§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the administrative cost of replacing the working families tax credit with the working tax credit and the child tax credit. [67776]
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§ Dawn PrimaroloI refer the hon. Member to the revised Regulatory Impact Assessment for the new tax credits which is available in the Library and from the Inland Revenue's website www.ir.gov.uk.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of fraudulent claims for working families tax credit which result in prosecution in each of the last three years. [67775]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe Revenue's approach to compliance is based on the progressive use of civil penalties and it prosecutes in more serious cases of fraud.
The table gives the numbers of cases investigated which were found to be non-compliant, the number of penalties imposed and the number prosecuted in the last three years.
As at 31 March 2000 2001 2002 Cases found to be non-compliant 250 5,213 8,595 Penalties imposed 3 237 524 Successful prosecutions 0 2 29
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much compensation has been paid as a result of working families tax credit fraud since 31 December 2001. [67774]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe information cannot be supplied in the form requested.
As with other parts of the tax system the Inland Revenue Code of Practice (COP 1) allows for certain exceptional payments to be made to working families tax credit (WFTC) applicants where they suffer loss or inconvenience as a result of mistakes in dealing with their application. The Inland Revenue classifies the compensation payments it makes according to the nature of the complaint: for example, delay or mistake.
§ Mr. RoyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families receiving working families tax credit have an allowed claim for child costs. [69735]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe number of recipients of the working families tax credit (WFTC) who benefit from the child care tax credit is shown in Table 1.3 of each WFTC Quarterly Enquiry, copies of which are in the Library.
§ Mr. ChallenTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are claiming working families tax credit, expressed as a percentage of the working population in(a) Leeds and (b) each of the English regions. [69952]
§ Dawn PrimaroloFor the number of recipients of working families tax credit in each region and local authority, quarterly from May 2001, I refer my hon. Friend to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow (Mr. Hepburn), on 16 January 2002,Official Report, column 293W.
Estimates of the average population in employment in the same areas in the year to February 2001 appear in the January 2002 issue of Labour Market Trends. Quarterly estimates for regions, most unitary authorities and larger districts appear in the labour Force Survey Quarterly
253WSupplement. Copies of these publications are in the Library. All these estimates are based on the Labour Force Survey, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.
§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the accuracy of the estimates in the 'Tax Credits Act 1999 and Accompanying Regulations: Regulatory Impact Assessment', published in December 1999 of the costs for employers of administering the working families tax credit; and if he will place the assessment in the Library. [69935]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe accuracy of the estimates is being assessed through a survey of employees, which is part of the working families tax credit and disabled person's tax credit evaluation programme.
§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) on 13 June 2002,Official Report, columns 1393–94W, for what reasons the figures for the cost of advertising the working families tax credit are lower than the figures offered to the former hon. Member for Guildford (Sue Doughty) on 22 June 2000, Official Report, column 288W. [68608]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe figures for working families tax credit given to the hon. Member for Guildford (Sue Doughty), included other promotional activity such as a freephone helpline, while the figures given to the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) included only direct advertising expenditure.