HC Deb 17 October 1996 vol 282 cc1105-6W
Mr. Redmond

To ask the Chancellor of the

Live claims for unemployment related benefits on 12 September 1996 by the interval between the current and previous claim
Claims (thousands)
Interval (weeks)
Regions 4 or less Over 4 and up to 13 Over 13 and up to 26 Over 26 and up to 39 Over 39 and up to 52 Over 52 and up to 104 Over 104 No previous Total
Females
South East 16.4 22 4 17.3 9.9 7.5 13.6 22.3 59.7 169.2
East Anglia 1.3 1.9 1.5 0.9 0.9 1.2 2.4 6.1 16.3
South West 3.9 5.5 4.6 2.3 1.6 2.9 5.5 13 39.3
West Midlands 3.8 5.9 4.9 2.7 2.6 3.5 6.2 18.4 48
East Midlands 2.8 4.5 3.5 1.5 1.7 2.6 4.8 11.4 32.7
Yorkshire and Humberside 4.4 5.8 4.4 2.6 2.3 2.9 5.9 16.1 44.5
North West 5.5 6.8 5.8 3.2 2.5 3.7 7.2 18.8 53.7
Northern 3 3.3 3.4 1.8 1.3 2.3 3.6 12.1 30.8
Wales 2.2 2.9 2.5 1.3 1.3 1.6 4.1 9.6 25.5
Scotland 4.6 5 4.3 2.5 3 3.2 6.4 15.6 44.6
Great Britain 48 64.1 52.3 28.6 24.8 37.6 68.4 180.9 504.6
Males
South East 59.9 79.6 63.9 32.4 24.9 42.2 53 109.3 465.3
East Anglia 5.9 7.6 6.7 3.6 2 3.3 5.1 9 43.1

Exchequer if he will set up a free phone hotline for the reporting of suspected income tax fraud; and if he will make a statement. [40830]

Mr. Jack

The Inland Revenue already has arrangements for the receipt of information, which it publicises in the local and regional press as part of its normal compliance activities, and receives a substantial amount of information from concerned members of the public. Any member of the public who wishes to report suspected tax evasion can do so by telephoning any tax office in the knowledge that all such calls are treated in strict confidence. Thus the Government have no immediate plans to introduce a specific hotline for suspected income tax fraud.