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23 Feb 2009 : Column 323W—continued
Mortgages: Repossession Orders
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which 10 financial providers made the highest number of repossessions of homes for reasons of mortgage arrears in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [256350]
Ian Pearson: The Government do not hold these data. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) publishes the total numbers of properties taken into possession in the UK, available at:
As announced in the pre-Budget report, the Government have established a new lending panel, which will improve monitoring of lending to households and businesses, as well as drive up best practice across the mortgage market and promote awareness of initiatives to support households against repossessions.
The major mortgage lenders on the panel have agreed to a moratorium on repossessions—committing not to repossess for at least three months after an owner-occupier falls into arrears. Some mortgage lenders have now gone further, and committed not to repossess for at least six months after an owner-occupier is in arrears. The Government welcome such moves.
Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations his Department has received on the abolition of empty property tax relief for commercial premises in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [258075]
Angela Eagle: 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 such representations.
Non-domestic Rates: Ports
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much port businesses in the statutory ports owe in arrears of non-domestic rates; and what the cost to the public purse will be of his proposal to allow them to pay this over eight years without interest. [257040]
John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
Local authorities are responsible for the billing and collection of business rates and the Department does not hold the information on individual arrears. The
impact of the policy is set out in the Impact Assessment which was laid before this House on the 10 February accompanying The Non-Domestic Rating (Collection and Enforcement) (Local Lists) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2009 (SI 204).
Non-domestic Rates: Sports
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many sports clubs received mandatory business rates relief in each year since its inception. [258152]
Mr. Timms: By the end of 2008, over 5,000 Community Amateur Sports Clubs were registered with HMRC, and entitled to receive 80 per cent. business rates relief. Information is not available centrally on how many have taken up this relief, or on how many of these have received the additional 20 per cent. relief which local authorities have discretion to provide.
Premium Bonds
Mr. Breed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many premium bonds with what monetary value have been purchased in each of the last 12 months. [253432]
Ian Pearson: The following table contains the value of premium bond sales for the period January 2008 to December 2008:
| Total sales | Value (£) |
These figures are un-audited and the December 2008 figure is provisional. With regard to the number of premium bonds sold, as each bond has a value of £1, the volume of premium bonds sold and the value of those sales are identical.
Presbyterian Mutual Society
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings officials in his Department have had on the Presbyterian Mutual Society in Northern Ireland entering into administration; and if he will make a statement. [253580]
Ian Pearson
[holding answer 3 February 2009]: 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.
Presbyterian Mutual Society (PMS) is an industrial and provident society registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act (Northern Ireland) 1969. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland is the registrar.
The Government announced at PBR 2008 that it would carry out a review of the regulatory framework for credit unions and industrial and provident societies in Northern Ireland, in association with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland, which is the Department with responsibility for these matters within the devolved Administration. The review has now started and work is ongoing.
Public Expenditure
Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what criteria he has assessed the required level of modernisation funding for (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11, referred to in table B18, page 214 of the Pre-Budget Report 2008; and what the level of modernisation funding was in each of the last four years. [244467]
Yvette Cooper [ h olding answer 16 December 2008]: The Modernisation Fund provides support to Departments to meet the transitional costs associated with releasing savings over the CSR period and embedding ongoing efficiencies over the longer-term. The level of modernisation funding over 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 was agreed with Departments as part of the comprehensive spending review process when budgets were set for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11.
Modernisation funding in table B18 of the PBR represents an estimate of the profile of modernisation funding required by Departments. The exact amount of drawdown of modernisation funding in each year is discussed and agreed between Departments and the Treasury.
The Modernisation Fund has only been in operation since 2007-08. Drawdown in 2007-08 was £141.4 million. All Departments are also expected to improve services and deliver improved value for money from within their spending review settlements.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce unnecessary expenditure across Government departments. [255838]
Yvette Cooper: The 2004 spending review set stretching efficiency targets for all Departments to release resources for reinvestment in key front line services to deliver public services that represent value for money for the taxpayer. During the 2004 spending review period Departments delivered over £26.5 billion of savings, substantially over-delivering against the £21.5 billion set in 2004.
In the 2007 comprehensive spending review the Government agreed to deliver a further £30 billion of savings by 2010-11, all gains to be cash-releasing and
net of costs. Departments are in the progress of delivering these savings and will report on progress in their departmental reports. In addition to the £30 billion value for money target, Budget 2008 launched the Operational Efficiency programme and the Public Value programme to explore whether further efficiency savings could be achieved. The 2008 pre-Budget report announced an increase of the existing cross-Government value for money target for 2010-11, releasing £5 billion of additional efficiency savings in 2010-11.
Public Sector: Investment
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to facilitate public sector capital investment projects facing delays due to the recent problems in the financial markets; and if he will make a statement. [255280]
Yvette Cooper: The Government are on track to deliver total investment of over £50 billion in 2008-09. In addition, new arrangements have been put in place to make sure that the additional spending brought forward as part of the fiscal stimulus announced in November goes ahead.
PFI deals are still going ahead, but like all private sector investment projects, the global credit crunch is having an effect. The Government have been working for some time with individual projects to help them close and the measures the Treasury has already announced to support bank lending are intended to help anyone seeking finance.
Public Sector: Pensions
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which public sector pension schemes have a standard retirement age of less than 65 years of age. [250500]
Yvette Cooper: Normal pension ages for major public sector occupational pension schemes are given in table 3.23 on page 23 of the Occupational Pension Schemes Annual Report, 2007 edition, published by the Office for National Statistics on 23 September 2008,
This table reflects the position in 2007 and since then the NHS scheme has introduced a normal pension age of 65 for new entrants from April 2008 and, in due course, for other members who wish to transfer to the revised terms.
Research and Development Tax Credit
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O’Brien) of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 100W on research and development tax credit, how many companies used Business Link's interactive tool to calculate their eligibility for research and development tax credits in each month since March 2006. [258062]
Angela Eagle: No monthly breakdown is available of the previous answer. In total, since its launch, the tool has now been successfully used in around 9,400 instances.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O’Brien) of 3 November 2008, Official Report, columns 101-2W, on research and development tax credit, when figures for the (a) number and (b) value of research and development tax credits claimed in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08 will be available. [258065]
Angela Eagle: Statistics on the number and cost of claims for research and development tax credits are published in December each year as national statistics on the HM Revenue and Customs website.
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate tax/randdtcmenu.htm
Figures for years up to and including 2006-07 were published on 19 December 2008. Those for 2007-08 are scheduled for publication in December 2009.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the level of accuracy of the quotes provided to companies using Business Link's interactive tool to calculate their eligibility for research and development tax credits. [258086]
Angela Eagle: The interactive tool was developed with HMRC. Since launch the content of this tool has been reviewed by HMRC in March 2007, July 2007 and January 2008 with the aim of ensuring that the tool continues to meet the purpose of allowing companies to check whether they may be likely to be eligible for R and D tax credits. HMRC is currently in the process of undertaking a further routine review of the tool.
Revenue and Customs: ICT
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) original projected cost and (b) implementation milestones of HM Revenue and Customs’ new IT system were; how much has been spent on the system; what milestones have been met; how much remains to be spent; and what the remaining implementation milestones are. [258011]
Mr. Timms: The contract with Capgemini is not for a single new IT system. It is for the maintenance of a wide range of existing IT services (including application maintenance, automated data capture, data centre services, desktop service, printed output, Wide Area Network (WAN) and telecoms services) and the development and enhancement of new systems that arise from ministerial and other business requirements.
The cost of the IT services contract with Capgemini (Aspire) when it was signed was £3.3 billion but it has subsequently been significantly expanded to take account of additional demands and changing business requirements. For example, HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) contract with Capgemini now incorporates the IT services provided to the former HM Customs and Excise by Fujitsu as well as the delivery of additional projects to implement the Carter Review recommendations, modernise the Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) system and improve HMRC’s internal Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system as part of the Department’s Transformation Programme.
From July 2004 to December 2008 HMRC has spent £3.2 billion for all IT services provided including a substantial portfolio of change and legislative initiatives.
The balance to be spent over the remaining years of the contract is estimated to be £4.5 billion.
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the original contract completion date was for HM Revenue and Customs’ IT system being implemented by Capgemini; and whether the completion date has since been extended. [258127]
Mr. Timms: The original contract with Capgemini was scheduled to be completed in June 2014 but at the end of 2007 it was agreed with Capgemini that the contract would be extended for a further three years to June 2017.
Revenue and Customs: North West
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people work at the HM Revenue and Customs offices at (a) Regian House, Liverpool, (b) Dukes House, Southport and (c) Birchen House, Birkenhead; how many people in each age band there are in each; and how many (i) men and (ii) women there are in each office. [256519]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 12 February 2009]: The following number of people (headcount) work in these buildings as at 1 February 2009:
(a) Regian House, Liverpool—445, of which 193 are men and 252 are women
(b) Duke’s House, Southport—67, of which 19 are men and 48 are women
(c) Birchen House, Birkenhead—98, of which 29 are men and 69 are women
The number of people (headcount) in each age band is as follows:
| (a) Regian House, Liverpool | |
| Age band | Headcount |
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