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1 Dec 2009 : Column 601W—continued
Public Expenditure
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue from each tax was raised by his Department from receipts in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) England in each of the last five financial years; and how much such revenue was spent in each part of the UK in each such year. [303431]
Mr. Byrne: Figures for tax receipts by tax at the UK level are set out in table C6 of the 2009 Budget Report (HC 407). A breakdown of all taxes by country is not available. Figures on public spending by country are published in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (Cm 7630).
Public Expenditure: Wales
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the first compensatory payments to be made in respect of Wales under the Barnett formula following his reconsideration of convergence in spending per head. [303429]
Mr. Byrne: As the Secretary of State for Wales announced to Parliament on 26 November 2009, convergence in spending per head will be assessed in the next spending review although convergence is not currently expected.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria his Department uses to determine whether Wales is disproportionately disadvantaged in the allocation of funding under the Barnett formula. [303430]
Mr. Byrne: Identifiable public spending per head in Wales is 14 per cent. above England. Public spending has more than doubled since devolution. The Government will assess spending trends in the next spending review as announced by the Secretary of State for Wales on 26 November.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the full assessment of the extent of convergence under the Barnett formula in respect of Wales as part of his evaluation of the relative position of Wales in respect of the level of funding allocated to parts of the UK under that formula to be published. [303432]
Mr. Byrne: The Government will assess spending trends per head in the next spending review as announced to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Wales on 26 November.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to undertake the first evaluation of the relative position of Wales in respect of the level of funding allocated to parts of the UK under the Barnett formula. [303433]
Mr. Byrne: The Government will assess spending trends per head in the next spending review as announced to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Wales on 26 November.
Revenue and Customs
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) formal and (b) informal consultations HM Revenue and Customs has run in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2008 and (iv) 2009; and which HM Revenue and Customs official has had oversight of each such consultation. [303065]
Mr. Timms: Details of HM Revenue and Customs' formal and informal consultations can be found at:
Each consultation document includes contact details as well as a named Departmental Consultation Coordinator in line with the Government's Code of Practice on consultation.
Revenue and Customs: Labour Turnover
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the median length of service of HM Revenue and Customs full-time employees is in each region and country of the UK. [302462]
Mr. Timms: The median length of service of HM Revenue and Customs full-time employees in each region and country of the UK is shown in the following table.
| Region/country | Median length of service in years |
Taxation: Holiday Accommodation
Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has made to the European Commission on the legal status of the furnished holiday letting rules. [302808]
Mr. Timms: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Lembit Öpik) on 20 October 2009, Official Report, column 1413W.
Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what legal advice his Department took in advance of the decision to abolish tax relief on furnished holiday lettings. [302809]
Mr. Timms: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir) on 19 October 2009, Official Report, column 1288W.
Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the effect on the tourism industry of the abolition of (a) the furnished holiday lettings rules and (b) tax relief on furnished holiday lettings. [302810]
Mr. Timms: Treasury Ministers and officials hold discussions 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 discussions.
An impact assessment will be published alongside the 2009 pre-Budget report together with draft legislation.
Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the financial effect of the repeal of furnished holiday letting rules on persons operating holiday lets. [302983]
Mr. Timms: I refer the right hon. and learned Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mr. Crabb) on 26 October 2009, Official Report, column 75W.
Taxation: Pensions
Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what percentage of the £9 billion disregard for employer national insurance contributions to registered pension schemes in Table A3.1 of the 2009 Budget Red Book is attributable to higher rate taxpayers; [302507]
(2) what percentage of the £20.3 billion approved pension scheme tax relief for 2008-09 in Table A3.1 of the 2009 Budget in attributable to higher rate tax relief. [302508]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 7 May 2009, Official Report, column 421W.
It is not possible to provide such a breakdown for other components of the overall cost of registered pension scheme tax relief, nor is it possible to provide it for the disregard for employer national insurance contributions to registered pension schemes.
Tobacco
Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he takes of the limits on the maximum quantities of (a) cigarettes and (b) hand-rolling tobacco which may be brought into other EU member states by an individual for personal consumption from within the EU in setting the limit on the maximum quantity which may be brought into the UK for personal consumption from other EU member states. [302695]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry:
Under EU law, there are no limits on the quantities of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco private individuals can buy and take with them
when they travel between EU countries, as long as the products purchased are for personal use and not for resale.
To determine whether these products are for the own use of the traveller, Member States must take account of all relevant factors including the quantity of the products. As such, Member States may lay down guide levels, solely as a form of evidence, which cannot be lower than the following quantities: 800 cigarettes, 1 kg smoking tobacco. These levels are not limits, but simply an indicator that the goods may be intended for a commercial purpose.
The UK has chosen a guide level of 3,200 cigarettes and 3 kg of hand-rolling tobacco. These levels represent around six months' usage for the average smoker.
VAT
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has made an assessment of the likely effect on the economy of applying a reduced rate of value added tax to visitor attractions, accommodation and restaurants. [303122]
Mr. Timms: No such assessment has been made. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumer expenditure and reliefs from it have always been strictly limited. Where reduced rates are available, these are applied only where they provide the most well-targeted and cost-effective support for the Government's policy objectives, compared to other measures.
Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the merits of amending the rate at which Value Added Tax is charged on equipment for (a) domestic renewable energy production and (b) increasing levels of energy efficiency as a mechanism for encouraging the use of such equipment. [303403]
Mr. Timms: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumer expenditure and reliefs from it have always been strictly limited; the Government continue to keep all taxes under review.
A value added tax rate of 5 per cent. applies to the domestic installation of certain renewable energy production technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, air and ground source heat pumps and wood fuelled boilers. However, when such technologies are bought for do-it-yourself installation purposes, the standard VAT rate (currently of 15 per cent.) instead applies.
European VAT agreements do not currently allow a reduced VAT rate for the do-it-yourself installation of renewable energy production technologies or indeed for any products or materials designed to help increase levels of energy efficiency.
The Government continue to make the case for changes to these European agreements to allow for a wider application of reduced VAT rates to energy-efficient products and energy-saving materials.
VAT: Postal Services
Jim Cousins:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the written ministerial statement of 9 November 2009, Official Report, column 1WS, on
ECOFIN, what political guidelines will be used to determine whether the UK will be required to impose value added tax on postal services. [303288]
Mr. Timms: The VAT treatment of postal services was not discussed at the ECOFIN meeting held on 10 November, although it is on the agenda of the ECOFIN meeting to be held on 2 December.
The UK believes that supplies made by the public postal services should continue to be exempt from VAT.
Working Tax Credit
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of enabling claimants of the childcare element of the working tax credit to continue to receive it for 12 weeks after they are made redundant; and if he will make a statement. [303059]
Mr. Timms: In light of the complex analysis required, an estimate would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many unemployed people were claiming the childcare element of the working tax credit in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [303060]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available. working tax credit, including the child care element, is generally conditional upon a lone parent, or each member of a couple, working at least 16 hours a week. However, payment may continue for a period of four weeks where the hours a person works fall below 16 hours a week, or if they stop work.
International Development
Afghanistan
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's programmes in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [303352]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: DFID's latest Afghanistan Country Programme Evaluation was published in May 2009 and is available on the DFID website:
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost was of maintaining his Department's website in the 2008-09 financial year; and what the forecast cost is of maintaining websites within his responsibility in the 2009-10 financial year. [302409]
Mr. Michael Foster: For the cost of maintaining the Department for International Development's (DFID's) website in 2008-09 I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the answer of 14 January 2009, Official Report, column 832W.
The DFID website is maintained in house from existing resources. The Department is also responsible for the Developments magazine website and the Research4Development websites. Projected costs for these two websites are £566,512.
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