§ 12. Claire Ward (Watford)How many families in Watford he expects will benefit from the children's tax credit. [105161]
§ The Paymaster General (Dawn Primarolo)From April, the children's tax credit will be replaced by a new child tax credit. No figures are available for Watford. However, 460,000 families in the east of England are expected to benefit from the new child tax credit.
§ Claire Ward:I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. It is a shame that we are unable to have the figures for my constituency, but I believe that a number of families will benefit from the new tax credit. I am concerned, however, that we monitor how many take up that option because a lot of people will not realise that they are entitled to it. What does she plan to do to ensure that there is a larger take-up campaign and that it is monitored over the coming months?
§ Dawn PrimaroloMy hon. Friend raises an important point. I am pleased to be able to tell her that the Inland Revenue will monitor the take-up of the child tax credit 449 and the working tax credit, and will publish statistics quarterly showing the numbers benefiting from one or both of the new tax credits. Those statistics will be published as part of the national statistics, which will enable us to see where the take-up is and whether any further steps need to be taken.