HC Deb 22 June 2000 vol 352 cc287-8W
22. Mr. Russell Brown

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact of the changes to the Working Families Tax Credit announced in the Budget. [125847]

Dawn Primarolo

The impact of the changes to the Working Families Tax Credit, and the increase of the national minimum wage from October 2000 to £3.70 per hour announced in the Budget, will guarantee a family with children, with someone working at least 35 hours a week, a minimum income of £208 a week from October 2000 and £214 from April 2001. These, together with other measures the Chancellor announced in Budget 2000, will lift 1.2 million of the children out of poverty this Parliament.

32. Mr. Ernie Ross

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on family incomes of the changes to the Working Families Tax Credit he announced in his Budget. [125858]

Dawn Primarolo

The introduction of the Working Families Tax Credit, together with other measures announced in the Budget, means that from October 2000 the minimum income guarantee for a family with children and someone working at least 35 hours a week will be £208 a week. This figure will rise to £214 a week from April 2001. These measures, together with the other measures the Chancellor announced in Budget 2000 will lift 1.2 million children out of poverty this Parliament.

Mr. St. Aubyn

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost to public funds of the Working Families Tax Credit advertising campaign in(a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01. [126179]

Dawn Primarolo

[holding answer 19 June 2000]: The total cost of the Working Families Tax Credit advertising campaign in 1999–2000 was £13.8 million. To date, the cost for 2000–01 has been £2 million.

The freephone response line and the Tax Credits Office helpline have both performed extremely well and have now received over 3 million calls since September 1999.