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1 Mar 2010 : Column 922W—continued
Information on the number of individual consultants employed is not held centrally by the Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Revenue and Customs: Standards
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what accuracy statistics are recorded by the HM Revenue and Customs Quality Monitoring Exercise each month; [312148]
(2) what accuracy statistics his Department's Quality Monitoring Exercise records each month. [312149]
Mr. Timms: The following accuracy statistics are collated internally by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on a monthly basis as part of the quality monitoring exercise in relation to self assessment.
to record whether the self assessment return has been correctly recorded on the Department's systems on the right date and on the right record;
to establish that the tax bill is correct, that any necessary corrections have been made and any repayment has been made in the right amount to the right person at the right address;
to establish that any claims to adjust payments on account have been processed accurately and on time;
that any balancing payments have been correctly dealt with;
to establish that the code number for the current year and subsequent year is correct;
to ensure the Department's procedures have been followed to correct obvious errors; and
that the Department's systems have been updated with any changes reflected in the return.
The following accuracy statistics are collated internally by HMRC as part of the quality monitoring exercise in relation to pay-as-you-earn.
Sample checks are made to record whether:
the code number for the current year and subsequent year is correct;
the liability reviewed for any earlier year is correct;
any tax calculation issued is correct;
any payable order has been issued in the correct amount and issued to the right person at the right address; and
the Department's systems accurately reflect known taxpayer details.
State Retirement Pensions
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 9 September 2009, Official Report, column 1929W, on state retirement pensions, how many (a) men and (b) women who reached state pension age between 6 April 2008 and 5 April 2009 have taken up the option of buying back one or more years of class 3 national insurance contributions under the measures contained in the Pensions Act 2008 to date; and how much has been paid back in contributions by such individuals to date. [319540]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information request is provided in the table:
| Total | NI contributions (£) | |
Tax Allowances
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of (a) the revenue to be raised consequent upon the withdrawal of personal allowances on incomes between £100,000 and £112,950 and (b) the number of taxpayers who will be affected by this change. [312364]
Mr. Timms: The Exchequer effect of the announced changes can be found in the Budget Report 2009 in 'Table 1.2 Budget 2009 policy decisions' and in 'Table A2 Other measures announced since Budget 2008'.
The announced changes are expected to affect the top 2 per cent. of tax payers in 2010-11.
Taxation: Gambling
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much betting tax was paid by (a) gambling operators and (b) the National Lottery in each of the last three years. [318685]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information about betting and gaming taxes revenue collected by HMRC is available at:
The following table shows figures for revenue collected from betting duty in each of the last three years:
| £ 000 | |
| Total b etting | |
Lottery Duty applies to lottery operators and is not a betting tax.
VAT
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the effects on small and medium-sized enterprises of increasing the value added tax registration threshold to £200,000; and if he will make a statement. [305762]
Mr. Timms: The UK has one of the highest VAT registration thresholds in the European Union. Under existing agreements any increase is limited to maintaining the value of the threshold in real terms.
Changing the registration threshold to £200,000 would have significant effects on competition between registered and unregistered businesses, on burdens on businesses and HM Revenue and Customs and on revenues.
VAT: Alcoholic Drinks
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to prevent value added tax being reclaimed by retailers in relation to loss-leading on marketing promotions of alcohol products. [319352]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 26 February 2010]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 3 February 2010, Official Report, column 371W. Businesses are entitled to reclaim the value added tax on costs that relate to their business activities. There are therefore no grounds on which to take steps to prevent value added tax being reclaimed by retailers in relation to marketing promotions of alcohol products, even if those are loss leading within the wider context of their business activities.
Mortgages: Government Assistance
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many homeowners are in receipt of assistance under the Homeowner Mortgage Protection Scheme in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency. [318932]
John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
For management information on Homeowners Mortgage Support I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 16 December 2009, Official Report, column 1297W.
Justice
Crime: Convictions
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2010, Official Report, columns 488-89W, on crime: convictions, what the equivalent figures are for each year between 1997 and 2006. [319825]
Claire Ward: The available information from 1997 to 2008 (latest available), is shown in tables 1 to 15 which have been placed in the Library of the House.
The Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Specific information on the circumstances of an offence are not held centrally and it is therefore not possible to identify whether an offence arising from tackling an intruder occurred in a residential or retail property.
Cautions and court proceedings data for 2009 are planned to be published in the autumn, 2010.
Custodial Treatment
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in receipt of a custodial sentence for (a) sexual offences, (b) murder and (c) offences related to terrorism are absent without authorisation from prisons. [317763]
Maria Eagle: There are three main types of unapproved absence: (a) escapes, which involve a prisoner absenting himself from prison custody without lawful authority by overcoming a physical security restraint such as fences, locks, bolts and bars, a secure vehicle or handcuffs; (b) absconds, where a prisoner absents himself from prison custody without lawful authority and without overcoming physical security restraints (usually from open prisons); and, (c) recalls from temporary release licence following breach before being taken into police or prison custody. Additionally a small number of releases in error occur as a result of administrative error.
The following table shows a breakdown of prisoners with (a) sexual offences, (b) murder and (c) offences related to terrorism who are still absent without authorisation from prisons from 1 April 2004 until 31 March 2009.
| Breakdown of prisoners by main index offence who are absent from prisons without authorisation since 1 April 2004 until 31 March 2009 | |||
| Type of absence | Sexual offence | Murder | Offence related to terrorism |
| (1 )Release in error data available only from 1 January 2005. | |||
These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
There is no category of "offence related to terrorism" but we have interpreted it as referring to those convicted of offences under terrorism legislation, or those convicted of other offences (e.g. conspiracy to murder, or explosives-related offences) where the police and prosecution are satisfied that the acts related to terrorism and have prosecuted the case as such.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many designs for its website his Department and its predecessor have commissioned since 2005. [318647]
Mr. Wills: Two designs have been commissioned for the Ministry of Justice website in the period since 2005:
The first design was the creation of the first Ministry of Justice website in May 2007, and the second was a refresh, delivered in April 2009.
For further details regarding both designs I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T. C. Davies) on 13 January 2010, Official Report, column 1010W and the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Bridget Prentice) to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 23 April 2008, Official Report, column 2111W.
Explosives: Crimes of Violence
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people have been convicted for possessing explosives with intent to cause violence in England and Wales in each year since 1998; [317660]
(2) how many people have been convicted of possessing explosives without a valid certificate or licence in England and Wales in each year since 1998. [317776]
Claire Ward: The number of persons found guilty at all courts in England and Wales for offences relating to possession of explosives with intent to endanger life is given in the following table from 1998 to 2008 (latest available).
Convictions for offences of possessing explosives without a valid licence are part of a miscellaneous group of Explosives Acts offences, including the 1875 and 1923 Acts, which cannot be separately analysed. For information, defendants found guilty for offences within this miscellaneous group are given in the table.
Data for 2009 are planned for publication in the autumn, 2010.
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