§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors underlie the discrepancy between the figures on page 34 of the Red Book on the number of people receiving tax relief on private medical insurance premiums and that given in Inland Revenue press release No. 5 issued on the same day. [8698]
§ Dawn Primarolo[holding answer 15 July 1997]: There are two different sets of measurements: the number of contracts—or taxpayers getting relief—and the number of people covered by the contract. It is common for more than one person—usually spouses—to be covered by a contract. The lower figure of one third million quoted in the Red Book represents the number of eligible contracts 446W and the number of people who get tax relief by making their payments net of tax. The higher figure quoted in the press release—550,000—represents the total number of individuals covered by the contracts.