In particular, the memorandum of understanding provides that the FSA and the Bank will keep the Treasury informed of relevant developments in the international regulatory community.
High Level Group on the City
Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when Sir Fred Goodwin ceased to be a member of the High Level Group on the City; and for what reasons he ceased to be a member of the group. [254951]
Ian Pearson: The Chancellor’s High-Level Group last met in June 2008. The membership of the Group will be reviewed before it next meets later this year, to reflect changes to senior management positions among the Group’s institutional members.
Income Tax
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of raising the income tax personal allowance to (a) £8,000, (b) £9,000 and (c) £10,000 and lowering the higher rate of income tax by (i) one per cent., (ii) two per cent., (iii) three per cent., (iv) four per cent. and (v) five per cent. in 2009-10. [256223]
Mr. Timms: The estimates of increasing the personal allowance and lowering the higher rate of income tax can be approximated from table 1.6 'Direct effects of illustrative tax changes' on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
The figures exclude any estimate of behavioural response.
Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of raising the personal allowance for all people to £10,000 and (a) restricting the personal allowance by half from a £100,000 and to zero by £140,000 at a marginal deduction rate of 20 per cent., (b) restricting the personal allowance to zero from a £100,000 at a marginal deduction rate of 20 per cent. and (c) restricting the personal allowance to zero from the upper earning rates threshold at a marginal deduction rate of 20 per cent. in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2014-15. [257648]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available. The particular estimates cannot be derived from information available on the Exchequer effect of changes to personal allowances.
Insolvency
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effects on the economy of the insolvency of (a) large and (b) medium-sized businesses in 2008-09. [257950]
Ian Pearson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer the Financial Secretary gave to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 9 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1624-25W.
Landfill Communities Fund
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funding has been provided to waste reduction schemes under the Landfill Communities Fund and its predecessor in each of the last three years. [256968]
Angela Eagle: Figures supplied by the fund’s regulator, Entrust, show that expenditure provided for on sustainable waste management projects under the landfill communities fund (formerly the landfill tax credit scheme) is as follows:
| Financial year, 1 April to 31 March | £ million |
Prior to Budget 2003, there were additional objects which covered sustainable waste management projects, which this question concerns. The fund was reformed in Budget 2003 following discussion with stakeholders. As well as extending the scope of the scheme from 1 October 2003 to include habitat creation projects on land that need not have public access, in order to support biodiversity, the objects relating to sustainable waste management were removed from 1 April 2003 and a proportion of the funding for the scheme was redirected to public spending on a new sustainable waste delivery programme.
Lehman Brothers
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether (a) his Department and (b) another of the tri-partite authorities has raised with the US authorities the issue of the return to the UK of the funds transferred from Lehman Brothers UK to Lehman Brothers USA on the evening the insolvency of Lehman Brothers was announced. [258125]
Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations and international partners. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 29 December 2008, (1) on Bradford and Bingley, PO Ref: 1/65517/2009; [256921]
(2) on licensing of banks for Financial Services Authority compensation scheme regulations, PO Ref: 1/65525/2009. [256922]
Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member for PO Ref: 1/65517/2009.
For PO Ref: 1/65525/2009, 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.
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when he plans to respond to the right hon. Member for West Derbyshire’s letter of 21 November 2008 on Derbyshire Building Society; [257958]
(2) when the Financial Secretary plans to respond to the right hon. Member for West Derbyshire’s letter of November 2008 concerning the failure of Kaupthing Bank; [257960]
(3) when the Economic Secretary plans to respond to the right hon. Member for West Derbyshire’s letter of 23 October 2008 on inclusion of non-bank building societies in the financial support package for the banking industry; [257961]
(4) when the Economic Secretary plans to reply to the right hon. Member for West Derbyshire’s letter of 23 October 2008 on the Government’s decision to implement a financial support package for the banking industry; [257962]
(5) when the Economic Secretary plans to respond to the right hon. Member for West Derbyshire’s letter of 23 October 2008 on the merger between the Derbyshire and Nationwide Building Societies. [257963]
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.
Mortgages
Willie Rennie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of households with shared appreciation mortgage products in negative equity; and if he will make a statement. [256272]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 11 February 2009]: The Government have made no assessment of the number of households with shared appreciation mortgages which are presently in negative equity.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell) on 4 July 2005, Official Report, column 90W. Treasury Ministers have received written representations on shared appreciation mortgages from a number of individuals and from the Shared Appreciation Mortgage Action Group.
The Government understand the concerns of people who purchased shared appreciation mortgages in the mid-1990s. However, to date no evidence of mis-selling has been found by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Mortgages: Arrears
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for the Vale of York (Miss McIntosh) of 9 February 2009, Official Report, column 1625W, on mortgages: arrears, if he will make it his policy to (a) collect and (b) lay before the House figures on mortgage arrears on a monthly basis. [257344]
Ian Pearson: The Council of Mortgage Lenders publishes the number of mortgages in arrears, available at:
The Ministry of Justice publishes figures for the numbers of possession orders made by county courts, available at:
Both these sets of figures are published on a quarterly basis.
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