| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
11 Jan 2010 : Column 769W—continued
National Insurance Contributions: Local Government
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has been made of the cost of the proposed increases to national insurance contributions for employers to local government employers in 2010-11. [308352]
Mr. Timms: There are no proposed increases to employer national insurance contributions in 2010-11. Employer contributions are set to increase by 1 per cent. to 13.8 per cent. in 2011-12.
Information on the cost of the proposed change to local Government employers is not readily available.
Non-Domestic Rates: Church Halls
Robert Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency undertakes valuations of church halls hired out for social events unconnected with religious worship; and whether premises thus used are liable for business rates. [308635]
Ian Pearson:
As stated in the Local Government Finance Act 1988, if Church halls, chapel halls and similar buildings are used in connection with a place of public religious worship and for the purposes of the organisation responsible for the conduct of public religious worship, they are, like the church or place of public
religious worship, exempt from business rates. This exemption usually extends to where they are hired out for social events.
Non-Domestic Rates: Ports
Robert Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the Valuation Office Agency (a) has removed all waterfront hereditaments in ports in Hull from the new business rates rating assessment regime and restored them to the competent harbour authorities assessment regime and (b) has not taken a similar approach in other ports. [308639]
Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 12 November 2009, Official Report, column 877W.
The reason that some separately assessed property within the port of Hull has been merged with the assessment for the statutory port is that new information has been provided and there has been agreement of the facts between the parties. This reflects the success of the "fast-track" appeals process applied by the Valuation Office Agency to cases involving a significant and unexpected backdated liability. Where ratepayers co-operate and provide the information requested, the agency has been able to review the rating lists and make amendments to reflect new information that has a material affect on the assessment.
The same approach has been applied at other ports. Where changes have not been made and properties continue to be separately assessed for business rates this is either because the facts do not support the case for change or the parties have not agreed the facts that may still prove material.
Robert Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the appeals against decisions relating to the new business rates arrangements for ports businesses (a) have and (b) have not resulted in a reduction in rateable values. [308805]
Ian Pearson: Following the review of ports by the Valuation Office Agency-which was undertaken to ensure that all individual business properties within and outside ports are rated fairly to ensure that the burden of contributions to funding local government is shared fairly among businesses around the country-a total of 232 appeals on properties within ports in England had been settled at 16 December 2009. Of these, 70 were resolved by a reduction in rateable value and 162 were resolved without a reduction in rateable value.
Offenders
Chris Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees of his Department and its agencies have been convicted of a criminal offence of each type in each year since 1997. [308520]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry:
It is the policy of HM Treasury and OGC not to release data concerning fewer than five staff where to do so could lead to the identification of protected personal information about individual members of staff. Since 1999, I can confirm that the information
requested relates to fewer than five cases. Information for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, DMO would not record this information. Any supporting documentation is destroyed after six months due to the Data Protection Act.
Peers: Domicile
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information HM Revenue and Customs holds on the number of Members of the House of Lords who are non-domiciled for tax purposes; and if he will make a statement. [307060]
Mr. Timms: If an individual completes a Self Assessment Tax Return, they need only tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) their domicile status should they have foreign income and/or gains and want to claim the remittance basis of taxation. It is for the individual to decide whether they want to claim the remittance basis.
Therefore, individual tax returns for individual Members of the House of Lords will show whether or not they have claimed the remittance basis of taxation based on a non-domiciled status.
HMRC does not collate or aggregate this information for Members of the Lords as a group, as the Members' records are dealt with by several different operational units.
Pre-Budget Report 2009
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the statement of 9 December 2009, Official Report, columns 359-71, on the pre-Budget report, when he intends to implement each of the initiatives announced; what the estimated cost of each such initiative is; and if he will make a statement. [308275]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the 2009 pre-Budget report (Cm 7747) for detailed information on all of the initiatives announced, and their estimated Exchequer cost.
Public Expenditure
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the pre-Budget report of 9 December 2009, Official Report, columns 359-71, what effect the (a) cap on public sector pay and (b) increase in national insurance contributions will have on expenditure on (i) the national health service, (ii) the police force and (iii) schools. [307624]
Mr. Byrne: In the pre-Budget report 2009 the Government once again recognised that public sector workers are at the heart of delivering world-class public services and supporting long-term economic growth, prosperity and fairness and highlighted that, following substantial investment in public sector pay since 1997, pay restraint will be important to support front-line delivery while ensuring sustainable public finances over the medium term.
The 1 per cent. pay cap will generate £3.4 billion of departmental savings by 2012-13, helping to protect
front-line service delivery and jobs in the coming years. A modest proportion of the revenue raised from the increase in national insurance contributions announced at PBR to help protect front-line public services will come from public sector employers. The PBR identified almost £17 billion of efficiency savings gained from Smarter Government and the Public Value Programme that will enable improvements in public services to be sustained.
Public Sector Relocation Independent Review
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 20 October 2009, Official Report, column 1401W, on public sector relocation: independent review, if he will place in the Library a copy of the database for council tax revaluation modelling that was provided to the Lyons Inquiry into local government finance redacting sensitive personal data. [308285]
Ian Pearson: No single database for council tax revaluation modelling exists. A number of datasets were provided to the Lyons review team during the period of their review. These datasets contain property attribute and sales data at individual property level, which, for the protection of individual taxpayers, cannot be released into the public domain.
Revenue and Customs
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average cost to a customer was of (a) a call to the Tax Credits Helpline, (b) a call to the Child Benefit Helpline and (c) a personal visit to an HM Revenue and Customs inquiry centre in the latest period for which figures are available. [308193]
Mr. Timms: The information is not available. Calls are charged to the customer based on the tariff arrangements they have with their service provider, the device they use to call and the location from which they call. The cost to the customer of visiting an enquiry centre is dependent on several factors including their personal travel costs, which the Department does not have access to.
Revenue and Customs: Cost-effectiveness
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Office of Government Commerce Gateway reviews HM Revenue and Customs has performed since 2006; what the title of each such review is; and at which gate each such review is. [308082]
Mr. Timms: The following table gives details of the 71 OGC Gateway reviews undertaken or planned for HM Revenue and Customs programmes and projects for the four years 2006-07 to 2009-10. It includes the title of each programme or project and the specific Gateway review number.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |