HC Deb 04 December 2001 vol 376 c204W
Mr. Webb

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how many families are(a) eligible for and (b) receiving (i) the children's tax credit and (ii) the working families tax credit, at the latest date for which figures are available. [20128]

Dawn Primarolo

The numbers of recipients of working families tax credit (WFTC) are shown in the WFTC Quarterly Enquiries, copies of which are in the Library. No reliable estimate of the number of families eligible for WFTC can be attempted until the Family Resources Survey for 2000–01 is available for analysis.

It is estimated that around 5 million families are eligible for the children's tax credit (CTC). About 3.6 million application forms have been received at the latest count. A large number of families eligible for the CTC will be able to claim it via self assessment.