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27 Mar 2009 : Column 757W—continued
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when he plans to reply to the letter of 5 January 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr E. Warne; [266362]
(2) when he plans to reply to the letter of 28 January 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr Fethi Souissi. [266369]
Ian Pearson: Due to the large volume of correspondence received on these issues there has been a delay in sending some responses. The Treasury hopes to be in a position to reply to the right hon. Member shortly.
National Insurance Contributions
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what means a person can obtain (a) by telephone and (b) by post a list of the years of their working life for which they have made some National Insurance (NI) contributions but not enough for a qualifying year towards their state pension, together with an estimate of the cost of turning each such year into a qualifying year through payment of Class 3 NI contributions where such an option is still available; and if he will make a statement. [267296]
Mr. Timms:
A person can write to HM Revenue and Customs, National Insurance Contributions Office, Longbenton, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE98 1ZZ or telephone the National Insurance Enquiry Helpline on 0845 915 5996 and ask for a statement of their national insurance account. The statement requested will show all of the years on that person's national insurance record and the amounts of national insurance (if any) paid each year. The statement will also identify any years which are not qualifying years because no contributions, or insufficient contributions have been paid and, if voluntary
contributions can still be paid the dates by which payments must be made and the amounts payable.
Information is available on The Pensions Service website at:
This information can also be accessed from the HM Revenue and Customs website:
and will be updated before the measure to allow eligible contributions to pay class 3 contributions for additional years comes into force on 6 April 2009.
Tax Allowances: Personal Savings
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to increase the uptake and availability of tax-free regular savings among (a) those on low incomes and (b) senior citizens. [267389]
Ian Pearson: The Government are committed to doing more to raise levels of financial capability across the population, ensuring people are able to make informed financial choices, including about saving, and develop the skills and confidence to manage their finances effectively.
The Saving Gateway, a cash saving scheme that aims to kick-start a saving habit among working age people on lower incomes and promote financial inclusion, will be introduced next year.
Account holders will be able to deposit up to £25 a month for two years, and the Government will contribute 50p for each pound saved in the scheme. The Government contribution, and any other return on Saving Gateway accounts, will be tax-free.
Every adult also has an annual individual savings account (ISA) allowance of £7,200, £3,600 of which can be saved in cash. ISAs are tax-free, and the current ISA limits mean that the majority of people can hold all of their savings in a tax-efficient way.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Young People
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average fine imposed on those selling alcohol to under-age people was in each year since 2003. [262471]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The average fine imposed on those selling alcohol to under-age people between 2003 and 2007 is available in the following table.
Animal Experiments
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish on her Department's website an abstract relating to each project licence granted under the Animals Act 1986 before 2005. [266954]
Mr. Malik: We have no plans to do so. We believe that it is a better use of resources to focus our energies on ensuring that as many abstracts are posted for newly granted licences as possible. Abstracts are provided voluntarily by licensees and there are currently over 1,750 posted on the Home Office website.
Animal Experiments: Primates
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost of the use in (a) pharmaceutical research and (b) other research areas of cynomolgus macaques born of captive bred parents. [266908]
Mr. Malik: No estimates have yet been made of the cost of using cynomolgus macaques born of captive bred parents for research purposes under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in either pharmaceutical research or other research areas.
We will consider these costs in assessing the impact of the European Commission's proposal for a draft directive for the protection of animals used in scientific procedures to replace Directive 86/609/EEC published in November 2008. We will publish the impact assessment when we consult formally on the draft directive.
Crime: Cheshire
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the levels of crime against domestic property in (a) Cheshire and (b) Halton constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [266808]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The relevant offences are those of burglary in a dwelling and criminal damage to a dwelling.
In 2007-08, there were 3,865 offences of burglary in a dwelling recorded in the Cheshire police force area. This represents a fall of 13 per cent. compared to 2006-07. There were 5,297 recorded offences of criminal damage to a dwelling in 2007-08, a fall of 14 per cent. compared to the previous year.
There were 581 offences of burglary in a dwelling recorded by the police in Halton in 2007-08, a fall of 12 per cent. over the previous year. There were 1,159 recorded offences of criminal damage to a dwelling, a fall of 8 per cent. over the previous year.
Crime: Wildlife
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal wildlife items were seized in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement. [266953]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Home Office does not collect statistics from police forces regarding seizures of illegal wildlife items. However, HM Revenue and Customs has published information in their annual reports regarding items that they have seized under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This is detailed in the attached table:
Further information can be found at:
| 2005-6 | 2006-7 | 2007-8 | ||||
| Number of seizures | Number of items seized | Number of seizures | Number of items seized | Number of seizures | Number of items seized | |
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