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Pension Funds
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the timetable is for the phased abolition of the minimum funding requirement applicable to pension funds. [7998]
Mr. McCartney: On 7 March 2001 the Government announced their proposals to replace the minimum funding requirement (MFR) with a long-term scheme specific funding standard, with additional measures to strengthen security. Our proposals offer better protection that provides more effective security for scheme members without damaging consequences for investment.
On 18 September 2001 we published "The Minimum Funding Requirement: The Next Stage of Reform". This document seeks views on the workability of draft regulations that introduce changes to the current MFR regime in advance of its replacement. The consultation period ends on 10 December 2001, and we plan to introduce these changes early next year.
Implementing our proposals to replace the MFR in full will require primary legislation, and in the meantime we are working with the pensions industry and other interested parties to develop proposals for legislation when parliamentary time becomes available.
TREASURY
Climate Change Levy
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the projected cost is to (a) UK and (b) Scottish industry of implementation of the climate change levy over the next three years. [6501]
Mr. Boateng: The climate change levy will raise an estimated £1 billion in its first year, all of which will be recycled back to business through national insurance contribution cuts and support for energy efficiency. While the levy is broadly revenue neutral, it is not possible to say at this stage what the effects on any specific country, sector or industry will be. That will depend on a number of factors including:
- the future energy consumption of firms in the country/region/ sector and employment levels in those firms;
- the number of energy intensive firms in that country/region/sector that are eligible to receive a discount on the main rates of the levy by signing up to an energy efficiency agreement;
- what use firms in that country/region/sector make of electricity generated from 'new' renewable sources of energy and in 'good quality'.
Thalidomide Trust
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Thalidomide Trust about issues arising from the Diageo Covenant. [6166]
Dawn Primarolo: The Chancellor receives a number of representations from a variety of organisations.
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Frozen Assets (Afghanistan)
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the Taliban assets in the UK which are frozen; when assets of the (a) Afghan National Credit and Finance and (b) the National Trading Company of Afghanistan were frozen; and what the value of frozen assets is. [8013]
Ruth Kelly [holding answer 15 October 2001]: The UK Government have frozen £63 million of Taliban assets since sanctions were introduced; details of the assets are listed in the table. No funds belonging to Afghan National Credit and Finance have been frozen in the UK. The National Trading Company of Afghanistan assets were frozen on Friday 5 October 2001 as a temporary measure. When the freeze lapsed, we decided to take no further action as they work for the state of Afghanistan and not the Taliban, and are therefore not covered by the UN sanctions.
| Bank/company | Number of accounts(33) | Sterling value (£ million) |
|---|---|---|
| Pashtany Tejaraty bank | 6 | 3 |
| Banke Millie | 11 | 4.5 |
| Da Afghanistan bank | 13 | 55 |
| Ariana Airlines | 2 | 0.4 |
| Khalid Al-Fawwaz | 1 | 23.19 |
| Total | 33 | 63 |
(33) Approximately
Terrorist Bank Accounts
Mr. Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what global resources he has proposed since 11 September and to which bodies in respect of the use of off-shore bank accounts by terrorists and others. [7313]
Ruth Kelly: The UN resolutions are binding upon all states, which are expected to apply them as a matter of international law.
Health and Education Expenditure
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a breakdown of the proportion of total gross domestic product spent by EU states on health and education in the most recent year for which figures are available, indicating the private and public portion of each nation's expenditure. [7794]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The latest information on health is contained in the "Compendium of Health Statistics", a copy of which will be placed in the Library of the House.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has its own definition of education spending as a proportion of GDP. Their figures for each European Union country were published in "Education at a Glance", a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The latest figures for expenditure as a proportion of GDP for the UK were provided by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in her reply to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 20 July 2001, Official Report, column 776W.
Airline Industry (State Aid)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussion he has had with the (a) DTI, (b) European
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Commission and (c) representatives of UK airlines regarding possible state aid for the airline industry; and if he will make a statement. [7780]
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to offer financial assistance to British airlines. [7464]
Mr. Andrew Smith: I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Mr. Jamieson), on 16 October 2001, Official Report, column 1169W to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable).
Census Data (Bromley)
Mr. Forth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when the full census data for Bromley will be published; [7968]
- (2) when the summary census results for Bromley will be published; [7966]
(3) what measures will be taken to provide accurate and reliable census data for Bromley; [7969]
(4) what percentage of households in Bromley completed a census return. [7967]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Eric Forth, dated 16 October 2001:
- As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent questions to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the subject of the 2001 Census in Bromley. (7966–69)
- In answer to your first question, the target date for mid-year 2001 population estimates by sex and age for all local authority areas (and including the London borough of Bromley) based on the 2001 Census is August 2002. These will include an adjustment for births, deaths and migration between Census Day (29 April 2001) and 30 June 2001. The target date for summary Census results—Key Statistics for areas throughout England and Wales (including London boroughs) is December 2002. They will be laid before Parliament and accessible through the National Statistics website.
- With regard to your second question, at this stage I am unable to provide detailed information on the response rate to the Census in Bromley. This will be available in Autumn 2002. Currently ONS estimates that the 2001 Census response rate nationally will reach 98 per cent of households.
- The full census data for Bromley will be published along with the detailed results for all the other local authority areas in the first half of 2003; these will be accessible via the National Statistics website.
- In your final question you ask what measures will be taken to provide accurate and reliable census data for Bromley. A number of steps have either already been implemented or will be taken to ensure this. Prior to the Census an important new initiative was the Community liaison programme which had as its main objectives:
- To facilitate enumeration and ensure full coverage.
- To help provide a source of potential field staff.
- To advertise the Census and underline its uses.
- To provide help to individual members of local communities.
- To help with translations and advertising.
- This, coupled with the new strategy of asking the public to post their completed forms back, enabled resources to be targeted to where they were most needed.
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- Despite these efforts, it was always anticipated that some people would not be counted and that the degree of under-enumeration would vary across the country. The extent and nature of such under-enumeration will be more accurately assessed than ever before by the extensive, separate, follow-up Census Coverage Survey carried out by interviewing around 300,000 households shortly after the Census enumeration was completed. Once the interview responses and all the Census returns have been analysed, we will have a definitive picture of how well we have done at Local Authority level. The sample size for London was large enough for estimates of levels of under-enumeration for each borough to be made and will enable ONS to create a complete dataset for analysis of individual communities that takes account of this estimated under-enumeration.
- Information about the quality of Census data will be published on the National Statistics website and brought together in a Census Quality Report to be published in 2003.
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