HC Deb 17 July 2000 vol 354 c92W
Mr. Ruffley

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the costs to business of the implementation of the Working Families Tax Credit. [129339]

Dawn Primarolo

I refer the hon. Member to the regulatory impact assessment which was published and placed in the House Library in December 1999.

Mr. Ian Bruce

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have taken place in(a) staff and (b) premises since the introduction of Family Tax Credit; and what further changes are planned. [130005]

Dawn Primarolo

[holding answer 10 July 2000]: Around 3,500 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff transferred from the Benefits Agency to the Inland Revenue in October 1999 to form the Tax Credit Office (TCO). Staffing levels have not changed significantly since that time, and there are still currently around 3,500 FTE staff in the TCO. The TCO still occupies the same premises as it did in October 1999. There are no plans within the TCO to change either staffing levels or accommodation, although both are kept under review.

Mr. Ian Bruce

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the operational effectiveness of the introduction of Family Tax Credit. [130003]

Dawn Primarolo

[holding answer 10 July 2000]: The Tax Credit Office (TCO) was set up in October 1999. For the period between October 1999 and 31 March 2000, most of the TCO's inherited targets have either been met or exceeded. A full analysis of performance against targets will be contained in the Inland Revenue Plan 2000–01 which is to be published shortly.

Mr. Ian Bruce

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time is from receipt of application to receipt of tax credit for Family Tax Credit; and what is the current number of cases being processed. [130006]

Dawn Primarolo

[holding answer 10 July 2000]: We do not record the average time between receipt of Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) applications by the Tax Credit Office (TCO) and receipt of tax credit payments by applicants. However, the TCO aims to settle 90 per cent. of all WFTC applications within 30 working days of receipt. The actual percentage of applications settled within 30 days since the beginning of this financial year and the end of June 2000 is 97.6 per cent. The number of applications being processed as at 30 June 2000 was 61,000.