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7 Apr 2010 : Column 1377W—continued
Since 1999, the Government have published, on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists
are available in the Libraries of the House. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the "Civil Service Management Code" and the "Ministerial Code".
Early Intervention
Hilary Armstrong: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress his Department has made on development of financial mechanisms to support early intervention policies across the Government in the long-term. [325694]
Mr. Byrne: The Budget announced the Government's support for the first social impact bond (SIB) pilots to help investment in long-term initiatives and support preventative action-including an MOJ pilot to reduce reoffending rates in HMP Peterborough.
The Government will explore further application of this model through the Total Place programme and more widely. The DCSF, for example, have recently pledged to explore the potential of SIBs to lever in additional resources to support early intervention approaches with children and young people.
Financial Services: Advisory Services
Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish the full evaluation of the Money Guidance Pathfinder. [325792]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The full evaluation report on the Money Guidance pathfinder, conducted by the Personal Finance Research Centre at the University of Bristol, will be published by June 2010.
Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people took part in the Money Guidance Pathfinder. [325793]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In total, 575,000 people used the Money Guidance service in the North West and North East of England between April 2009 and March 2010.
Green Investment Bank
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what timetable he has set for the launch of the Green Investment Bank announced in Budget 2010. [325811]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Government anticipate that the Green Investment Bank could be operational by autumn 2011, and this timing accords with that of the projected need for investment. Further details are provided in Chapter 2, paragraph 2.23 of Infrastructure UK's Strategy for national infrastructure, which was published alongside the Budget.
Import Duties: Mephedrone
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been collected in import duty on mephedrone in each of the last three years. [325798]
Mr. Timms: Mephedrone is listed as a Home Office controlled drug. Import consignments of mephedrone will have been entered under commodity codes 293299 85 90 (prior to 1 January 2009) and 293299 00 90 (from 1 January 2009).
The information requested is set out in the following table. Imported mephedrone attracts an import duty rate of 6.5 per cent.
| Import duty collected on consignments of mephedrone (£) | |
Investment Income
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) total monetary value of and (b) proportion of net investment income in the UK balance of payments has been in each year since 2006. [325711]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Official estimates of the current account, including net investment income are available from the Office for National Statistics.
The information requested is as follows:
| Net investment income | ||
| £ billion | Percentage of current account flows | |
Investment Returns
Roger Berry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Financial Services Authority has made of the monetary value of losses incurred by with-profits bond investors who were entitled to claim the guaranteed value of their investments on a market value reduction-free date but failed to do so. [325656]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The FSA does not hold the information requested.
It is a matter for individual policyholders when they decide to cash in their with-profits bond investments. However, where life insurance companies sell policies which include guarantees for market value reduction-free (MVR-free) encashment, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) requires them to treat their policyholders fairly by informing them of the existence of such guarantees at the point of sale and reminding them of those guarantees in post-sale communications. In addition, FSA rules require firms not to make an MVR unless the market value of the assets in the fund is, or is expected to be, significantly less than the face value of the policy being surrendered.
Keydata Investment Services
Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Services Authority on its regulation of Keydata; and if he will make a statement. [325830]
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.
National Insurance Contributions
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on the level of unemployment in (a) the UK, (b) each region of England, (c) Scotland, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland of the planned rise in the rate of National Insurance contributions. [325758]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 22 March 2010, Official Report, column 71W, to the hon. Member for Solihull (Lorely Burt). The effect is expected to be the same across the UK.
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effect on small businesses of the planned rise in the rate of national insurance contributions. [325759]
Mr. Timms: The national insurance contribution changes have been designed so that the impact is balanced fairly between individuals and employers, and between businesses of different sizes. The increase in national insurance contributions in 2011 represents only a small proportion of total business costs. Therefore, in the climate of stronger economic growth forecast by the Treasury and independent commentators in 2011 and beyond, the Government expect the rise in national insurance contributions to be an affordable contribution to fiscal consolidation.
This rise should also be seen in the context of the significant support available for businesses, including small businesses. Budget 2010 announced further measures, including an increase in the annual investment allowance, an extension of entrepreneurs' relief and a temporary increase in the level of small business rate relief.
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's impact assessment on the planned rise in the rate of National Insurance contributions announced in the pre-Budget report in (a) 2008 and (b) 2009. [325780]
Mr. Timms: An impact assessment, if necessary, will be published alongside the Bill which will introduce these changes. Impact assessments are not required where there are no associated administrative costs.
Revenue and Customs: Visits Abroad
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff at HM Revenue and Customs have visited (a) Barbados, (b) Vanuatu, (c) St. Lucia, (d) Spain, (e) Turkey, (f) Venezuela, (g) New Zealand, (h) Australia, (i) Spain, (j) Cyprus, (k) Jamaica, (l) Malta, (m) Sri Lanka, (n) China, (o) Japan and (p) the United Arab Emirates on official business in each of the last three years; and what the cost was of visits to each destination. [324344]
Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff may travel overseas where it is necessary to deliver the Department's objectives, including on fiscal fraud enforcement, enforcement of prohibition and restrictions, and the provision of mutual administrative assistance.
Information disaggregated by country is not available, as publication of this information could compromise and prejudice the Department's compliance work.
Aggregated information from HMRC's central travel contract on the number of HMRC staff who travelled to any of the countries in question, and the overall cost of air travel and hotel accommodation is set out in the following table.
| Number of staff | Cost (£) | |
Information on other travel costs and expenses incurred by HMRC staff while abroad is only available at disproportionate cost.
On occasion, for operational reasons, HMRC staff may book their travel through means other than the Department's travel contract. For example, this may be due to the need to travel at short notice, with colleagues from other organisations or to take advantage of special deals for cheaper flight tickets available elsewhere. Information on the number of staff who travelled to the destinations in question having booked travel in this way, and the expenditure incurred in doing so, is available only at disproportionate cost.
Royal Bank of Scotland: Liverpool Football Club
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the loans made by Royal Bank of Scotland to Liverpool Football Club are guaranteed under the Government's asset protection guarantee scheme. [325740]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Royal Bank of Scotland is a participant in the Asset Protection Scheme. The Government will not disclose any information on individual assets covered by the scheme because this information is received via the Financial Services Authority and relates to the business affairs of individual customers and counterparties. Disclosure of such information is restricted by domestic and European law, and there are no provisions which would permit disclosure in this case. Such information may also be considered commercially sensitive.
Taxation: Domicile
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people paid the £30,000 remittance basis charge in the 2008-09 tax year; how many people claimed to be non-domiciled in the UK in 2008-09 tax returns; and how many such people were resident in the UK. [320748]
Mr. Timms
[holding answer 10 March 2010]: Based on an initial analysis of the Self Assessment returns received to date, HMRC estimate that around 4,600 individuals paid the remittance basis charge of £30,000
for the 2008-09 tax year. The same data also indicate that around 103,000 individuals claimed non-domicile status for 2008-09, of whom 74,000 were resident in the UK. However, these figures may need to be revised in the light of later tax returns.
Valuation Office Agency
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2010, Official Report, column 1264W, on Valuation Office Agency (VOA), what data the VOA has (a) requested and (b) received from the National Register of Social Housing; and on what statutory basis the VOA obtained access. [324317]
Ian Pearson: Only a list of addresses of properties on the National Register of Social Housing was requested and received by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). This information was received on 2 March 2005 and was a snapshot of the addresses of properties on the National Register at that time. The list of addresses was provided voluntarily to assist the VOA in its preparations for the now postponed Council Tax Revaluation in England. No further information has subsequently been requested or received. The VOA does not have, and has never had, access to the full National Register of Social Housing, nor is there a statutory gateway giving such access.
Home Department
Abuse: Parents
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to reduce the incidence of abuse of parents by children under the age of 18 years. [325449]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 6 April 2010]: Such cases would be captured within the Government's definition of domestic violence. The commitment in our strategy: "Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls" to include gender equality and violence against women in the national curriculum will help to educate young people that violence is unacceptable in any relationship.
Arrest Warrants: Human Trafficking
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) European arrest warrants and (b) other arrest warrants were issued in the UK in respect of people suspected of human trafficking offences between 1 April 2009 and 31 January 2010. [325183]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 30 March 2010]: It is not possible to disaggregate the number of warrants by offence type.
Asylum
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum under consideration by the UK Border Agency were received before the introduction of his Department's new asylum model. [325785]
Mr. Woolas: The Agency is unable to accurately report on the outstanding asylum cases being dealt with by the Case Resolution Directorate (CRD). As reported in February 2010 to the Home Affairs Select Committee, 52 per cent. of the concluded cases were data errors and required no further action. Therefore, any such report would be unable to accurately represent CRD cases with outstanding applications.
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