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2 Mar 2009 : Column 1322W—continued
Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who regulates Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander’s (KSF’s) activities in the UK; what steps (a) the Government and (b) other regulatory bodies have taken in relation to KSF assets in the last six months; what those assets were valued at (i) 1 September 2008 and (ii) the latest date for which figures are available; what compensation arrangements apply to (A) individuals, (B) local authorities and (C) other public bodies who have lost funds deposited in KSF; and what the relationship is between KSF and KSF Isle of Man. [250361]
Ian Pearson: Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Ltd. (KSF), a UK subsidiary of Kaupthing Bank hf, is incorporated under English law and regulated by the FSA.
On 8 October 2008, the FSA concluded that Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Ltd. no longer met threshold conditions and was in default for the purposes of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The Treasury, using an order under the Banking (Special Provisions) Act 2008, transferred KSF’s deposit book of “Kaupthing Edge” accounts to ING Direct. The Government also committed to paying out in full FSCS eligible depositors whose accounts were not transferred.
The remainder of KSF’s business was subsequently placed into administration following due legal process. The administrators are responsible for managing the remainder of KSF’s business and loan book to maximise recovery for creditors. The administrators will continue to deal with the assets in compliance with insolvency law and the provisions of the transfer order (including those provisions of the transfer order which confer certain limited functions on the Treasury in relation to the assets of KSF). Those depositors that are ineligible for FSCS compensation will be creditors of the bank in the normal way and paid out in accordance with UK insolvency procedures.
Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander (Isle of Man) (KSF IoM) is not a subsidiary of KSF in the UK, but of the Icelandic parent company.
Members: Correspondence
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 20 October 2008, on behalf of Miss Y. Buckoke, which was acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/61949/2008; [259076]
(2) when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 15 October 2008, on behalf of Mr J. Harris, which was acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/6198/2008; [259077]
(3) when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 27 October 2008 on behalf of Mr Richard Pointing, which was acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/62375/2008; [259078]
(4) when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon, of 3 November 2008, regarding the Lloyds TSB/HBOS merger sent on behalf of Ryan Collier, acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/63282/2008; [260108]
(5) when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon, of 11 November 2008, regarding Icesave, sent on behalf of Rik Artrill, acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/63121/2008. [260110]
Ian Pearson: Due to the large volume of correspondence received on these issues there has been a delay in sending some responses. The Financial Secretary hopes to be in a position to reply to the hon. Member shortly.
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon, of 17 November 2008, sent on behalf of Chris Bolton, regarding HM Revenue and Customs, acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/63353/2008. [260109]
Mr. Timms: I replied to the hon. Member on 23 December.
National Debt
Mr. Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much national debt was repaid in each year since 1997. [246574]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 12 January 2009]: The information requested is available on the Debt Management Office’s website at:
and the Office for National Statistics website at:
Revenue and Customs: North West
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that any in-house training undertaken by employees of HM Revenue and Customs offices at (a) Regian House, Liverpool, (b) Dukes House, Southport and (c) Birchen House, Birkenhead results in recognised accreditation for those employees. [259473]
Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs runs various programmes of training, to support its employees in the professional delivery of services to the public. Some of those programmes are accredited.
Programmes are accredited by awarding bodies where there is benefit to the taxpayer in doing so. Employees at the offices cited have available to them the full range of training needed to undertake their duties. Accreditation is not sought on the basis of location, but where employees in a location successfully complete accredited programmes they will receive the recognised accreditation.
Revenue and Customs: Public Relations
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs and its agencies have spent on external public relations in the last 24 months. [250482]
Mr. Timms: HMRC and its agencies will have paid £318,715 to external public relation companies to run marketing campaigns raising public awareness of tax and benefits in 2007-08 and 2008-09 by the end of March 2009.
Saving Gateway Accounts
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of extending the availability of Saving Gateway accounts to recipients of carer’s allowance. [255723]
Ian Pearson: I refer my hon. Friend to the comments I made on the floor of the House on 25 February 2009, Official Report, column 296.
Supply Estimates
Dr. Fox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to lay the 2009-10 Main Estimates before the House. [258876]
Yvette Cooper: The main estimates are presented within 25 working days after the Budget as normal, subject to Parliament sitting. If Parliament is not sitting the main estimates will be laid once Parliament has returned. The exact date will be determined shortly.
Taxation: British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) taxes and (b) other fiscal levies his Department can raise in (i) Gibraltar, (ii) Anguilla, (iii) the Cayman Islands, (iv) the Falkland Islands, (v) the Isle of Man, (vi) Jersey and (vii) Guernsey. [259214]
Mr. Timms: Each of these jurisdictions is fiscally autonomous and United Kingdom taxes do not, therefore, extend to them.
It is important however that all of these jurisdictions provide assistance to the United Kingdom as required, to ensure that UK taxes are correctly assessed and enforced.
UK Financial Investments: Pay
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many staff of UK Financial Investments have remuneration packages of (a) between £100,000 and £149,999 and (b) over £150,000 a year; [258032]
(2) what the payroll expenditure of UK Financial Investments Limited is. [258033]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 23 February 2009]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady) on 29 January 2009, Official Report, column 684W.
Valuation Office: Databases
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) of 20 November 2008, Official Report, column 776W, on the Valuation Office: reorganisation, whether the Valuation Office Agency will be able to use property data previously held by the Rent Service for council tax valuations once the transfer of functions has taken place. [258411]
Mr. Timms: The extent to which the VOA can use property data held by the Rent Service for council tax valuations is unaffected by the transfer of the Rent Service.
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Emissions
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions, defined in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, were in each year since 1990, without adjustment for the effect of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. [257599]
Joan Ruddock: UK greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions are published as National Statistics.
Carbon dioxide emissions, according to the Kyoto Protocol and without the effect of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme from 1990-2007, can be found in Annex A—Breakdown of Headline results, on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website at:
Energy Supply: Research
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much the Government are spending on (a) nuclear fusion research and (b) research into renewables in 2008-09. [254880]
Mr. Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills provides funding to the Technology Strategy Board and the research councils. The Technology Strategy Board estimate of expenditure on applied research and development into renewables to date during 2008-09 is £10.9 million. The research councils' estimated expenditure on research and related training in 2008-09 is:
| £ million | |
| (1 )Includes underspend carried over from 2007-08 and a payment for some work carried out in 2007-08. (2 )NB Incomplete as data are not available from all councils. Includes research on networks and energy storage. | |
In addition, the research councils are providing funding of £13.88 million over the period 2004-09 for the UK Energy Research Centre (which undertakes a range of research relating to sustainable energy, including renewables), and energy is included in the work of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research (which has some £15.8 million funding from the research councils over 2000-08). The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Technology Strategy Board also provide funding to the Energy Technologies Institute, which is establishing a portfolio of development projects in low carbon energy technologies, including renewables.
The Carbon Trust, which receives funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, estimate expenditure of £4.1 million in 2008-09 on research into renewables.
Energy: Conservation
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish the regulations for the Community Energy Saving Programme. [256857]
Joan Ruddock: The consultation for the Community Energy Saving Programme was published on 12 February 2009.
We will publish a draft order in the coming weeks, to illustrate how the policy proposals contained in the consultation document might be given legal effect.
The order will then be finalised once the Government have received and considered responses to the consultation process.
Fuel Poverty: EU Countries
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on rates of fuel poverty in other EU member states. [242491]
Joan Ruddock: Comparable rates of fuel poverty are not produced across other EU member states. The Department holds fuel poverty rates for the UK and each country within it.
Fuel Poverty: Mobile Homes
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has to reduce fuel poverty among park home residents. [258686]
Joan Ruddock: Those residing in Park Homes are eligible for the Warm Front scheme providing that they receive one of the income or disability related qualifying benefits. However, many Park Homes can prove ‘hard to treat’ and may not be suitable for some of the measures currently available under Warm Front.
However, Warm Front is currently reviewing alternative products which could be used to heat and insulate park home properties, to assess their suitability for inclusion in the scheme.
Fuel Poverty: Travelling People
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has to reduce fuel poverty among Gypsy and Traveller communities. [258683]
Joan Ruddock: Those living in Gypsy and Traveller communities, and in receipt of a qualifying income or disability related benefit, are able to apply for assistance with heating and insulation measures through Warm Front. Indeed DECC ensures that the Warm Front scheme manager, eaga plc, actively targets minority ethnic groups to ensure they can benefit from the scheme.
Unfortunately, many of those of the Gypsy and Traveller communities live in properties including Park Homes, which can prove ‘hard to treat’ and may not be suitable for some of the measures currently available under Warm Front. However, we are currently reviewing options for alternative heating and insulation products which could assist these properties.
In addition, those who live in Gypsy and Traveller communities and are over 60 years of age would qualify for the winter fuel payment and, subject to their satisfying the grant eligibility criteria for applicants, could also qualify for assistance under the cold weather payments scheme.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of UK from (a) travel, (b) domestic use and (c) agriculture in each of the last three years. [254132]
Joan Ruddock: The latest 2007 estimates of greenhouse gas emissions were published on 3 February 2009. DEFRA are currently publishing the DECC climate change statistics and please refer to the following link for the 2007 FINAL UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions National Statistics.
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