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Rural Areas (GDP)
Mr. Breed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those of the 10 areas with the lowest gross domestic product per head of population which are rural areas. [109891]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
| NUTS-3 Area | 1996 GDP/head (UK=100) |
|---|---|
| East Lothian and Midlothian | 56 |
| Sefton | 63 |
| Wirral | 63 |
| Central Valleys | 64 |
| West and South of Northern Ireland | 66 |
| Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham | 66 |
| South Nottinghamshire | 67 |
| East and West Dunbartonshire, Helensburgh and Lomond | 67 |
| Isle of Anglesey | 68 |
| Outer London--East and North East(48) | 69 |
| Outer Belfast(48) | 69 |
| Blackpool(48) | 69 |
(48) Ranked joint 10th
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
Ms Drown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which heavily indebted poor countries have produced poverty reduction strategy papers in partnership with the IMF and World bank; and which countries are in the process of developing such papers. [109528]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) are to be national strategies, drawn up by the countries themselves, in consultation with civil society and the World Bank and IMF. Interim PRSPs have been produced by the three countries (Uganda, Bolivia and Mauritania) who recently reached decision point under the enhanced HIPC Initiative.
Work is currently underway to produce PRSPs in the remaining countries currently in the HIPC process. The Department for International Development and NGOs are providing important technical assistance to countries in that regard. Many countries already have some form of poverty reduction strategy and it is clearly important to build on this to ensure the first principle of the new approach to poverty reduction, that of country ownership.
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Mr. Jim Murphy:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those previously planned meetings and their subject, between his Department and its Austrian counterpart which have been cancelled since the formation of the new Austrian Government. [109900]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
A joint statement issued by Portugal, the current holder of the EU presidency, on 31 January 2000, stated that Austria's 14 member state partners in the EU
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what action Her Majesty's Customs and Excise is taking to monitor products imported from Israel into Britain to ensure full compliance with (a) Article 38 and (b) other Articles of the Origin Rules Protocol of the EC Trade Agreement with Israel; [109543]
Dawn Primarolo:
Following receipt of information indicating that products wholly or substantially processed in Israeli settlements in occupied territories may have been imported into the United Kingdom in violation of both Article 38 and the provisions of the Protocol on Rules of Origin of the EC Trade Agreement with Israel, Customs and Excise has examined a number of documents presented in the past in support of products entered for customs clearance as of Israeli origin. Scrutiny of those documents has failed to substantiate the alleged non-compliance with the provisions of the Agreement. Customs and Excise is considering further options for checking the validity of such declarations.
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Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action Her Majesty's Customs and Excise is taking on violation by Israel of the Origin Rules Protocol of the EC Trade Agreement with Israel in respect of imports to Britain. [109542]
Dawn Primarolo:
Customs and Excise is participating in a European Commission initiative to establish the true origin of goods which have been exported to the United Kingdom under the provisions of the Interim Agreement on trade and trade related matters between the European Community and the State of Israel.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from the Chartered Institute of Taxation and from the Institute of Chartered Accountants, concerning his proposals for countering tax and national insurance contribution avoidance in the provision of personal services; and if he will make a statement. [109557]
Dawn Primarolo:
Both organisations have played a full part in consultations on the proposals. Recently they have been consulted on draft guidance on the application of the employment status rules in typical consultancy situations. The guidance has now been published and can be found on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/ir35
Angela Smith:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much elephant ivory was seized by HM Customs and Excise in the years (a) 1998, (b) 1999 and (c) 2000 to date; and (i) where each shipment originated, (ii) where each shipment was destined, (iii) which shipments were (1) in transit through the United Kingdom and (2) had the United Kingdom as the final intended destination, and (iv) what indication in each of these was of whether the ivory was less than one year old when seized. [109574]
Dawn Primarolo:
Customs seized 378 items of ivory in 1998 and 15 items of ivory in the first nine months of 1999. Figures for the latter part of 1999, and the first part of this year are not yet available. The following tables set out the number of individual items of ivory seized in each category for the years in question. Customs do not hold central statistics on the age of the ivory when seized, or the number of ivory items found illegally in transit through the United Kingdom, though items in transit would normally be seized.
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"will not promote or accept any bilateral official contacts at political level with an Austrian Government integrating the FPO [Freedom Party]."
No bilateral ministerial meetings were scheduled between the Chancellor and Austrian Ministers.
(2) what investigations Her Majesty's Customs and Excise has conducted and what conclusions it has reached concerning products wholly or substantially processed in Israeli settlements in occupied territories which have been imported into the Community under the EC Trade Agreement with Israel in violation of (a) Article 38 and (b) other Articles of that Agreement's Origin Rules Protocol. [109541]
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14 Feb 2000 : Column: 449W
| Item: | Number of items | Country of export | Country of origin | Commercial or private |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elephant tusk | 1 | France | -- | Private |
| Ivory tusk | 1 | -- | -- | Private |
| Elephant tusk | 1 | -- | -- | Private |
14 Feb 2000 : Column: 449W
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