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9 July 2009 : Column 964W—continued
Police: Crosby
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget for policing in Crosby constituency was in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09. [283188]
Mr. Hanson: The Government allocate funding to police authorities as a whole. The allocation of resources in Crosby constituency is a matter for the chief constable of Merseyside police and the police authority, who are responsible for assessing local needs.
Merseyside’s final budget was £307.3 million for 2007-08 and £317.1 million for 2008-09.
Police: Pensions
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of police pension payments (a) was in each of the last five financial years and (b) is projected to be in each of the next five financial years. [282875]
Alan Johnson: Before 2006-07 police pensions were paid out of forces' operating accounts. Information about the level of pensions expenditure net of officer contributions is included in the annual reports published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). This information is gathered independently of the Home Office.
Since 2006-07, forces have paid police pensions out of a pensions account into which are paid officers' contributions and the employer's contribution. Where the pensions account does not have enough funds to meet the costs of pensions in any year it is topped up with grant from central Government; any surplus is recouped. The following table gives expenditure information in relation to England and Wales.
The Government Actuary's Department is currently reviewing its projections for future expenditure on police pensions, with a view to providing updated projections later in 2009. In view of this, I shall write to the hon. Member when the revised projections are available.
| £ billion | ||
| Financial year | Total pension expenditure | Expenditure net of officers' contributions |
| (1 )Unaudited account information. | ||
Travelling People: Caravan Sites
David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support is available to local residents from the police to prevent illegal Travellers sites being established at times when local authority offices are closed, with particular reference to cases where the land is owned by the Travellers concerned. [284550]
Mr. Hanson: Police have powers under the Criminal Justice and Public Act 1994 to deal with unauthorised encampments. These are discretionary powers and it would be a decision for the senior officer at the scene as to whether they were used.
Treasury
Chief Scientist
Colin Challen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will appoint a chief scientist to his Department. [284594]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There are currently no plans to appoint a chief scientist in the Treasury.
Departmental Secondment
Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees of his Department have been posted to work in offices of hon. Members of each political party in each of the last five years. [284885]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: No Treasury employees have been posted to work in offices of any of the hon. Members of any of the political parties in each of the last five years. In accordance with the Civil Service Code, Treasury officials are accountable to Ministers, who are in turn accountable to Parliament. It would be a breach of the Code for Treasury officials to act in a way that is determined by party political considerations.
Euro Preparations Advisory Group
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the Local Authorities Euro Preparations Group last met. [284920]
Mr. Timms: The last meeting between local authorities and central Government officials to discuss Euro preparations took place in September 2006.
Financial Services Authority: Communication Service Providers
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many requests for communications data were made by the Financial Services Authority to communication service providers (CSPs) under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003, (d) 2004, (e) 2005, (f) 2006, (g) 2007 and (h) 2008; and how many of these requests resulted in the requested communications data being disclosed by the relevant CSP. [284870]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The matter raised in this question is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) whose day-to-day operations are independent from Government control and influence. I understand that the FSA will write to the hon. Member directly.
Financial Services: Eligibility
Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of those over 65 years of age who have been disqualified from eligibility for financial services on the grounds of age. [285229]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government Equalities Office 2007 consultation “A Framework for Fairness” found that some people were unhappy about how age is used in financial services products, mostly in respect of older people’s experience of travel and motor insurance.
After the “Framework for Fairness” consultation and the report of the expert’s working group on age discrimination in financial services, the Government commissioned research from Oxera on the use of age-based practices in financial services. This was published by the Government Equalities Office on 29 June 2009 alongside “Ending age discrimination in services and public functions—a consultation”, and concluded that, although some people have real problems with finding and buying suitable insurance policies, no age group is excluded from motor or travel insurance markets on the grounds of age.
Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has issued recent guidance to financial institutions on age-related eligibility criteria for financial products; and if he will make a statement. [285230]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury has not issued any recent guidance to financial institutions on age-related eligibility criteria for financial products.
On 29 June 2009, the Government Equalities Office published “Ending age discrimination in services and public functions—a consultation”. The results of this consultation will help clarify how the Equalities Bill prohibition on unjustified age discrimination will be applied in the financial services sector.
Taxation: Repayments
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effect the introduction of random security checks has had on the average length of time taken by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to make repayments of tax; and how much HMRC owes in repayments to (a) individual taxpayers and (b) small businesses for the tax year 2007-08. [284599]
Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) seek to strike a balance between issuing repayments as quickly as possible for the benefit of the customers and ensuring that the Exchequer is adequately protected against fraud. Therefore some tax repayment claims are subject to security checks, which may delay repayments from being made.
Some self assessment customers have unfortunately experienced such delays this year caused by a combination of a very much sharper peak of repayments in January and February, arising from the move to greater online filing, and more repayments being selected for our security checking.
Figures for the amount HMRC owes in repayments for the tax year 2007-08 are not available. Repayments of tax are not due until the customer's tax position for the tax year has been finalised.
Taxation: Valuation Office
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many inheritance tax valuations were challenged by the Valuation Office Agency in each of the last three years. [284923]
Mr. Timms:
The number of inheritance tax cases in which the valuations submitted by taxpayers were adjusted following a challenge by the Valuation Office Agency
was 3,644 in 2008-09, 5,783 in 2007-08 and 6,318 in 2006-07. The Agency’s caseworkers are required to act in an impartial manner and only challenge valuations where it is considered that the figure adopted by the parties is not supported by market evidence. The fluctuations in these figures reflect changes in the total volume of cases.
Working Tax Credit: Yorkshire
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in City of York constituency are receiving (a) child and (b) working tax credit; and what the average monetary value of tax credits to those households was in the latest period for which figures are available. [285873]
Mr. Timms: The latest information on the number of recipient families in receipt of child and working tax credits, by each parliamentary constituency, is given in the HMRC snapshot publication, “Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical Analyses. April 2009”.
Information on average annual entitlements by each parliamentary constituency, based on incomes and final family circumstances in 2007-08, is produced in the HMRC publication, “Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Geographical Analyses. 2007-08”. These publications are available on the HMRC website at
HMRC does not produce separate statistics for child and working tax credits.
Energy and Climate Change
Climate Change: Public Awareness
14. Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the level of awareness among the public of the consequences of climate change. [285164]
Joan Ruddock: In March 2009, as part of the Act on CO2 campaign, our independent research showed that about 90 per cent. of those consulted indicated that they were aware of climate change.
Recent qualitative research studies, commissioned separately by the Department for Transport, and by my Department, probed what people actually know, and suggested that levels of literacy about climate change are low and fragmented.
22. Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to increase the level of awareness among the public of the consequences of climate change. [285172]
Joan Ruddock: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Sedgefield (Phil Wilson), earlier today.
Carbon Capture and Storage
16. Mr. Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the development of carbon capture and storage technology; and if he will make a statement. [285166]
Edward Miliband: Carbon capture and storage technology has huge potential to turn coal into a clean fuel of the future. While it has only been demonstrated at small scale, our plans will be among the largest demonstration projects in the world and we hope will drive us towards the successful deployment of CCS in developed and developing countries.
17. Mr. Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy on carbon capture and storage is; and if he will make a statement. [285167]
Edward Miliband: Carbon capture and storage is essential in the battle against climate change, because of the global reliance on coal in the energy mix, now and in the future. Our policy is to show leadership on this issue as a way to improve our energy security, help provide jobs for the future and bring down carbon emissions.
Smart Meters
20. Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent progress his Department has made on the national roll-out of smart meters. [285170]
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received on the introduction of smart meters; and if he will make a statement. [285168]
Mr. Kidney: Last year the Government announced their intention to mandate smart electricity and, where relevant, gas metering for all households in Great Britain. This will be a major project involving the installation of about 47 million smart meters. We have set an indicative timetable for a completion of the roll-out by the end of 2020. We published a consultation on aspects of implementation on 11 May 2009. The consultation is available on the open consultations section of the DECC website. Obviously replies are still being received to this consultation, the closing date is not until 3 August and all responses received will be considered.
In addition, officials have met with numerous organisations and individuals to discuss smart metering issues, including energy supply companies, network operating companies, metering businesses, consumer organisations and others with an interest in smart metering.
Domestic Energy Prices
21. Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of trends in domestic energy prices; and if he will make a statement. [285171]
Mr. Kidney: Global energy demand and wholesale prices have fallen since peaks last year. It is essential that falls in wholesale costs reach consumers. This is why we asked Ofgem to provide quarterly reports on price movements.
Ofgem’s most recent report found that margins are around historic levels, and falls in costs appear to be being passed on to consumers. We expect suppliers to continue to pass on any sustained falls in wholesale costs.
Renewable Energy: Electricity Generation
23. Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of electricity generated from (a) solar and (b) other renewable sources in the latest period for which figures are available. [285173]
Mr. Kidney: In 2008, a very small proportion (0.004 per cent.) of electricity was generated from solar. However, in total, renewable generation grew by 10 per cent. during 2008, and accounted for 5.5 per cent. of total electricity generation.
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