HC Deb 24 January 2002 vol 378 c983W
27. Mrs. Ellman

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he is taking to support families on low income. [27579]

Dawn Primarolo

Over the course of the last Parliament, the Government introduced a number of changes to help provide decent family incomes, including:

  • increasing child benefit;
  • introducing the children's tax credit;
  • introducing the working families' tax credit; and
  • increasing the children's allowances in income support.

WFTC now benefits nearly 1.3 million families and on average these families are receiving £35 a week more than they did under family credit.

Building on success of WFTC, the Government will be introducing from 2003 a new credit for families with children, the child tax credit. We will provide a seamless stream of support for families, paid direct to the main carer, building on the foundations of universal child benefit. The child tax credit will be complemented by the working tax credit, which aims to improve work incentives and make work pay.

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