| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
7 Dec 2009 : Column 56W—continued
The HMRC Senior Responsible Owners for each of the programmes in delivery during 2009-10 are as follows:
| Programme | Senior responsible owner |
Scientists
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions he has met the Government Chief Scientific Adviser in the course of his official duties in the last 12 months. [303881]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: 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.
Taxation: Gaming
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on his Department's consultation on gross profits tax in respect of adult gaming centres. [304135]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government issued a consultation on the future of gaming machine taxation on 16 July. The consultation period formally closed on 23 October. The responses received during the consultation are currently being analysed and reviewed by officials. No decisions will be taken on the future of gaming machines taxation until this analysis is complete.
VAT: Northern Ireland
Mark Durkan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the revenue which accrued to the Exchequer in value added tax (VAT) from VAT-registered businesses in each constituency in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years. [304266]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available. Although HM Revenue and Customs holds data on the place of registration by trader this has not been analysed by constituency. The address of registration is not necessarily the same as the location the trader will be operating from, for example a chain would only have one VAT registration covering all its branches, so would be unreliable for identifying the VAT accrued in that constituency.
Winter Fuel Payments: Income Tax
David Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons in receipt of winter fuel allowance pay income tax at the (a) standard and (b) higher rate. [303741]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available. However, winter fuel payments are paid to most people aged 60 and over, and the estimated number of income taxpayers for 2009-10 in this age group is 6.4 million, of which 6.0 million pay income tax at the basic rate or starting rate on savings income and 0.4 million pay income tax at the higher rate.
Working Tax Credit
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of enabling recipients of the childcare element of working tax credit to continue to receive it for 12 weeks following redundancy; and if he will make a statement; [303737]
(2) how many unemployed people claimed the childcare element of working tax credit in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [303738]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member on 1 December 2009, Official Report, column 604W.
Communities and Local Government
Audit Commission: Public Relations
Mrs. Spelman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 1 December 2009, Official Report, column 640W, on Audit Commission: public relations, what the (a) nature and (b) purpose was of the work entitled (i) one
off project fee of 10 June 2009, (ii) Connect fee as agreed of 12 June 2009 and (iii) each Connect fee of 14 September 2009. [304714]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 7 December 2009:
The nature and purpose of the work paid for on 10 June 2009 was to provide an informed analysis of changes in departmental portfolios and policies following the reshuffle of government ministers, of possible changes in the machinery of government, and of responses by Opposition parties in the House of Commons and House of Lords.
The purpose of the work paid for on 12 June 2009 was to update our parliamentary database (held for the purposes of supplying MPs with reports and studies relevant to their known interests and their constituencies); to update our records of where prospective candidates had been selected; and to provide informed commentary on the potential electoral effects of the controversy over MPs expenses.
The purpose of the work paid for on 14 September 2009 was to provide further updates on parliamentary constituencies where MPs had announced they were standing down at the next general election; a briefing on changes in the electoral and policy landscape in the run-up to the general election; and analysis of policy commitments made by the parties on regulation, audit, inspection, local government spending and other subjects relative to the Commission's work.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 1 December 2009, Official Report, column 640W, on the Audit Commission: public relations, if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) analysis and overview of the local election results and (b) public affairs strategy that was produced for the Audit Commission by Connect Public Affairs. [304715]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 7 December 2009:
Parliamentary Question: to ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 1 December 2009, Official Report, column 640W, on Audit Commission: public relations, if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) analysis and overview of the local election results and (b) public affairs strategy that was produced for the Audit Commission by Connect Public Affairs.
Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me to reply.
Copies of the following documents produced by Connect Public Affairs for the Audit Commission have been placed in the library:
Local election analysis
Public affairs strategy
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Mrs. Spelman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 1 December 2009, Official Report, column 640W, on the Audit Commission: public relations, which key
prospective parliamentary candidates were identified by Connect Public Affairs for the Audit Commission; and what action the Audit Commission or Connect took in relation to those individuals after their identification. [304716]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 7 December 2009:
Parliamentary Question: with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 1 December 2009, Official Report, column 640W, on Audit Commission: public relations, which key prospective parliamentary candidates were identified by Connect Public Affairs for the Audit Commission; and what action the Audit Commission or Connect took in relation to those individuals after their identification.
Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me to reply.
The Audit Commission asked Connect Public Affairs to produce a list and analysis of the known interests of prospective parliamentary candidates of all parties.
Candidates are an important group of users of the rich local detail contained in Comprehensive Area Assessment. The Audit Commission is using this work to disseminate details of area assessments to those who have declared they are standing at the next general election.
The Audit Commission has not asked Connect Public Affairs to lobby or communicate with prospective parliamentary candidates on its behalf. Connect was asked to carry out research, for example providing contact details, to ensure the Commission's data records were as accurate as possible.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 1 December 2009, Official Report, column 640W, on the Audit Commission: public relations, what the purpose was of the public affairs work entitled CPA Conservative Shadow Cabinet; and what the work entailed. [304717]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 7 December 2009:
Parliamentary Question: with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 1 December 2009, Official Report, column 640W, on Audit Commission: public relations, what the purpose was of the public affairs work entitled CPA Conservative Shadow Cabinet; and what the work entailed.
Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me to reply.
Ministers, their shadows, MPs and elected members in local government are among the important users of the information and place analysis contained in the new Comprehensive Area Assessment. To identify them and plan effective communications to them, the Audit Commission asked Connect Public Affairs to use its expert knowledge to draw up a 'perceptions and influence map'.
It lists those who are likely to take an interest in Comprehensive Area Assessment and those to whom further information might be of use and of interest, so allowing the Audit Commission to target its spending on dissemination of reports, assessments and analyses more effectively.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 1 December 2009, Official Report, column 640W, on the Audit Commission: public relations, if he will make an assessment of the compliance of the Audit Commission's hiring of a public affairs firm to identify key prospective parliamentary candidates with the Cabinet Office's Propriety Guidance rules in respect of use of public relations consultancies or agencies. [304718]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Cabinet Office's Propriety Guidance does not apply to non-civil servants, so the Audit Commission is not required to comply with it.
Council Tax
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will increase the number of council tax bands. [304216]
Barbara Follett: The Government have no plans to increase the number of council tax bands.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) page hits and (b) visitors his Department's website received in 2008-09. [301849]
Barbara Follett: The Department's website received the following page hits and visitors in 2008-9:
Page hits: 28,372,910
Visitors: 3,334,213.
Departmental Security
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many security passes his Department has issued to contractors providing consultancy services in the last 12 months. [303951]
Barbara Follett: Over the last 12 months the Department for Communities and Local Government has issued 172 building passes to contractors and/or consultants working in Eland House. The Department does not separately distinguish passes issued to general contractors or consultants.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |