§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel in the(a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force are claiming (i) working families tax credit and (ii) children's tax credit; and if he will make a statement. [51807]
§ Mr. IngramStatistics regarding the number of service personnel currently claiming children's tax credit are not held as applications are made by the individual direct to the Inland Revenue. The number of service personnel currently claiming working families tax credit is as follows:
424W
Working families tax credit1 Army 1,718 Royal Navy 73 Royal Air Force 345 1 An employer will usually be expected to take responsibility for paying tax credits 14 days after a notification is sent by the Inland Revenue (IR) for weekly paid employees, and 42 days after notification is sent in all other cases. The IR pays tax credits up to the point at which the employer takes responsibility. Consequently, the statistics provided will not include those personnel in receipt of working families tax credit direct from the IR.
§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel with children in the(a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force are earning under £92.90 per week; and if he will make a statement. [51808]
§ Mr. IngramNo armed forces personnel, irrespective of their married or parental status, receive as little as £92.90 per week (or £4,830.80 per annum). The minimum rate of pay recommended by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) in their 2002 report, accepted by the Government, was £8,997 per annum for Army new entrants under 17. The minimum rate of pay for all adult service personnel recommended by the AFPRB was £10,778 per annum.