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10 Nov 2009 : Column 210W—continued
Mr. Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
Our proposals for self-financing would put every local authority in a position to sustain their homes from their own revenues in future, ending the need to redistribute income by means of a one-off reallocation of housing debt. Our consultation paper notes that the total amount of housing debt held by councils under self-financing could be higher or lower than the current level of debt supported through the HRA subsidy system. The debt allocated to each council would be set at a level which it could support within a sustainable business plan which delivers the extra investment we have identified is needed (including an average 24 per cent. increase in funding for major repairs) while continuing to set social rents in line with national policy.
The aggregate amount of housing debt allocated under self-financing will depend on a range of variables in addition to assumptions on annual management, maintenance and repairs. These include rent levels, interest rates, the pricing of risk and the funding of the backlog of repairs. As work on assessing these issues has not yet been completed, I am not in a position to estimate the amount of debt under the new system and ministers have not had discussions on this issue with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I am however clear that the additional spending on management, maintenance and major repairs which we have committed to fund as part of our reforms will mean that all councils are better off under self-financing than they would be if the current system continued unreformed.
Taxation
Jenny Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of receipts to the Exchequer were received from those (a) of working age and (b) over retirement age in payment of (i) income tax and (ii) inheritance tax in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [298979]
Mr. Timms: Information on age of taxpayer based on receipts is not readily available as employers' PAYE payments are made in aggregate. However, available information on tax liability for 2009-10 (a total of £141 billion) suggests that around 9 per cent. is in respect of people of state pension age by the end of the year, with the remainder for people of working age. This estimate is based on the Survey of Personal Incomes of which 2006-07 is the latest available, and projected in line with Budget 2009 assumptions.
Age breakdowns of Inheritance Tax received from estates (£2,769 million in 2008-09) can be provided only in terms of the age at death of the deceased. The proportions arising from estates where the age at death was under and over state Pension Age are 5 per cent. and 95 per cent. respectively. No information is held on the ages of beneficiaries of estates. Inheritance Tax received from settlers and trustees of discretionary trusts (£70 million in 2008-09) can not be broken down by age.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much and what proportion of council tax is raised from (a) those over retirement age and (b) people of working age; and if he will make a statement. [298980]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Central Government do not hold the necessary information on local government to inform this answer.
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what recent assessment he has made of the merits of introducing new mechanisms for settling tax liabilities; [299220]
(2) what mechanisms HM Revenue and Customs has in place to assess the cost-effectiveness of different methods of debt collection; [299221]
(3) what recent progress HM Revenue and Customs has made on its risk-profiling work in relation to tax debt. [299222]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the Treasury Minute response to the twenty sixth report of the Committee of Public Accounts (HM Revenue and Customs-management of tax debt) laid before the House on 28 October 2009 and available at:
Unfortunately the previous answer included an incorrect figure for the amount spent in 2007-08. This figure was provided to HM Treasury by its travel management company and should have been shown as £330,000. I apologise for the error.
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the performance of private debt collection agencies in collecting tax debt. [299223]
Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is currently undertaking a small scale six month pilot exercise involving the use of private sector debt collection. The pilot is due to run until December 2009, and will inform decisions taken on the future use of debt collection agencies.
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the level of compatibility of corporation tax regimes in the Crown Dependencies with the EU code of conduct on taxation. [299224]
Mr. Timms: The EU Code of Conduct Group has to date not referred the current Corporate Tax Regimes of the Crown Dependencies for assessment under the criteria of the EU Code of Conduct.
Recently, the UK has had discussions with its Crown Dependencies about their long-term sustainability which take account of the emerging global consensus among G20 countries on a range of international financial issues. These discussions are continuing.
Valuation Office: Training
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what courses representatives of the Valuation Office Agency have attended at the National School of Government in the last 36 months; and at what cost to the public purse in each case. [294441]
Ian Pearson: The following table shows the courses representatives of the Valuation Office Agency have attended at the National School of Government in the last 36 months and at what cost to the public purse in each case.
| Course | Charge (£) | |
Justice
Pleural Plaques: Compensation
17. Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to announce his decision on compensation for those with pleural plaques. [298581]
Bridget Prentice: The House of Lords decision has raised extremely complex and difficult issues which have required very careful consideration. We are actively considering all of these in order to give a final response as soon as possible.
Legal Aid: Child Abuse Cases
21. Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the future provision of legal aid in child abuse cases; and if he will make a statement. [298585]
Bridget Prentice: The Government have no plans to make any changes to the provision of legal aid to defendants in child abuse cases. Where child care proceedings are concerned, legal aid is provided to both parents and children without regard to their means.
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