| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
The services for which VAT refunds are available are specified in an HM Treasury direction. There have been no recent changes to this direction in respect of staff provided through agencies, although HM Revenue and Customs, which administers the refund scheme, has recently clarified the rules in this area. VAT has been reclaimable on nursing services, agency nursing staff and certain administrative and clerical services, since the early days of this VAT refund scheme. In contrast, VAT incurred on the supply of administrative and clerical staff, and the supply of health professionals such as doctors, radiographers and physiotherapists, has never been eligible for refund under the terms of the direction.
The direction is amended periodically and new services are added where a sufficiently strong case has been made for inclusion. HM Treasury recently invited government departments to submit suggestions for the next revision, which we expect to implement early in 2007.
Government departments do not hold any central records of the VAT amounts that have been charged to NHS trusts on the supply of registered medical professionals through agencies.
Olympic Games 2012: Lottery Scratch Cards
Lord Luke asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the estimated income from the Olympic scratch card lottery programme for each of the years between 2006 and 2012 inclusive. [HL69]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Although the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has the information requested, it is of a commercially sensitive nature and was provided in confidence. However, sales performance to date is in line with original estimates.
Olympic Games 2012: Transport Plan
Lord Luke asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the estimated cost of the Olympic transport plan; and whether the plan is covered by the original estimate of £2.74 billion for the public cost of the building and infrastructure of venues to service the 2012 London Olympic Games. [HL68]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Olympic transport plan refers to a wide range of transport improvements, only a small element of which will be funded directly from the Olympic programme and the
29 Nov 2006 : Column WA62
Police: Arrests
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many arrests have been made under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005; and by which police authorities.[HL106]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The information requested on arrests is not available centrally. Information on arrests held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform is based on persons arrested for recorded crime “modifiable offences” by main offence group (i.e. sexual offences, theft and handling stolen goods, violence against the person, burglary etc.) within England and Wales only.
Police: Shared Intelligence System
Baroness Harris of Richmond asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consultation they have had with the current intelligence providers to law enforcement agencies regarding the delivery of a shared police intelligence system. [HL257]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The IMPACT programme is engaging widely within the Police Service and partner agencies including the Serious and Organised Crime Agency, the Immigration Service, HM Revenue and Customs, and the National Co-ordinator of Special Branch. Through these engagements, the IMPACT programme is ensuring that implementation of the proposed police national database (PND) properly reflects the business requirements of the Police Service and its partner agencies.
Baroness Harris of Richmond asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the latest timetable and budget for the delivery of recommendation 1 of the Bichard inquiry. [HL259]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We are planning to deliver the police national database in stages between 2009 and 2010 as stated in the third progress report on the Bichard inquiry recommendations.
The budget for delivering recommendation 1 cannot be accurately disaggregated from the IMPACT programme
29 Nov 2006 : Column WA63
Railways: Community Rail Awards
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will increase the amount of sponsorship given to the Community Rail Awards in 2007, bearing in mind that these are in recognition of largely voluntary effort. [HL314]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Department for Transport will consider any requests for increased levels of sponsorship it receives from the Association of Community Rail Partnerships.
Roads: Deaths
The Earl of Dundee asked Her Majesty's Government:
For the past five years for which data are available, what is the number of deaths, serious injuries and slight injuries for drivers aged 17 to 19; and [HL317]
For the past five years for which data are available, what is the death rate per 100,000 population among 17 to 19 year-old drivers. [HL318]
Lord Davies of Oldham: During the past five years, the number of (a) fatalities, serious injuries and slight injuries and (b) death rate per 100,000 population for drivers aged 17 to 19 in personal injury road accidents reported to the police are given in the table below.
| Number of casualties for drivers aged 17 to 19 and fatality rate per 100,000 population: GB 2001-05 | ||||
| (a) Number of casualties | (b)Fatality rate per 100,000 population | |||
These figures exclude riders of motorcycles, pedal cycles and horses, and drivers of non-motor vehicles.
Schools: Sport
Baroness Verma asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made an assessment of the statistic that over 50 per cent of British Olympic medal winners attended schools in the independent sector; and whether they will take steps to address this issue. [HL87]
29 Nov 2006 : Column WA64
Lord Davies of Oldham: No formal assessment has been made of the number of British Olympic medal winners who have attended schools in the independent sector. Through the National School Sport Strategy, the Government are committed to increasing both the quality and quantity of PE and school sport for all pupils. Our main aim—a public service agreement target shared by DCMS and DfES—is to increase the percentage of five to 16 year-olds who take part in at least two hours high-quality PE and sport each week, within and beyond the curriculum, to 75 per cent by 2006 and on to 85 per cent by 2008. With 80 per cent of pupils in partnership schools spending at least two hours in a typical week on high-quality PE and school sport, the 2006 target has been exceeded. As part of this strategy, the “Gifted and Talented” workstrand offers targeted opportunities to support and nurture pupils with talent in PE and school sport. The programme focuses on pupils with clear potential as well as those who may be at risk of underachieving.
In addition, the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) supports young people to pursue their sporting interests while continuing in higher and further education. So far, 2,600 young people have been supported by the scheme.
Over 1,200 talented young athletes took part in five different sports at the inaugural UK School Games staged in Glasgow in September 2006. Competitors were selected—based on ability—by the national governing bodies of the sports and their school sports associations. Competitors came from both the maintained and the independent sectors. It is planned to stage this event annually up to 2011.
UK Sport and the Home Country Sports Councils have developed and adopted the equality standard to guide governing bodies towards equitable provision to seek to widen participation by targeting under represented groups. Many sports have already developed schemes specifically for schools in disadvantaged areas where the aim is that individuals with talent and desire will be able to progress to performance sport regardless of their background.
Security Industry: Approved Contractor Status
Lord Ouseley asked Her Majesty's Government:
What initiatives are envisaged to encourage the 2,000 security companies which have not sought approved contractor status to do so. [HL82]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The Security Industry Authority (SIA) continues to raise awareness of the approved contractor scheme (ACS) with security companies through its website, literature and campaigns in the trade press. As of 17 November, out of an estimated 2,100 private security companies that are eligible to apply, 816 have requested an application pack and 400 have submitted applications for approval. The number of those approved continues to grow at a higher rate than initially forecast.
29 Nov 2006 : Column WA65
The SIA plans to focus on promoting the benefits of the scheme to purchasers during 2007 and to continue running seminars for potential applicants to the ACS to help them understand and meet the requirements of the scheme.
Lord Ouseley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they can indicate which of the 267 companies with approved contractor status are satisfied with the performance of the Security Industry Authority. [HL83]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: To date, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) has not conducted research to determine the level of satisfaction of approved contractors with the performance of the SIA. During November, the SIA will commence research focused on the level of satisfaction with the approved contractor scheme itself.
Sport: UK Sport
Lord Luke asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Davies of Oldham: Since its establishment in 1996, UK Sport's roles and responsibilities under the Royal Charter have not been formally reviewed. However, from 1 April 2006 a number of elements of elite athlete support were transferred to UK Sport from Sport England following a review of the sporting landscape. This reaffirmed UK Sport as the sole non-departmental public body responsible for funding elite sport.
UK Sport holds regular operational reviews as part of its annual business planning process, based on its published four-year business plan. Furthermore, UK Sport jointly agrees and reviews its funding agreement targets with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
UK Sport also conducted a formal review of its internal structure and governance in 2004.
Lord Luke asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether paid advisers to the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are eligible to chair lottery fund distribution panels; and, if so, what procedures have been put in place to ensure the distribution of lottery funds is independent of government influence. [HL95]
Lord Davies of Oldham: There are no rules that would prohibit such an appointment. All non-departmental public bodies should have in place arrangements for identifying and managing real or perceived conflicts of interest. Provided potential conflicts of interest are declared and arrangements are put in place to manage them, they need not present an obstacle. Funding decisions are entirely for
29 Nov 2006 : Column WA66
Sport: UK Sport and Youth Sports Trust
Lord Luke asked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures under the National Lottery Act 1993 have been put in place to ensure that the chairman of UK Sport avoids any conflict of interest in discharging her responsibilities in that role with her chairmanship of the Youth Sports Trust. [HL92]
Lord Davies of Oldham: All DCMS non-departmental public bodies are required to make and maintain a register of interests and should have in place arrangements for identifying and managing real or perceived conflicts of interest. All UK Sport board members, including the chair, are required to maintain their entries in the register of interests, and these are published on the UK Sport website at www.uksport.gov.uk. Members are also required to declare any conflicts of interest at the start of board meetings.
| Next Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |