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8 Dec 2009 : Column 253W—continued
The rate charged to the two banks was a penal rate, broadly equivalent to a cost of funds around 2 per cent. above the equivalent market funding rate.
The Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England have a regular dialogue on a wide range of financial and economic issues as well as matters relating to emergency liquidity assistance.
Information about the Bank's market-wide facilities is available on the Bank's website.
Details of arrangements between the Bank of England and the two banks are a matter for the Bank of England.
Beer: Prices
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the average retail price of a pint of beer comprised tax in each of the last three years. [304167]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HMRC publish data on the percentage of the average price of a pint of beer that constitutes tax in the Alcohol Factsheet. This can be found in Tables 3.5 and 3.7 at:
Data for 2009 are not yet available.
Cheques
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with British banks on allowing their customers to retain the right to continue to use cheques indefinitely; and if he will make a statement. [304335]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have 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.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to his Department was of provision of office facilities to (a) special advisers and (b) press officers in the 2008-09 financial year. [302964]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information on HM Treasury's administration costs is published in its Annual Report and Accounts each year. The 2008-09 Report (HC611) was published on 20 July 2009 and is available from:
The Department does not hold the information requested relating to specific staff groups, and could provide it only at disproportionate cost.
Energy: Conservation
Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) individuals and (b) private landlords have submitted claims under the Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance in each year since the inception of the scheme. [304740]
Mr. Timms: The numbers of non-corporate landlords that have used the Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance (LESA) since 6 April 2004 are shown in the following table. HM Revenue and Customs' administrative systems do not capture information for companies.
| Individuals | Partnerships | Total | |
Post Offices: Bank Services
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what timetable he has set for bringing forward proposals to enable the Post Office to provide more banking services. [301965]
Mr. McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
A 12 week national public consultation on Post Office banking was launched on 2 December.
Rent A Room Scheme
Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect on (a) room availability and (b) revenue of an increase in the tax-free threshold of the rent-a-room scheme. [304741]
Mr. Timms: No such assessment has been made.
An increase in the threshold to £9,000 has been estimated to reduce Exchequer revenue by £10 million.
Taxation: Business
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) small and medium-sized and (b) other enterprises have made Time to Pay arrangements with HM Revenue and Customs to defer tax through the Business Payment Support Service to date; how much tax liability has been deferred as a result of such arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [304410]
Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs measures the Business Payment Support Service through the number and value of agreements reached, and not by the size of business. To 29 November 2009 just under 238,000 Time to Pay arrangements have been agreed worth £4.17 billion.
The agreements do not defer payment but agree the payment of tax by instalments over a period of time. Since the service was introduced on 24 November 2008, over 90 per cent. of the value of payments due has been paid by the agreed time.
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax HM Revenue and Customs forecasts will be written off as bad debts as a result of (a) small and medium-sized and (b) other enterprises which have made Time to Pay arrangements with HM Revenue and Customs to defer tax through the Business Payment Support Service not being able to meet their tax liabilities in (i) January 2010, (ii) February 2010, (iii) March 2010, (iv) April 2010, (v) May 2010, (vi) June 2010, (vii) July 2010, (viii) August 2010 and (ix) September 2010; and if he will make a statement. [304411]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) includes an overall provision for doubtful debt each year in its annual accounts but does not routinely disaggregate this figure. The most recent provisions are included in the accounts to 31 March 2009, available at:
However, over 90 per cent. of the value of tax that has become due under Time to Pay arrangements agreed through the Business Payment Support Service, launched in November 2008 is being paid in line with agreed instalments.
Arrangements are available to businesses that are in genuine financial difficulty and unable to pay tax on time, but that are likely to be able to pay the tax due if given more time.
HMRC looks at each Time to Pay proposal on its individual merits against general risk-based criteria, which it has since the service's introduction to reach decisions on a case-by-case basis.
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) small and medium-sized and (b) other enterprises which have made Time to Pay arrangements with HM Revenue and Customs to defer tax through the Business Payment Support Service are scheduled to pay their tax liability in (i) January 2010, (ii) February 2010, (iii) March 2010, (iv) April 2010, (v) May 2010, (vi) June 2010, (vii) July 2010, (viii) August 2010 and (ix) September 2010; and if he will make a statement. [304413]
Mr. Timms: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Working Tax Credit: Expenditure
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on the childcare element of working tax credit in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11. [305300]
Mr. Timms: No such forecast has been produced.
Justice
Access to Justice Act 1999
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what amendments have been made to the Access to Justice Act 1999; and if he will make a statement; [303893]
(2) what (a) statutory instruments, (b) departmental circulars and (c) other documents he (i) has issued since 1999 and (ii) plans to issue in the next 12 months consequent on the provisions of the Access to Justice Act 1999; and if he will make a statement; [303894]
(3) what recent representations he has received on the operation of the Access to Justice Act 1999; what assessment he has made of the effects of the provisions of that Act on people accused of a criminal offence; and if he will make a statement. [303905]
Bridget Prentice: The Access to Justice Act 1999 covers a very wide range of areas, including civil and criminal legal aid, conditional fee and litigation funding agreements, legal services regulation, judges, and the courts, and therefore this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Administration of Justice: Females
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what gender-sensitive policies and procedures his Department has introduced for women in the criminal justice system in the last five years. [304443]
Maria Eagle: The information requested is as follows:
(a) agreed funding for a total 31 Women's Community Projects to provide additional services in the community to women at risk of offending and previous offenders;
(b) introduced gender specific standards which ensure an appropriate response to women prisoners, including on searching, implemented in all women's prisons this year;
(c) published in May 2008 an Offender Management Guide for working with women and National Service Framework to improve services to women offenders.
In addition a Consultation Paper by the Sentencing Advisory Panel addressing important principles of sentencing of women offenders was issued in December 2008.
C-NOMIS Database Project Board
Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of the information provided to Ministers in his Department by the C-NOMIS database project board in respect of the (a) cost and (b) timeliness of the project as it progressed. [300784]
Maria Eagle: There have been no recent assessments. The National Audit Office conducted a review of the NOMIS programme which reported in March 2009 informing the Public Accounts Committee's November 2009 report. We are responding to the PAC report and anticipate publication of the response in January 2010.
Constitutions
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) Ministers, (b) officials, (c) representatives of local authorities and (d) (i) invited and (ii) non-invited members of the public attended the deliberative event of 28 November on rights and responsibilities and a written constitution. [303991]
Mr. Wills: The deliberative event on 28 November 2009, which is one of a series designed to support qualitative research, was attended by the following persons:
(a) One Minister-The right hon. Michael Wills MP, Minister of State, Ministry of Justice.
(b) Five officials from the Ministry of Justice.
(c) No representatives from local authorities.
(d) (i) 110 invited members of the general public.
(d) (ii) The deliberative events were open only to those who were invited to constitute a broadly representative sample of the population as a whole. It follows that no non-invited members of the general public attended the event on 28 November.
Crimes of Violence: Merseyside
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of conviction rates for those accused of crimes of violence with homophobic motives in Merseyside. [304226]
Mr. Alan Campbell: I have been asked to reply.
There has not been a recent assessment of conviction rates for those accused of crimes of violence with homophobic motives in Merseyside.
In September 2009 we launched the Cross-Government Hate Crime Action Plan which contains a number of action points designed to reduce numbers of crimes of violence across all five hate crime strands, including sexual orientation. In particular, it commits the Home Office to produce guidance for Crime and Disorder Partnerships on preventing and responding to hate incidents and hate crimes.
There is also a range of activity taking place in the North West to combat hate crime targeted at lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals. For example, bar owners and door staff in and around the areas of Liverpool frequented by LGB communities have recently received hate crime awareness-raising training.
Further, Liverpool's Hate Crime Reduction Forum which brings stakeholders together from across Liverpool to address all strands of hate crime, funded the As One programme which was an educational awareness programme focused on youth centres in the Kensington area encompassing antisocial behaviour and diversity awareness.
Debts: Advisory Services
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to respond to his Department's consultation on debt management schemes. [305188]
Bridget Prentice: The consultation paper Debt Management schemes-delivering effective and balanced solutions for debtors and creditors was published on 18 September. The consultation does not close until 18 December.
Responses received will be subjected to both a numerical and a qualitative analysis and Ministers will consider the evidence early 2010. A Response Paper setting out the Government's position in the light of this evidence will be published after that.
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