§ Mrs. BrookeTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what amount of funding his Department has budgeted to cover the childcare element of working tax credit in 2003–04 and 2004–05; and if he will make a statement; [177516]
(2) how many families or women with a child under the age of (a) one year and (b) six months are in receipt of the childcare element of the working tax credit; and if he will make a statement; [177519]
(3) what estimate has been made of the take-up rate of the childcare element of working tax credit as a percentage of those families and single parents who are eligible to receive it since the benefit was introduced; and if he will make a statement. [177520]
§ Dawn PrimaroloFor the cost of the childcare element of the working tax credit, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to her on 27 April 2004,Official Report, column 866W.
About 25,000 families with a child under one were benefiting from the childcare element at 5 April 2004, of which 5,000 had a child aged under six months. These are estimates based on a sample of cases and should be treated with caution. Also, they exclude such families who had not claimed tax credits, or had not notified the Inland Revenue of the young child or of the childcare costs, by 5 April 2004—they have three months to claim and benefit in full. They also exclude families whose initial claim, or change of circumstance, was being processed at that date.
Estimates of the take-up rate requested would have to be based on household survey data. These surveys contain too few sample cases to produce reliable estimates.