Mr. Michael FosterTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many advertisements the Inland Revenue have placed on(a) advertising poster sites in Worcestershire and (b) advertising poster sites on buses operating in Worcestershire to promote the take up of child tax credit and working tax credit. [110156]
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many advertisements the Inland Revenue have placed on(a) advertising poster sites in Buckinghamshire and (b) advertising poster sites on buses operating in Buckinghamshire to promote the take-up of (i) child tax credit and (ii) working tax credit. [110473]
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§ Dawn PrimaroloThe Inland Revenues national campaign to encourage take-up of child tax credit and working tax credit has used a variety of media, including television, radio, national press, magazines and the internet.
The campaign has involved very limited advertising on outdoor poster sites and no advertising on buses, but posters have been displayed inside post offices and at other indoor locations.
§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many successful child tax credit applications were received(a) before and (b) after 31 January; and how many of those who opted for (i) weekly payment and (ii) monthly payment are receiving their entitlement. [112340]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThere is a single claim form for child tax credit and working tax credit. About 2.7 million claims were received by the end of January 2003, and over 4 million by 28 April.
Around 3.2 million awards were in payment, or were set up for payment, by 28 April. About a third of all child tax credit claims processed so far have opted for weekly payment.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking(a) to inform families of the introduction of the working families tax credit and how this benefit can be claimed and (b) to ensure that families entitled to claim the benefit do so; and what assessment he has made of the ease of completion of the application form. [111191]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe working tax credit and child tax credit were introduced on 6 April 2003. They replaced the working families tax credit (WFTC), disabled persons tax credit and the childrens tax credit.
Over four million claims have already been received—half a million of them over the internet without the need for a paper claim. Around 3.2 million awards are already in payment or are set up for payment.
To ensure awareness, the Inland Revenue has undertaken a high profile advertising campaign—which is continuing. The campaign has made clear that people can choose to claim either over the internet or on paper. For those claimants who do not claim on line, the single claim form for both credits is, at 12 pages, half the length of the WFTC form that it replaced.