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20 Jan 2003 : Column 55W—continued
Income Statistics
David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what numbers and percentage of people received an annual income from all sources of (a) £15,000 to £20,000, (b) £20,000 to £30,000, (c) £30,000 to £40,000, (d) £40,000 to £50,000, (e) £50,000 to £60,000, (f) £60,000 to £70,000, (g) £70,000 to £80,000, (h) £80,000 to £90,000, (i) £90,000 to £100,000 and (j) above £100,000 in the latest period for which figures are available. [91875]
Dawn Primarolo: The information is given in the table.
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These estimates are based on the 2000–01 Survey of Personal Incomes and are consistent with the November 2002 pre-Budget report.
Inland Revenue
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of staff numbers at the Inland Revenue in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 2002–03; what the reasons are for change in staff numbers; in which areas changes in numbers have taken place; and if he will make a statement. [91719]
Dawn Primarolo: Staff usage in the Inland Revenue (including the Valuation Office Agency) for 1997–98 was 55,989 full time equivalent staff. Current plans show an estimated usage for 2002–03 of 72,444. The change is due mainly to:
- The transfer of staff from the contributions and benefits agencies in 1999;
- Preparation for the introduction of new tax credits on 1 April 2003;
- Implementation of the Grabiner review of the informal economy;
- Workload growth.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many local tax offices have been (a) owned and (b) utilised by the Inland Revenue in each year from 1985–86 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [91723]
Dawn Primarolo: Regrettably we are unable to supply an answer to this question on the grounds of disproportionate costs.
Liquid Petroleum Gas
Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will amend medium and longer-term taxation policy to encourage more LPG fuelled vehicles. [92052]
John Healey: In Budget 2001, the Chancellor announced that duty on road fuel gases (including liquid petroleum gases) would be frozen in real terms until at least 2004. Furthermore, fiscal incentives to use LPG are also offered through both the graduated vehicle excise duty and company car tax systems.
Any further announcement on the taxation of these fuels will be made in the context of the Chancellor's Budget judgments.
Minimum Wage
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people entitled to the minimum wage are being paid less than the minimum wage in (a) the North West and (b) the UK. [91943]
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Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 20 January 2003:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of people paid less than Minimum Wage. I am replying in his absence. (91943)
- The latest available data, for April 2002, show an estimated 330,000 people in the United Kingdom being paid below the National Minimum Wage. This represents 1.3 per cent of all jobs. The corresponding figures for the North West were 40,000 and 1.6 per cent. These estimates cannot necessarily be used as a measure of non-compliance with the legislation as it is not possible discern from the available data whether an individual is eligible for minimum wage rates.
Office for National Statistics
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff were employed by the Office for National Statistics in each year from 1996–97 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [91702]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 20 January 2003:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about staffing resources in the Office for National Statistics in each year from 1996–97 to 2002–03. I am replying in his absence. (91702)
- The numbers of people employed by ONS are published by the Cabinet Office at http://www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics. The following table sets out the numbers of permanent and casual staff as at 1 April in each year.
| Year | ONS staff employed (Permanent) as at 1 April each year | ONS staff employed (Casual) as at 1 April each year |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 2894 | 90 |
| 1997–98 | 2968 | 179 |
| 1998–99 | 3089 | 166 |
| 1999–00 | 3050 | 240 |
| 2000–01 | 3210 | 330 |
| 2001–02 | 3030 | 110 |
| 2002–03 | 3386* (as at 17/1/03) | 113*(as at 17/1/03) |
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff work in the Drummond Gate Office of the Office for National Statistics; and if he will make a statement. [91709]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 20 January 2003–01–20:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of staff who work in the Drummond Gate Office of the Office for National Statistics (ONS). I am replying in his absence. (91709).
- As at 16 January 2003, 968 people work in the Drummond Gate Complex of the Office for National Statistics, comprising two buildings: 1 Drumond Gate and Bessborough House.
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PAYE
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies have declared two employees or fewer who are taxed through PAYE since 1999. [91019]
Dawn Primarolo: There were approximately 640,000 PAYE schemes at April 2002 with one or two employees. PAYE schemes cover both companies and unincorporated businesses, and each employer can have more than one PAYE scheme.
Royal Mint
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the net cost of the Royal Mint in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [91713]
Ruth Kelly: The Royal Mint is a Trading Fund and Self Financing Public Corporation. As such, it is structured so that it does not have a net cost to the Exchequer provided it is able to maintain a reasonable level of commercial performance.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the market value of the Royal Mint; and if he will make a statement. [91714]
Ruth Kelly: Any Government estimate of the market value of the Mint would be commercially confidential. Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applies.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reasons underlie his policy that the Royal Mint should be in the public sector; and if he will make a statement. [91715]
Ruth Kelly: The last review of the Royal Mint in 1998–99 looked at many different options for the Mint, including privatisation. The review concluded that it would not be appropriate to privatise the Mint at the time because of Mint's large change programme; the Treasury's customer relationship with Mint; and uncertainties in the market place, particularly relating to euro coinage.
The next review of the Mint will be in 2003–04. Every option remains on the table.
Taxation
Mr. Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the income tax receipts foregone, since 1998, as a result of the Government's policy of levying a lower rate of VAT on the installation of energy-saving materials in homes. [91018]
John Healey: There are no income tax receipts forgone but the cost to the Exchequer of the reduced rate of VAT on energy saving materials introduced in 1998 and extended in 2000 can be found in the relevant Financial Statement and Budget Reports. The cost is estimated at £5 million in 1998–99, £10 million in 1999–2000 and £45 million in subsequent years. The increased cost from 2000–01 results from to the extension of the reduced rates to installations in all homes.
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