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19 Jan 2010 : Column 314W—continued
School Meals
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what factors are required to be taken into account in deciding on school lunch menus in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools. [311162]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: All local-authority maintained primary, secondary and special schools must meet both the food-based and nutrient-based standards for school lunches. Interim food-based standards for school lunch came into effect from September 2006. These were replaced by final food and nutrient-based standards in September 2008 (primary schools) and September 2009 (secondary schools). There are sample compliant menus on the School Food Trust website.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate his Department has made of the number of children under the age of 16 years who (a) had lunches provided by and (b) took packed lunches to (i) primary and (ii) secondary school in (A) England, (B) Leicester and (C) the East Midlands in the latest period for which figures are available. [311163]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department does not count the number of pupils that have a school meal but we do know the percentage of children that take a school meal from information collected by the School Food Trust.
Take-up figures as percentages of pupils are as follows:
| Primary schools | Secondary schools | |
These figures are the latest figures and are for 2008/09. The 2009/10 survey is due to start at the end of March.
The Department does not collect information on how many of the remaining children have a packed lunch brought from home.
Schools: Collective Worship
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools in Wiltshire education authority have (a) applied for and (b) been granted exemption from holding religious assemblies. [310918]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department does not hold this information centrally.
Sure Start Programme: Preston
Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) Sure Start centres and (b) early excellence centres have been established in Preston since 1997. [311237]
Dawn Primarolo: Sure Start children's centres were introduced from 2003-04, all former Early Excellence centres are now Sure Start children's centres. Prior to this there was one Early Excellence centre created in Preston local authority area, based at Stoneygate nursery school.
There are 28 designated Sure Start children's centres in Preston local authority area, offering services to approximately 19,200 children under five and their families. Of these, seven are situated in the Preston constituency, reaching 5,174 children. There are no further centres planned for Preston.
Teachers: Manpower
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) teachers and (b) school support staff were in employment in schools in England in each year since 1997; and what the pupil: teacher ratio was in each such year. [310560]
Mr. Coaker: The information requested for 1997, 2001 to 2009 is published in tables 1 and 17 of the Statistical First Release (SFR) 'School Workforce in England (including Local Authority level figures) January 2009 (Revised)' published on 29 September 2009. The SFR is available at the following web link:
DCSF: School Workforce in England (including Local Authority level figures), January 2009 (Revised)
The information requested for 1998 to 2000 is published in tables 1 and 17 of the Statistical First Release (SFR) 'School Workforce in England (including pupil:teacher ratios and pupil:adult ratios) January 2007 (Revised)' published on 27 September 2007. The SFR is available at the following web link:
DCSF: School Workforce in England (including pupil: teacher ratios and pupil: adult ratios), January 2007 (Revised)
Youth Task Force
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff are (a) employed by and (b) assigned to the Youth Taskforce. [311228]
Dawn Primarolo: There are 18 staff employed by the Youth Taskforce. In addition there are three staff assigned to the Youth Taskforce on secondment.
Treasury
Air Passenger Duty
Mark Hunter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the air travel industry on the application of the higher rate of air passenger duty to premium economy seats. [311287]
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.
Bradford and Bingley
Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the minutes of each meeting which led to the decision to nationalise Bradford and Bingley. [311947]
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.
Child Tax Credit: Preston
Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Preston were in receipt of child tax credit on the latest date for which information is available. [311023]
Mr. Timms: The latest information on the number of recipient families of child tax credit, by local authority and parliamentary constituency, is provided in the HM Revenue and Customs snapshot publication, "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Geographical Analyses December 2009", available at:
Council Tax: Valuation
Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency uses data from its council tax banding support tool in appeals against council tax banding. [311498]
Ian Pearson: Yes. The council tax banding support tool is used to help with all cases where an existing council tax band is to be reviewed, including appeals.
Fuels: Prices
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average forecourt price was of standard (a) BS-EN-590 diesel and (b) 95 RON unleaded petrol in July 2008. [311042]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: According to statistics from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the average UK pump prices for July 2008 were 132.26 pence per litre for diesel, and 118.76 pence per litre for petrol. Weekly average UK pump prices are available online at:
Members: Correspondence
Clare Short: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when a reply will be sent to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood's letter of 29 October 2009 to the Financial Secretary on Asghar Khan, Treasury PO Ref: 3/11525/2009. [310937]
Mr. Timms: I have replied to the right hon. Member.
Non-Domestic Rates: Garages and Petrol Stations
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the amount of revenue from petrol retail outlets which the new business rate will generate in 2010-11. [311048]
Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
No estimates of the revenue from petrol stations' business rates or that of any other category of hereditament have been made. Business rates bills contain not only transitional relief but all other reliefs, some determined at the billing authorities' discretion. It is therefore, not possible to estimate the bill of a hereditament, and, consequently, that of any category of hereditaments.
For the purpose of modelling the 2010 Transitional Relief scheme, the Notional Chargeable Amount (NCA) was calculated. The NCA for a given year is the product of the rateable value and that year's small business multiplier. The NCA is then compared to the previous year's reference value increased by the caps. The minimum of these two values was used as a proxy for the bill after transition but before all other reliefs. Details on the methodology and assumptions used can be found on page 49 of the 'The transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England' consultation document. These include an assumption of zero inflation, which does not reflect the latest information available. There is also an adjustment for appeals.
A copy of the consultation document is available at the following link:
The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and the 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government. Over 1 million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation.
In the last five years, alongside rising petrol prices and increasing turnover, the rents paid on many petrol filling stations has grown. It is only fair to all ratepayers this is reflected in rate bills. The Government have put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on business properties facing increases, which means that in 2010-11 no petrol station will see its rates liability rise as a result of revaluation by more than 3.5 per cent. for small properties and 11 per cent. for large properties.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much business rate revenue was generated from petrol retail outlets in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09. [311050]
Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
This information is not held centrally.
Origin Marking: Israel
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010, Official Report, column 768W, on imports: Israel, whether the issuing authority is different from the authority providing the original designation of origin. [311127]
Mr. Timms: There are a number of regional Customs offices in Israel which are authorised to authenticate preference certificates. When a claim to preference is verified, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) write to the Tax Authority in the Israeli Ministry of Finance. That authority contains the Israeli Customs Department and is responsible for collating, checking and responding to verification inquiries. Therefore, while the office responsible for verifying a particular preference certificate may be different to the one which issued it, the issuing and verifying authorities are the same.
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010, Official Report, column 768W, on imports: Israel, in how many cases there has been doubt over the place of production and verification has been requested from the issuing authority in Israel. [311195]
Mr. Timms: In the period 2007-2009, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) asked the authorities in Israel to verify a total of 65 preference certificates. Two of the certificates related to irregularities identified as a result of HMRC's physical examination of fresh produce at the time of importation. The remaining certificates concerned potential problems identified as a result of HMRC's routine examination of documents accompanying claims to preference under the EU-Israel Agreement. To date there have been no cases identified where doubt has existed over the place of production of imported cosmetics. HMRC continue to closely monitor such imports.
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010, Official Report, column 768W, on imports: Israel, what recent reports HM Revenue and Customs have received on checks by the European Commission that the Israeli authorities record the actual place of production rather than a head office on the proof of origin. [311196]
Mr. Timms: As part of fact finding missions, an objective of which was to gain on the ground information about the operation of the 2005 Technical arrangement in which the Israeli's are required to insert the place of production on proofs of preferential origin, officials from the European Commission's Origin Unit visited Palestine and Israel in the spring and autumn of 2009 respectively. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has not received any reports of the findings of those visits. Neither has it received any notifications from the Commission of products being wrongly labelled.
Rodents
Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment Natural England's Wildlife Management and Licensing Service has made of changes in levels of the rodent population in the last three years. [311481]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I have been asked to reply.
No such assessment has been made as this is not one of Natural England's functions.
Tax Allowances: Preston
Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of businesses in Preston which have received 100 per cent. tax exemption in respect of the purchase of computer and internet-related equipment. [311024]
Mr. Timms: It is not possible to identify tax reliefs at the level of detail requested. However, an estimated 95 per cent. of UK businesses who invest in plant or machinery (including in computers and internet-related equipment) will have their expenditure wholly relieved from tax by the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), which provides 100 per cent. relief for such investment up to an amount of £50,000 each year.
Tax Allowances: Railways
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons the capital allowances for railway assets will be decreased to 10 per cent. in January 2011; and what assessment has been made of the effect on the rail industry of this decision. [311176]
Mr. Timms: No change is being made to legislation. From the outset the exemption for the rail industry from the long life assets regime for capital allowances has been time-limited. Thus, expenditure incurred after 1 January 2011 on railway assets which have a life of greater than 25 years will be subject to the standard long life assets' rate of 10 per cent.
We would not expect the expiry of the exemption, known about since 1997, to have a significant impact on the rail industry, where long-term operating costs are factored into the long-term investment decisions that are typical in this sector.
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