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12 Mar 2009 : Column 718W—continued
Job Vacancies
Mrs. May: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time vacancies there were for (i) temporary and (ii) permanent jobs in the UK in each (A) year since 1997 and (b) month of the last two years. [262330]
Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time vacancies there were for (i) temporary and (ii) permanent jobs in the UK in (A) each year since 1997 and (B) each month of the last two years. (262330)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles estimates of job vacancies for the UK from the Vacancy Survey. However, no figures are available from this source regarding whether these vacancies are full-time, part-time, permanent or temporary.
Office for National Statistics: Empty Property
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the estimated cost in empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by the Office for National Statistics is in 2008-09. [258541]
Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the estimated cost in empty business rates for vacant properties owned by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is in 2008-09. (258541)
The cost of empty property business rates for ONS in 2008-09 is £620,165
Treasury
Crown Estate Commissioners
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much the Crown Estate has budgeted for expenditure on empty property business rates in 2008-09; [262536]
(2) how many home information packs have been purchased by the Crown Estate to date; what the cost of such purchases has been; in respect of which properties the packs have been purchased; and how many voluntary home condition reports have been purchased to date. [262538]
Angela Eagle: The Crown Estate budgets comprehensively for void costs relating to empty properties. This includes costs such as council tax or business rates, utility bills, insurance, along with other general maintenance costs. Void costs are budgeted on a property by property basis and empty property business rates are not specifically itemised.
The Crown Estate has purchased 42 home information packs to date. The total cost of these purchases is around £15,000.
The purchases relate to properties on the Crown Estate’s land in:
Central London; Aldingham, Bingham, Boroughbridge, Derwent, Dunster, Ewerby, Fochabers, Glenlivet, Gopsall, Holmewood, Louth, Oxshott, Patshull, Tabley, Taunton, Whaplode, Wingland.
To date no voluntary home condition reports have been purchased.
Departmental Consultants
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2009, Official Report, column 332W, on departmental consultants, which appointed expert advisers, other than special advisers and civil servants, provide advice to Ministers in his Department. [262615]
Ian Pearson: The work of all Treasury’s expert advisers, with the exception of that relating to the specific responsibilities of the accounting officer, contributes directly or indirectly either to advice given to Ministers or its implementation.
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department (a) were disciplined and (b) had their employment terminated as a result of a poor sickness record in each of the last 12 months. [262221]
Angela Eagle: There have been no such cases within the last 12 months.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that his Department’s annual estimates presented to Parliament include funding allocated to non-departmental public bodies. [262641]
Yvette Cooper: The Treasury does not, at present, have responsibility for any non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). In the event that this position changes, amounts payable to NDPBs will be included within the next available supply estimate as appropriate.
Departmental Visits Abroad
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much expenditure was incurred in respect of overseas visits which (a) he, (b) other Ministers in his Department and (c) his Department’s senior officials undertook in 2008. [262171]
Ian Pearson: Since 1999, the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the financial year 2007-08 was published on 22 July 2008, Official Report, column 102WS, and for the first time, included details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. Information on overseas travel and subsistence by grade is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. For information on total spending on overseas travel and subsistence by the Treasury in 2007-08, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) on 1 September 2008, Official Report, column 1478W. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the “Civil Service Management Code” and the “Ministerial Code”.
Environment Protection: Expenditure
Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of public spending announced in the fiscal stimulus packages announced since October 2008 has been incurred on green initiatives; and what projects and programmes this spending is for. [263154]
Ian Pearson: The pre-Budget report in November 2008 announced a £535 million green stimulus, representing 18 per cent. of the £3 billion capital spending stimulus. The green stimulus includes:
£100 million of new funding for Warm Front, and £50 million brought forward. This will help around 60,000 low income households cut their energy bills through insulation and improved heating systems;
£60 million to provide 16,000 social houses with energy efficiency and heating measures as part of an accelerated Decent Homes programme
£300 million to accelerate the delivery of up to 200 new carriages to expand capacity on the rail network;
£20 million of spending on flood defences, to deliver earlier protection for 27,000 homes; and
£5 million of spending on British Waterways network infrastructure.
Taken together with the energy efficiency package announced in September 2008, Government have brought forward £1.5 billion of green activity across the public and private sector.
Fred Goodwin
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) on which date he was first informed of the pension arrangements put in place by Royal Bank of Scotland in respect of its former chief executive, Sir Fred Goodwin; [261841]
(2) on which date he first discussed with representatives of Royal Bank of Scotland the pension arrangements that had been put in place in respect of Sir Fred Goodwin. [262131]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 9 March 2009]: The Government were not involved in negotiating and did not give approval to or sign-off Sir Fred Goodwin’s pension or the basis of his departure from the company. These matters were determined by members of the board of the Royal Bank of Scotland.
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer the Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Myners, gave Lord Taylor of Warwick on 5 March 2009, Official Report, columns WA172-73.
Friendly Societies: Accountancy
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to raise the threshold above which friendly societies are required to submit reports on annual accounts. [262328]
Ian Pearson: All friendly societies that are insurers are required to appoint auditors who must prepare a report and submit it to the society and the FSA.
Friendly societies that do not carry out insurance activities are able to be exempt from the audit and accounts requirements in the Friendly Societies Act 1974.
There is an automatic exemption for the very small, and societies with assets of up to £1.4 million and turnover of up to £350,000 may opt not to report to the FSA. Adoption of this optional exemption must be approved by a vote of members of the society.
I am not aware that the Government have received any representations from friendly societies on these limits and exemptions, and I understand that most societies provide auditors’ reports for purposes of transparency and financial propriety.
Income Tax
Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of raising the personal tax allowance to (a) £7,000 and (b) £9,000. [262989]
Mr. Timms: Estimates of the cost of increasing the personal allowance 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.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the revenue which would accrue from the introduction of a 30 per cent. rate of income tax for a (a) £3,000 and (b) £5,000 income band lower than the threshold for the 40 per cent. rate. [263007]
Mr. Timms: The estimated full year revenue yield for 2008-09 of introducing a 30 per cent. rate of income tax on a band of taxable income between £31,800 and the basic rate limit of £34,800 is £1.1 billion, and between £29,800 and £34,800 is £2.0 billion.
These estimates are based on the 2005-06 Survey of Personal Incomes projected forward using pre-Budget 2008 assumptions. It excludes any estimate of behavioural response and assumes the rate of tax on dividends is unchanged.
Local Income Tax: Scotland
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent by the head of HM Revenue and Customs to the Scottish Executive on the collection of local income tax. [262675]
Mr. Timms: I have placed a copy of the letter dated 23 January 2009 from Dave Hartnett (HM Revenue and Customs, permanent secretary for tax) to Sir John Elvidige (permanent secretary, Scottish Executive) in the Library.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for the Forest of Dean of 30 January 2009 on Northern Rock mortgages, reference FD8395. [262968]
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 hon. Member shortly.
John Penrose: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Weston-Super-Mare of 27 November 2008 and 5 January 2009 sent on behalf of his constituent Mr. Paul Ritchie. [263423]
Ian Pearson: I have replied to the hon. Member.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the letter dated 12 January 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. V. Grundry, transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions. [263652]
Mr. Timms: I have replied to the right hon. Member.
Public Expenditure
Mr. Hague: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial transfers his Department has made to (a) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) the Department for International Development in 2008-09 to fund shortfalls in funding caused by exchange rate movements; and if he will make a statement. [261883]
Yvette Cooper: On 12 February 2009, the Foreign Secretary’s written ministerial statement on departmental expenditure limits included an additional £6,500,000 for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for adverse currency fluctuations. The Department for International Development (DFID) pays the vast majority of its development grants in sterling which limits the impact on the Department from exchange fluctuations. DFID has received no additional funds for currency fluctuations.
Public Sector: Termination of Employment
Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many personalised settlements have been reached with public sector employees on termination of employment where the settlement required Treasury approval under the Treasury guidance Managing Public Money, Annex 4.13, because the settlement exceeded contractual entitlement in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value of those settlements over and above contractual entitlement was in each of the last five years. [262385]
Yvette Cooper: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Smuggling: Tobacco
David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) front line, (b) investigative and (c) overseas-based staff of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) were working to prevent tobacco smuggling in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what estimate he has made of the proportion of time staff in each category spent on tackling tobacco smuggling in each of those years; and how much was allocated to HMRC's work on tobacco smuggling in each of those years. [261754]
Angela Eagle
[holding answer 10 March 2009]: In many areas of enforcement and compliance activity, HMRC’s officers work multi-functionally. So, for example, officers might investigate a criminal gang involved in a
range of fraud and smuggling activities, or detect a freight consignment containing both illicit tobacco and prohibited drugs. It is therefore not possible to say precisely how many staff were working on tobacco smuggling in the years specified. However, the following figures are HMRC’s best estimate of the full-time equivalents of staff employed on tackling tobacco smuggling in the years between 2005-06 and 2007-08. Figures for 2000-01 to 2004-05 are not available.
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