HC Deb 26 January 1999 vol 324 cc236-7W
Ms Harman

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the annual cost of compensation for families in receipt of family credit for lost income while on parental leave assuming its application to children aged up to eight years and take up of 10 per cent. for men and 50 per cent. for women. [67002]

Angela Eagle

No such cost in respect of Family Credit is anticipated as, subject to passage of the necessary legislation, Working Families Tax Credit, administered by the Inland Revenue, will replace it from 5 October 1999. The Government are committed to implementing the terms of the Parental Leave Directive by 15 December 1999.

Mr. Kidney

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in how many of the couples with children currently in receipt of family credit(a) the man is the main wage-earner and (b) the woman is the main wage-earner. [67423]

Angela Eagle

The information is as follows.

Family creadit couple recipients Number
Male main wage earner 304,000
Female main wage earner 90,000

Notes:

1. Figures are based on a sample of 5 per cent. of family credit awards and as such are subject to a degree of sampling error.

2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and may not sum to totals.

Source:

1. Family credit 5 per cent. sample of awards August 1998.

Mr. Kidney

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security of the couples with children currently in receipt of family credit paid by direct debit to an account of the claimant's choice, how many of the accounts are in the name of(a) the man, (b) the woman and (c) the man and the woman. [67424]

Angela Eagle

This question can be answered only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Kidney

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of the lone parents currently in receipt of family credit are(a) women and (b) men. [67422]

Angela Eagle

All. The most recent figures available are for August 1998, at that time 16,000 lone parent family credit recipients were men and 374,000 were women.

Notes:

1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample of family credit awards and as such are subject to a degree of sampling error.

2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and may not sum to totals.

Source:

Family credit 5 per cent. sample of awards.

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