§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the proportion of(a) income tax and (b) taxes paid by each income decile in 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [134277]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Laws, dated 28 October 2003:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking for an estimate of the proportion of (a) income tax and (b) taxes paid by each income decile in 2002–03. (134277)Estimates for 2002–03 are not yet available but the attached table is based on the analysis "The effects of taxes and benefits on household income 2001–02" produced by the ONS and published on the National Statistics website on October 21st 2003. The analysis can be obtained from the House of Commons library or from the National Statistics website at http://www. statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. It includes measures of income inequality for the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey.The table shows estimates of the proportion of total tax paid by households in each income decile group where households are ranked by equivalised disposable income. Tax is defined as direct and indirect taxes. Equivalisation is a standard methodology that takes into account the size and composition of households and adjusts their incomes to recognise differing demands on resources.The table also shows the equivalised disposable income decile points, which have been calculated separately for each year. For example, the 1st decile point is the income below which one tenth of all households are estimated to lie.Work and Pensions how many investigations by the Health and Safety Executive there have been into infections in NHS hospitals in each of the past five years. [132307]
§ Mr. BrowneThe Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has investigated the following numbers of reportable infections to staff in NHS hospitals over the last five years:
215W
- 1998–99—8
- 1999–2000—10
- 2000–01—10
- 2001–02—3
- 2002–0—7.
With very few exceptions, infections to patients do not have to be reported to HSE. HSE has investigated some such cases, for example as a result of complaints or outbreaks affecting both staff and patients. The number of these investigations is not readily obtainable, but is likely to be fewer than the above figures.