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20 Apr 2009 : Column 371W—continued
Banks: Regulation
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislation to require all banks regulated by the Financial Services Authority to publish an annual table showing their assets, liabilities, income, expenses, profits, employees and taxes for each jurisdiction that they operate in. [260404]
Ian Pearson: The legal framework of the Companies Act and accounting standards stipulate the information that companies are required to report for the benefit of their shareholders.
Under the provisions of the Companies Act 2006, all UK companies (including financial services companies) are required to file annual accounts at Companies House. These accounts are a report of the company’s activities and performance during the financial year.
The Companies Act 2006 imposes a specific obligation on the directors of a company to satisfy themselves that the accounts give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the company taking account of income and expenses in respect of that financial year.
Banks which report their accounts on the basis of UK generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards are required to show their financial position and results split by geographical area.
In the case of a company not subject to the small companies regime, the average number of persons employed by the company in the financial year must be given in notes to the company’s annual accounts.
Under financial reporting standard 16, a company must report its current tax for the period in its profit and loss account.
Capital Gains Tax
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of exempting from capital gains tax business owners who sell their businesses upon retirement up to the value of (a) £100,000, (b) £200,000, (c) £300,000, (d) £400,000, (e) £500,000 and (f) £1,000,000 in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12. [269044]
Mr. Timms: The cost to the Exchequer would depend on how the exemption interacted with entrepreneurs’ relief.
Carbon Emissions: Costs
Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what benchmark financial cost per tonne of carbon dioxide emissions saved he uses when appraising expenditure on greenhouse gas abatement measures. [267635]
Angela Eagle: Supplementary guidance to the Treasury Green Book explains how greenhouse gas emissions are valued in policy appraisal. The guidance is available at:
Clemmow Hornby Inge Partners
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what value for money assessment (a) his Department and (b) UK Financial Investments carried out before the Royal Bank of Scotland awarded its retail advertising account to Clemmow Hornby Inge partners. [267779]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 30 March 2009]: Advertising contracts are a matter for the RBS board.
Council of Economic Advisers
John Mason: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times the Council of Economic Advisers has met; when it last met; who the members of the Council are; how many civil servants attended each meeting of the Council; and how much the Council has spent on (a) travel, (b) hospitality and (c) other expenses since June 2007. [268857]
Angela Eagle: The Prime Minister provides Parliament with details of special advisers through an annual written ministerial statement. This includes members of the Council of Economic Advisers, who are appointed on special adviser terms.
The terms of reference for the Council of Economic Advisers are:
“To advise the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the design and implementation of policies for the achievement of the Government’s economic objectives.”
In meeting these terms of reference, the Council meets regularly on an informal basis.
Details of the Treasury’s administration costs spending is published in the resource accounts and the departmental report, copies of which are available in the Library and via:
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how long his Department has followed the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Management programme. [269279]
Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 November 2005, Official Report, column 978W, to the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb).
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 21 July 2008, Official Report, column 716W, on Departmental ICT, for what reasons his Department’s IT systems and services are not accredited as conforming to the ISO 27001 standard; and what assessment he has made of the effect on data security of compliance with the standard. [268140]
Angela Eagle: HM Treasury’s IT systems and services have recently been accredited in line with HMG standards, which closely conform to ISO 27001.
Departmental Mobile Phones and Computers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much has been spent on (a) the purchase of and (b) bills for (i) BlackBerrys and (ii) other mobile telephones for (A) Ministers, (B) special advisers and (C) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005; [268256]
(2) how many laptop computers have been provided to (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005; and at what cost; [268273]
(3) how many (a) BlackBerrys and (b) other mobile telephones have been provided to (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005. [268296]
Angela Eagle: HM Treasury no longer holds records of portable computers, BlackBerry and other mobile phone devices made available for the use of individuals prior to the creation of a shared IT service for HM Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in April 2007.
Details of the dates of purchase of individual computers and mobile telephony devices are not available. Since 2007, a total of 472 laptop computers have been purchased centrally for use within HM Treasury, at a total cost of £270,000. Of these, three laptops are currently made available for the use of Government Ministers, and one for the use of a special adviser.
There are also currently 207 BlackBerry devices in use across HM Treasury, including three by Ministers and five by special advisers. The total number of other mobile telephony devices is not available.
The Treasury does not record the costs of acquiring or using BlackBerry devices (being all-in-one mobile phones, email devices, web browsers and organisers) or similar devices separately from other telecommunications costs, so the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Training
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department’s officials of each grade attended a training course overseas paid for by his Department in each month since 2007; what his policy is on officials attending overseas training courses; and if he will make a statement. [268507]
Angela Eagle: Disaggregated information on training courses attended by Treasury officials is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Treasury’s central records show that four officials attended training with an overseas component in the period concerned: two directors and a deputy director participated in a National School of Government leadership programme, and in addition, the Treasury sponsored one range D (SEO /HEO equivalent) to undertake a masters degree in economics.
Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned 2010 changes to vehicle excise duty affecting purchases of new models of cars on automotive sales in (a) 2010 and (b) the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [263390]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 16 March 2009]: Pre-Budget report 2008 confirmed that differential first year rates of vehicle excise duty (VED) would be introduced in 2010, in order to provide a stronger signal of vehicle emissions at the point of sale.
As a result of these changes the Treasury expects sales of lower-emitting cars to increase and sales of higher-emitting cars to decrease. The Treasury does not hold data in relation to specific models of new cars and does not make assessments for specific models.
Vehicle excise duty reforms will continue to incentivise the purchase of lower-emitting cars in future years, helping to deliver the long-term EU target of average new cars’ emissions of 95 grams per kilometre by 2020. It is estimated that by 2020 around one million tonnes of carbon dioxide will be saved as a result of changes to VED rates and bands announced at pre-Budget report 2008.
Financial Institutions: Credit
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what his estimate is of the proportion of (a) mortgage and (b) credit card lending carried out by non-bank lending institutions in each of the last three financial years; [268378]
(2) what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with (i) non-bank lending institutions and (ii) organisations representative of non-bank lending organisations in the last 12 months; and on what date each such meeting took place. [268379]
Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to my response on 3 March 2009, Official Report, column 1420W, to the hon. Member for Solihull (Lorely Burt).
Fred Goodwin
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will request UK Financial Investments to take steps to cancel the private security agreement paid by the Royal Bank of Scotland for the private home of Sir Fred Goodwin. [268111]
Ian Pearson: That is a matter for the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions Sir Fred Goodwin has been invited to 11 Downing Street for (a) official social engagements and (b) meetings in each of the last five years. [268747]
Angela Eagle: 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.
Gift Aid
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many smaller charities became eligible for the Gift Aid scheme following the 2008 Budget. [268977]
Mr. Timms: There were no changes to the qualifying conditions for charities to benefit from the Gift Aid scheme in Budget 2008.
Individual Savings Accounts
David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue has accrued to the Exchequer from the taxation of (a) individual savings accounts and (b) the interest on individual savings accounts since 6 April 2008. [266574]
Ian Pearson: ISAs are tax-advantaged savings products. No tax is payable on interest or capital gains arising on investments held within ISAs, and therefore no revenue accrues to the Exchequer as a result. In 2007-8 the tax relief provided through ISAs amounted to an estimated £2.4 billion.
A small amount of revenue may accrue to the Exchequer in the case of uninvested cash which is held for a period of time within a stocks and shares ISA, however this is not a result of tax. This is because interest earned on this cash is subject to a flat 20 per cent. charge to prevent abuse of the ISA regime. HMRC does not collect specific data on the income from this charge.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 322W, on hon. Members: correspondence, when the Economic Secretary plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for West Derbyshire of 23 October 2008 on inclusion of non-bank building societies in the financial support package for the banking industry. [265528]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 23 March 2009]: A reply has been sent to the right hon. Member.
Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 22 October 2008 from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead on finance and investment in Icelandic banks. [266642]
Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Eastbourne of 10 October, 25 November and 14 December 2008 and 4 February 2009 sent on behalf of his constituent, Mr M Wilberforce; and when he expects the matter raised in the correspondence to be resolved. [268372]
Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.
Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Financial Secretary plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Salisbury of 16 January 2009 on Northern Rock mortgage interest rate changes. [268592]
Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 26 January 2009 from the hon. Member for Northavon, sent on behalf of Mr D Powell of Iron Acton, on transfer of tax-free allowances. [269017]
Mr. Timms: I replied to the hon. Member on 7 April.
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 21 January 2009 from the hon. Member for Northavon, sent on behalf of Mr A Kybert of Tate, on banks' support for small businesses. [269018]
Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North of 24 February 2009 with regard to a constituent, reference 3-89302009; and what the reason is for the time taken to reply. [269035]
Mr. Timms: I replied to the hon. Member on 7 April.
Sir George Young: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Financial Secretary to the Treasury plans to reply to the letter of 15 October 2008 from the right hon. Member for North West Hampshire, on Icesave, and to the letters of reminder sent on 24 November 2008, 30 January 2009 and 26 February 2009. [269315]
Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the right hon. Member.
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