Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many (a) Pay-As-You-Earn and (b) self-assessment cases remained open during (i) 2006, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2008 and (iv) 2009; [312333]
(2) when the most recent audit of open P14 cases was undertaken; and what statistics were collected for the purposes of that audit; [313935]
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(3) when the most recent audit of open PSN cases was undertaken; and what statistics were collected for the purposes of that audit. [313936]
Mr. Timms: The terms “open PSN case” and “open P14 case” are not used by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
PAYE open cases arise when HMRC is unable to match the pay and tax details submitted by their employer on form P14 to an individual's tax record or a match is made but the pay and tax do not reconcile and further work is needed to establish the correct tax position. This is a normal part of the PAYE process.
The most recent internal audit review of PAYE open cases took place in March 2009, and reviewed the accuracy of clearance of 2007-08 PAYE open cases. HMRC's internal audit function checked a sample of cases and found that the accuracy achieved in clearing open cases was 95 per cent.
HMRC do not use the term “open cases” in relation to self-assessment. Under self-assessment a case is cleared once the self-assessment tax return has been filed.
Information on the number of open PAYE cases is available at:
For 2005-06 and 2006-07—25 June 2007, Official Report, column 388W.
For 2007-08 and 2008-09 in HMRC's Annual Accounts:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-dep-acct0708.pdf
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-accs-0809.pdf
From 2009, the introduction of the new National Insurance and PAYE Service (NPS) will automate matching and processing of data sufficient to reduce the number of cases needing clerical intervention (exception cases) to less than 4.5 million each tax year. HMRC aims to clear these cases during the same year in which they occur so backlogs should no longer accrue.
For the open cases existing when NPS went live HMRC have three pieces of work planned to reduce the existing open cases:
1. An Open Case Clearance Project in PAYE/SA Processing that deploys software to identify cases where an under or overpayment is due, or where the record is accurate and can be closed.
2. HMRC is working with an independent firm, on those open cases which are open because they do not appear to match to an existing record, to data match open cases with a wider range of data.
3. The Department will risk assess the remaining cases, prioritising those where repayments may be due, before starting a clerical review of the remaining cases in April 2010, which will continue until all backlogs have been worked.
Women and Equality
Blaydon
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Blaydon constituency, the effects on Blaydon of the policies and actions of the Government Equalities Office since it was established. [315297]
Maria Eagle: The Government Equalities Office operates at a strategic level across Government to promote policies which address discrimination. It is not possible to provide statistical information about the effects on Blaydon of the policies and actions of GEO since it was established.
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Departmental Electronic Equipment
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality whether any (a) mobile telephones and (b) BlackBerries have been provided to (i) Ministers and (ii) special advisers in the Government Equalities' Office since its establishment. [307574]
Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office has not provided any mobile phones or Blackberry devices to its Ministers or Special Advisers. The Special Adviser to the Minister for Women and Equality is provided with a BlackBerry by the Cabinet Office as part of communication arrangements for the Minister's Private Office.
Departmental Procurement
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality with reference to the answer of 12 October 2009, Official Report, column 33W, on Public Sector: procurement, whether a small firms impact assessment has been produced in relation to their new public procurement duties on contracting authorities; what the timetable is for the production of the non-legislative toolkit; and whether small firms will be consulted before its introduction. [315617]
Maria Eagle: A regulatory impact assessment has been produced on the creation of a single set of specific equality duties to underpin the new integrated public sector equality duty and to regulate procurement by some public authorities. This was published as part of the specific duties consultation document; Equality Bill: Making it work, Policy proposals for specific duties: A consultation.
http://www.equalities.gov.uk/pdf/Specific%20Duties%20Consultation%20DocumentWEB.pdf
It is important to note that the specific duties fall on the contracting authority and not on the private sector, and also apply only to above EU threshold contracts and to the lead contractor.
The non-legislative Toolkit is being produced by the Office of Government Commerce. The Toolkit will update and build on OGC's existing guidance, 'Make Equality Count', to provide more detailed and accessible advice to procurers on when and how they can incorporate equality considerations in their public procurement activities in line with procurement law. The Toolkit is designed to be a 'living' tool, allowing for new content, for example, best practice case studies and any changes in relevant legislation and other material to be added in future to ensure that public procurers are provided with up to date advice and guidance. An initial draft is currently available for consultation until 12 March on the OGC website and small firms are welcome to contribute.
Departmental Recruitment
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many job vacancies at the (a) Government Equalities Office and (b) Equality and Human Rights Commission were filled through external recruitment agencies in the latest year for which figures are available. [315531]
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Michael Jabez Foster: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The Government Equalities Office has not filled any job vacancies using external recruitment agencies.
(b)The Equality and Human Rights Commission has filled four job vacancies using external recruitment agencies between 3 February 2009 and 3 February 2010.
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the (a) Government Equalities Office and (b) Equality and Human Rights Commission spent on external recruitment consultants in the latest year for which figures are available. [315532]
Michael Jabez Foster: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The GEO has spent £91,796 including VAT on recruitment consultants to run the public appointment of Commissioners for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (£62,333) and the Women's National Commission (£29,463).
(b) The Equality and Human Rights Commission has spent a total of £111,749.19 inclusive of VAT on external recruitment consultants between 3 February 2009 and 3 February 2010.
Disabled: Candidates
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government has taken to encourage more disabled people to (a) apply for and (b) present themselves as candidates for election to public office. [309445]
Maria Eagle: The Government are committed to increasing diversity of representation in political life at both national and local level and firmly believe that to achieve a genuinely fair and just society their political decision makers need to reflect the population.
The Equality Bill contains new provisions allowing political parties to reserve places on electoral shortlists for individuals including disabled people. The Bill also allows a wide range of voluntary activities by parties to reduce inequalities in representation.
These include provisions enabling political parties to; set up separate forums dedicated to a specific protected characteristic; reserve seats for people with a protected characteristics on any forum, including electoral shortlist, representative groups, panels, committees etc; and adopt whatever forms of mentoring or shadowing parties themselves choose.
In direct response to a recommendation of the Speaker's conference, the Government have tabled their own amendment to the Equality Bill to require registered political parties to report on the diversity data to be collected in a systematic way at a national level for the first time.
This amendment could ultimately result in greater diversity in political parties. It may also increase participation in elections and in public office of those from under-represented groups.
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Hotels
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many separate bookings at hotels graded at five star or above were made through the Expotel booking service by (a) Government Equalities Office and (b) Equality and Human Rights Commission in the latest year for which figures are available; and at what cost such bookings were made. [315547]
Maria Eagle: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The GEO did not make any bookings through Expotel for stays at five star hotels or above.
(b) The Equality and Human Rights Commission state that they booked a total of 16 nights' accommodation at five star hotels through the Expotel booking services in the 2008-09 financial year at a total cost of £2,098.
Human Trafficking: Gloucestershire
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what mechanisms are in place to identify people in Gloucestershire who have been trafficked into the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation. [315883]
Maria Eagle: As part of our implementation of the Council of Europe Convention, we have enhanced our victim care arrangements by creating a national referral mechanism (NRM) to improve identification and protection of trafficking victims. The NRM is a multi-agency framework that allows for the systematic identification of victims, and provision of support. Central to the NRM process are the competent authorities based within UK Borders Agency and the UK Human Trafficking Centre which are the bodies that decide on whether a referred person is a victim of human trafficking. All forces including Gloucestershire Constabulary have been made aware of the process and the necessary contact details of the decision making bodies.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality when she intends to reply to the letter to her of 26 November 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms A Sidwell. [316879]
Michael Jabez Foster: A response to the letter dated 26 November 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton was sent out on 3 December 2009.
Newspaper Licensing Agency
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what payments have been made by (a) the Government Equalities Office and (b) the Equality and Human Rights Commission to the Newspaper Licensing Agency in each year since their inception. [315611]
Michael Jabez Foster: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The Government Equalities Office's (GEO) contract with its press cuttings agency Precise includes licensing from the Newspaper Licensing Agency and the Copyright Licensing Agency.
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(b) The Equality and Human Rights Commission has made a total of two payments to the Newspaper Licensing Agency in each year since its establishment in 2007.
£684.24 paid 27 March 2008 (£582.33 plus £101.91 VAT);
£529.62 paid 26 March 2009 (£460.54 plus £69.08 VAT)
Slough
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to the Slough constituency, the effects on Slough of the policies and actions of the Government Equalities Office since it was established. [311979]
Maria Eagle: The Government Equalities Office operates at a strategic level across Government to promote policies which address discrimination. It is not possible to provide statistical information about the effects on Streatham of the policies and actions of GEO since it was established.
Streatham
Keith Hill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Streatham constituency, the effects on Streatham constituency of changes to the Government Equalities Office's policies since its establishment. [313396]
Maria Eagle: The Government Equalities Office operates at a strategic level across Government to promote policies which address discrimination. It is not possible to provide statistical information about the effects on Streatham of the policies and actions of GEO since it was established.
Thanet
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to South Thanet constituency, the effects on South Thanet of the policies and actions of the Government Equalities Office since it was established. [315635]
Maria Eagle: The Government Equalities Office operates at a strategic level across Government to promote policies which address discrimination. It is not possible to provide statistical information about the effects on South Thanet of the policies and actions of GEO since it was established.
Travelling People: Finance
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality whether Strategic Funding Programme funding being provided by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission to (a) Cardiff Gypsy and Traveller Project, (b) Friends, Families and Travellers and (c) Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange in 2009-10 may be used to assist travellers in relation to funding planning applications, planning policy or planning appeals. [309527]
Maria Eagle:
I am informed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission that the Strategic Funding Programme funding being provided in 2009-10 to: Cardiff Gypsy and Traveller Project; Friends, Families and
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Travellers; and Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange, may not be used to assist in planning applications, planning policy or planning appeals.
To use this funding in such a way would break the grant conditions and result in actions leading to suspension or termination of the grant funding agreement and recovery of the grant.
Energy and Climate Change
Blaydon
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to the Blaydon constituency, the effects on Blaydon of the policies and actions of his Department and its predecessors since 2000. [315294]
Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change and its predecessors have implemented a large number of policies to address energy security, emissions reductions, low carbon economic growth and fuel poverty since 2000. Some of the key achievements are set out as follows, along with information on the number of households assisted by the Warm Front scheme in Blaydon constituency. It would be disproportionately costly to provide statistical information on all the impact of all the policies to the level of detail requested, but statistical information covering energy and climate change is available at: