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Waiting Times
Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish figures showing the percentage of patients seen for first appointment within 13 weeks of referral by a GP in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99 for (i) England, (ii) East and North Hertfordshire, (iii) West Hertfordshire and (iv) the health authority in the prospering growth area with the (1) lowest figure and (2) highest figure. [109683]
Mr. Denham: The figures are given in the table.
| 1997-98 | 1998-99 | |
|---|---|---|
| England | 82 | 79 |
| East and North Hertfordshire health authority | 85 | 80 |
| West Hertfordshire health authority | 83 | 80 |
| Health authority with lowest percentage in prospering growth area | (11)73 | (12)71 |
| Health authority with highest percentage in prospering growth area | (13)92 | (13)89 |
(11) Cambridge and Huntingdon
(12) Portsmouth and South East Hampshire
(13) Solihull
Note:
All figures are resident-based
Insulin Pens
Mr. Singh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce free needles for diabetics who require insulin. [109530]
Mr. Denham: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Thomas) on 9 February 2000, Official Report, column 199W.
Worcestershire and Alexandra NHS Trusts
Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Chairman of Worcestershire NHS Trust and the Alexandra NHS Trust is receiving salaries for both posts; and what his total annual salary is. [110391]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 16 February 2000]: Mr. Harold Musgrove will continue to receive remuneration of £17,625 a year as chair of the Alexandra Healthcare National Health Service Trust until 31 March 2000. He will not receive remuneration as chair of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust until this newly merged trust becomes operational on 1 April 2000.
Hospital Waiting Lists (Essex)
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the latest figures in the Mid Essex Hospital Trust area for the (a) total number of patients waiting for hospital treatment, (b) total number of people waiting 12 months or more for treatment, (c) total number of people waiting over 18 months for treatment and (d) number of people waiting 13 weeks or more to see a consultant on the out patient waiting list. [109972]
Mr. Denham:
The information requested is given in the tables.
17 Feb 2000 : Column: 668W
| Month | Total waiting | Number waiting over 12 months | Number waiting over 18 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 1999 | 9,851 | 1,060 | 0 |
Source:
Form KH07--completed by the Trust quarterly
| Quarter | Patients waiting over 13 weeks |
|---|---|
| Quarter 3 1999-2000 | 3,699 |
Source:
Form QM08--completed by the Trust quarterly
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
BSE and CJD
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what criteria determine whether the European Commission intervenes in respect of the problem of BSE and CJD in a member state. [109852]
Ms Quin [holding answer 14 February 2000]: The European Commission has powers to take action in respect of BSE under Council Directives 89/662 and 90/425. When considering whether to take action, it acts in accordance with the precautionary principle of avoiding risk in order to protect human and animal health.
Advertising Budgets
Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his Department's advertising budget for (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01. [110261]
Mr. Morley: The current budget allocation for advertising in the financial year for 1999-2000 is £835,000. The budget for 2000-01 is in the process of being decided.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ethnic Minority Staff
Mr. Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to his answer of 7 February 2000, Official Report, columns 25-26W, on staff, (a) which departments of the House employ no ethnic minority staff, (b) what targets the House of Commons Commission has for ethnic minority recruitment and (c) if the Commission will publish a statement of aims on equal opportunity employment. [109602]
Mr. Kirkwood [holding answer 15 February 2000]: (a) All departments of the House employ staff from an ethnic minority.
(b) The House of Commons Commission has set no targets for ethnic minority recruitment.
17 Feb 2000 : Column: 669W
(c) The House of Commons Commission has recently considered equality of opportunity among employees at the House and has approved a programme of initiatives designed to encourage working practices which will allow every member of staff to contribute his or her best, regardless of race, sex, marital status, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or any other irrelevant factor. This programme includes training for all our staff, improvements to procedures and better monitoring.
Working Families Tax Credit
Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect on the net income of each decile group of (a) benefit units and (b) households, of extending the working families tax credit to (i) couples without dependent children and (ii) single people without dependent children; and if he will estimate the gross cost in each case. [110219]
Dawn Primarolo: The impact of extending the Working Families Tax Credit to couples and singles without children is contingent on the detailed parameters and assumptions used, for example the credit rates for people without children and the earnings thresholds.
Taxation
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the combined net annual change in Exchequer revenues which would result from reducing the top rate of income tax from 40p to 30p and removing the ceiling on employees' national insurance contributions; and if he will make a statement. [110022]
Dawn Primarolo: The estimated Exchequer cost of reducing the top rate of income tax from 40p to 30p and removing the ceiling on employees' national insurance contributions is around £3.7 billion in 2000-01.
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to more closely align the income tax and national insurance systems; and if he will make a statement. [110023]
Dawn Primarolo:
By bringing policy responsibility for tax and NICs together in the Inland Revenue, we have provided a single focus for employers' representatives to discuss improvements in legislation and processes across both income tax and national insurance contributions. From April 1999 we have aligned the point at which employers start to pay national insurance contributions with the income tax personal allowance. From April 2001, we will align fully the point at which employees start to pay National Insurance contributions with the income tax personal allowance. Provisions in the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill currently before Parliament go a long way towards aligning, in the interests of fairness, the tax and NICs treatment of benefits in kind. The Chancellor announced in the Pre-Budget Report that the Inland Revenue will work with employers' representatives and others to reduce technical differences between tax and National Insurance, while having due regard to individuals' benefit entitlement.
17 Feb 2000 : Column: 670W
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were paying income tax at the higher rate in (a) 1989-90, (b) 1996-97 and (c) 1999-2000; and if he will make a statement. [110025]
Dawn Primarolo:
The numbers of taxpayers paying some income tax at the higher rate were as follows:
| million | |
|---|---|
| Year | Numbers |
| 1989-90(14) | 1.50 |
| 1996-97 | 2.08 |
| 1999-2000(15) | 2.40 |
(14) Prior to 1990-91 most married couples were counted as one taxpayer
(15) This estimate is based on the 1997-98 Survey of Personal incomes and consistent with the November 1999 Pre-Budget Report
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total annual net cost of (a) raising the income threshold at which the upper rate of income tax is paid by £3,000 per annum and (b) aligning this threshold with the ceiling on making employee national insurance contributions; and if he will make a statement. [110059]
Dawn Primarolo: For the year 2000-01 the estimated full year cost of raising the higher rate threshold by £3,000 is £1.3 billion and the estimated yield from aligning the threshold with the Upper Earnings Limit is £3 billion. These estimates are based on the 1997-98 Survey of Personal Incomes and are consistent with the November 1999 Pre-Budget Report.
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the cost savings which would result if the national insurance system were abolished and integrated into the income tax system; and if he will make a statement. [110062]
Dawn Primarolo: It is not possible to calculate the effects without more detail on how the integrated charge would work. In particular, income tax is charged on a wider base than national insurance contributions, covering in addition savings and investment income, pensions and contributory benefits. Income tax has no cap on employees' liability, no charge on the employer and no cessation of liability at retirement age, unlike National Insurance contributions, and payment of National Insurance contributions maintains access to contributory benefits.
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