Working Families Tax Credit

HC Deb 28 June 2000 vol 352 cc537-8W

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families have received the Working Families Tax Credit in the Crosby constituency. [127168]

Dawn Primarolo

The number of families in receipt of Working Families Tax Credit at the end of April 2000 is provisionally estimated at 1,053,000. Available figures by constituency are given in tables which have been deposited in the Library.

Ms Roseanna Cunningham

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the practicalities of paying Working Families Tax Credit by means other than through employers; what assessment he has made of the impact of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to automatic processing of personal data (ETS No. 108, 28.1.1981) on his policy on payment of Working Families Tax Credit; and what assessment he has made of Recommendation No. R(90) 19, adopted by the Committee of Ministers, on the Protection of Personal Data used for payment and other related operations on 13 September 1990. [128025]

Dawn Primarolo

Paying Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) through the wage packet helps to demonstrate the rewards of work and to make work pay for families on low incomes. An employee applying for WFTC will be paid the tax credit by his or her employer as part of the pay packet and will be able to see clearly the amount of tax credit being paid in each pay period. If the applicant is self-employed or is not working the tax credit is paid by the Inland Revenue either by Automatic Credit Transfer (ACT) into a bank account or by Order Book.

The Government's policy on payment of WFTC does not conflict with the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to automatic processing of personal data (ETS No. 108, 28.1.1981) or the associated Recommendation No. R(90) 19.