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18 Mar 2010 : Column 1022W—continued
National Insurance Contributions
Mr. Liddell-Grainger:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to paragraph 6.43 of HM Revenue and Customs 2008-09 Accounts, for what
reasons items are placed in the suspense files; what the definition is of an item; what will be done with these items once the National Insurance and PAYE Service (NPS) is fully implemented; and what his estimate is of the number of items which will be added to suspense files each year once NPS is fully implemented. [316116]
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that information on national insurance contributions paid by employees submitted to HM Revenue and Customs by employers is sufficient to enable individual records to be updated; [318207]
(2) what steps his Department has taken to match the 116 million items from employers unmatched in 2007 to individual national insurance contributions accounts; what steps HM Revenue and Customs has taken to inform employees paying national insurance of the need to ensure accuracy of their account; what assessment he has made of the effects on employees of the volume of unmatched items; and what estimate he has made of the number of people who have paid national insurance contributions which have not been credited to their account by 2008-09. [318208]
Mr. Timms: Employers must provide HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) with information regarding the national insurance contributions of their employees during the year using the P35 and P45 forms when individuals enter and leave employment respectively, and for all employees at the end of the year using the P14 and P11D forms.
Through these processes HMRC may receive information on national insurance (NI) contributions that cannot be matched to the relevant employee record. This occurs when employers provide inaccurate or insufficient personal details about the relevant employee to enable the information to be matched with the appropriate national insurance account.
To help improve the quality of the information provided through these processes and to reduce the admin burden they place on employers, HMRC has introduced online filing for PAYE returns. All employers with 50 or more employees now file their in-year and end of year returns online; from April 2011 all employers will need to do so. Recent increases in online filing and the introduction of the new national insurance and PAYE Service has increased HMRC's ability to match the information it receives, and to identify where corrective action needs to be taken when this is not possible.
The National Insurance Contributions Office applies makes all reasonable efforts to match these items to contributor records, including writing to the employer and/or the employee for further information. Where items cannot be matched they are kept on non-matched suspense files until which time they can be matched to the correct national insurance account. HMRC estimate that around 85 per cent. of non-matching items are below the relevant earnings threshold, meaning that individually they cannot affect contributor benefits.
If a specific tax year is not qualifying for basic state retirement pension or bereavement benefit purposes HMRC will automatically write to the individual concerned to provide them with the opportunity to either query the details held on their NI account or pay voluntary contributions where appropriate. It is not possible to
ascertain the number of individuals affected because several unmatched items may relate to one individual.
The number of items added to the suspense file has decreased year on year over he last four years. For 2007-08, the most recent tax year for which detailed information is held, some 1.9 million new items were added to the suspense file; this represents 3.3 per cent. of the year's returns.
HMRC expect that the number of items that cannot be initially matched to a national insurance account will continue to decrease as a result of the introduction of the national insurance and PAYE Service, which provides a single customer record for individual across HMRC.
HMRC is working with employers, pension providers and their representative bodies to identify the issues that cause incomplete or incorrect data and to understand better the implications of unaligned data. The Department is also working with large employer representatives on new employee education to be provided through the employer induction process. This is designed to improve the accuracy of the information coming through to HMRC when individuals start or leave employment, and will also help to reduce costs for employers and pension providers.
Places of Worship: Grants
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Church Commissioners on the extension of the Grant Funding for the Listed Places of Worship Scheme continuing beyond March 2011; and if he will make a statement. [322405]
Mr. Timms: 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.
Smuggling: Alcoholic Drinks
Paul Holmes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated monetary value of smuggled alcohol which was seized was in each year since 1997. [321891]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Data relating to the estimated value of smuggled alcohol seized by HMRC, and latterly the UK Border Agency (UKBA), are only available going back to 2003.
Estimates of the total value of beer, wine and spirits seizures i.e. the value of the goods and associated tax, in each year since 2003 are:
| Estimated value (£) | |
| 1 For the period from 1 April 2009 to 28 February 2010 | |
The increasing value of border seizures is explained largely by the establishment of the UKBA. This has significantly improved detection rates of smuggled alcohol - particularly of high-value spirits.
Taxation
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to ensure the accuracy of tax code notices to be issued in 2010-11; [322499]
(2) what steps HM Revenue and Customs takes to inform people of errors in their tax coding notices; [322500]
(3) how many people have notified HM Revenue and Customs of errors in tax coding notices in 2010; [322501]
(4) what estimate he has made of the number of incorrect tax coding notices issued by HM Revenue and Customs in 2010. [322502]
Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) takes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the annual coding notices it issues as part of the operation of the PAYE system.
But where an individual's circumstances differ from the information held by the Department, changes may be needed to bring an individual's tax code up to date. HMRC therefore issues coding notices in advance of the new tax year to allow individuals time to check they are correct and to contact the Department if their tax code does need updating before the start of the year to reflect any changes in their circumstances.
Customers are encouraged to use the information provided on HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) website at:
to help them understand their PAYE tax code and if necessary contact their tax office to update their code. Information on how to find your tax office is available at:
This year, following the introduction of a new National Insurance and PAYE Service, HMRC has identified several situations where, due to a mismatch between data held on HMRC's systems and data supplied by employers and pension providers, individuals could receive an incorrect coding notice. The Department is reviewing all affected individuals, publicising the issue on its website and providing regular updates on the types of situations that could lead to incorrect coding notices.
No estimates have been made on the number of incorrect coding notices issued as it is normal for a proportion to need updating to reflect changes in an individual's circumstances. This year around 700,000 customers have contacted HMRC to request an updated notice of coding.
Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Hunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on branded (a) stationery and (b) other products in the
last year for which figures are available; and if he will list the branded items. [321668]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 11 March 2010]: The Department's expenditure on branded stationery and other products was as follows:
(a) £11,760 on departmental branded stationery (letterheads, business cards and other stationery).
(b) Other products: £11,690 on various items such as agendas, backdrops, signage, brochures and on merchandise for DCMS launches and events.
Departmental Surveys
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will place in the Library a copy of the benchmark results of the Civil Service People Survey for his Department and its agencies. [322578]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department will publish the October 2009 staff survey results on the DCMS website in April 2010. Following publication, a copy of both the DCMS and The Royal Parks Agency results will be placed in the Library.
Diamond Jubilee 2012
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. [322525]
Margaret Hodge: Planning for the Diamond Jubilee is still at an early stage and officials keep all Ministers fully informed. I expect my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to have discussions with my noble Friend, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the Queens Diamond Jubilee.
Flags
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on (a) new flags and (b) flag maintenance in each of the last five years. [322603]
Margaret Hodge: Since 2007-08 the Department has spent the following on new flags and flag maintenance for its Headquarters building. Costs relating to years prior to 2007-08 are not available.
| New flags (£) | Flag maintenance (£) | |
The Department has responsibility for providing facilities for a number of state occasions, which includes flag flying.
Since 2005 -06 the Department has spent the following on the purchase of new flags and flag maintenance for ceremonial events.
| New flags (£) | Flag maintenance (£) | |
| (1) From 2006 the flag maintenance costs included expenditure for ad hoc events for which the Department was reimbursed: 2006/07 = £2,260.50; 2007/8 =£3,353.44; 2008/9 =£5,839.50 and 2009/10 = £3,472.00 | ||
Flags: Correspondence
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many items of correspondence on the subject of flags his Department has received from members of the public in the last 12 months. [322609]
Margaret Hodge: Between 15 March 2009 and 15 March 2010, the Department received 83 items of correspondence in which the subject of flags was the primary issue.
Seven letters were from Members of Parliament and the remainder from members of the public. The Department holds no records of further representations on this subject during this time period.
It is possible that further correspondence could relate to flags as a secondary issue, however, this information could only be identified at disproportionate cost.
Olympic Games 2012: Flags
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department plans to spend on flags for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. [322596]
Tessa Jowell: I am replying as Minister for the Olympics. As part of the public sector funding package for hosting the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, there is a budget of £32 million for the Look of London 2012. This budget will be used for street dressing, including flags, across the UK.
The creative design of this project is under development.
St. George's Day
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether members of his Department plan to attend events to commemorate St. George's Day 2010 in an official capacity. [322598]
Margaret Hodge: On 23 April, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will fly the St. George's Flag alongside the Union Flag to celebrate St. George's Day. At present Ministers of the Department have no plans to attend St. George's Day events in an official capacity.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how much his Department plans to spend on activities to commemorate St. George's Day in 2010; [322599]
(2) what steps his Department plans to take to commemorate St. George's Day in 2010; and how much it plans to spend on such activities. [322601]
Margaret Hodge: On 23 April the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will fly the St. George's Flag alongside the Union Flag to celebrate St. George's Day. This will be at minimal cost.
English Heritage plans to mark the day with events at several properties around the country, the biggest of which will be a two day St. George's Day Festival at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire. English Heritage's total planned spend for production and marketing of their St. George's Day events in 2010 is £43,000, which they expect to recoup from income earned through admissions, retail and membership.
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