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Flooding (Housing Benefit)

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures his Department plans to assist persons forced by recent floods to move into temporary accommodation who receive housing benefit for one property but have to pay rents for the flooded and the temporary properties. [152443]

Mr. Robert Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by the Under-Secretary of State for Social Security, my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle), Official Report, column 460W.

Wafic Said Business School, Oxford

Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 15 February 2001, Official Report, column 219W, on the Wafic Said Business School, what representations were received by (a) him and (b) his officials from (i) other Government Ministers and (ii) officials about (A) the nature of his decision and (B) the timescale of his decision and its announcement, on whether to call in the listed buildings application (98/4580/L Oxford City Council) to dismantle the former London Midland Scottish railway station, Oxford. [152462]

Mr. Raynsford [holding answer 9 March 2001]: Our records include no representations on whether to call in the listed buildings application (98/4580/L Oxford City Council) to dismantle the former London Midland Scottish railway station, Oxford from other Government Ministers or officials. However, they do include a representation from the hon. Member made on 18 August

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1998 asking that the application should not be called in and pointing out the adverse impact that any delay in the decision would have on the Oxford Transport Strategy.

Once the decision not to call in the application had been reached, the timing of the announcement was discussed with officials in 10 Downing street in the normal way.

TREASURY

Local Government Finance

Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes are proposed to the quotas for lending to local authorities by the Public Works Loan Board. [153704]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The Public Works Loan Commissioners have issued a circular today notifying local authorities that the formula for calculating quotas for 2001-02 will remain unchanged from that for the present financial year.

A copy of the circular has been placed in the House Library.

Absenteeism

Mr. Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of absence from work due to sickness and injury for workers was in (a) the public sector and (b) the private sector in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [146961]

Marjorie Mowlam: I have been asked to reply.

My Department does not maintain these statistics. The Cabinet Office does, however, publish each year a report on sickness absence in the civil service and I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Rochdale (Mrs. Fitzsimons) on 15 February 2001, Official Report, columns 269-70W, for the position in 1999.

The Office for National Statistics, through its Labour Force Survey, collects data on working days lost to illness and injury. The results, published quarterly in "Labour Market Trends", are not presented by the public and private sectors.

Motor Fuel

Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on tackling the smuggling of motor fuel products into Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [153426]

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are committed to tackling this problem and since September 2000 have increased by a factor of four the resources for tackling it in Northern Ireland. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale (Mr. Morgan) on 7 November 2000, Official Report, column 123W.

Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many successful prosecutions there have been in respect of the smuggling of motor fuel products

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into Northern Ireland; and how many vehicles smuggling motor fuel products into Northern Ireland have been seized in 2001. [153425]

Dawn Primarolo: The data for the opening months of 2001 are not yet available.

Family Incomes

Ms Squire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of (a) families in receipt of the Working Families Tax Credit, (b) families in receipt of the child tax credit and (c) people in receipt of the national minimum wage in each constituency in Scotland. [152463]

Dawn Primarolo: For information on the Working Families Tax Credit, I refer my hon. Friend to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster and Wyre (Mr. Dawson) on 22 January 2001, Official Report, column 425W.

It is estimated that 400,000 families in Scotland will be eligible for the Children's Tax Credit, which is to be introduced for the tax year 2001-02. No reliable estimates are available for each constituency.

As to the information sought on the national minimum wage, the national statistician has published estimates of the number of jobs paid at less than NMW rates for 1998, 1999 and 2000. These are based on an improved methodology using data from both the New Earnings Survey and Labour Force Survey. Estimates for the United Kingdom and Government office regions, including Scotland, are available on the national statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/nsbase/themes/ labour market/nmw lowpay tables.asp. No estimates are available for parliamentary constituencies.

Computer Failures

Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment of risk has been made of the impact to the UK economy in the event of the Inland Revenue being unable to collect or distribute funds for a period of more than three days due to massive computer failure. [152547]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue keeps under constant review its assessment of risks to its operations, including the collection and distribution of funds. It has full, tested contingency plans in place to minimise the impacts of any problems in a range of circumstances, up to and including massive computer failure.

Disabled Persons Tax Credit (Wansbeck)

Mr. Denis Murphy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Wansbeck are claiming the Disabled Persons Tax Credit. [153138]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster and Wyre (Mr. Dawson) on 22 January 2001, Official Report, column 425W.

VAT (Fitness Clubs)

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Fitness Industry Association concerning VAT exemption for health-related fitness clubs. [152862]

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Dawn Primarolo: No representations have been received from this association.

Birth Certificates

Mr. Opik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislation to allow children of Welsh parents born in England to be entitled to a Welsh birth certificate; and if he will make a statement. [152882]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government will consider using the provisions of the Regulatory Reform Bill, currently going through the House, to address this issue.

Working Families Tax Credit

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his target for the time within which the Inland Revenue replies to hon. Members' letters about the Working Families Tax Credit. [152952]

Dawn Primarolo: Target times are set out in the Treasury's public service agreement, copies of which are in the Library.

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 13 February 2001, Official Report, column 103W, what proportion of employees are overpaying tax and national insurance as a result of the Working Families Tax Credit. [151862]

Dawn Primarolo: Deducting tax and national insurance is the responsibility of employers and the January 2001 "Employers Bulletin", sent to all employers, reminded them of how tax credits should be paid. When the Inland Revenue uncovers errors in the course of its work, or is approached by employees or employers when things go wrong during the year, it helps employers to put things right so that any temporary overpayments are corrected at the earliest opportunity.

Children's Tax Credit

Mr. Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of (a) the number of people who have claimed the children's tax credit to date and (b) the number who had claimed by 31 January. [152016]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 5 March 2001]: The Inland Revenue has invited PAYE taxpayers to claim for the children's tax credit (CTC). By 7 March they had received 3.2 million claim forms, which represents 80 per cent. of the potential 4 million families who are eligible for CTC and pay tax under PAYE. The position at the end of January was that the Inland Revenue had received 2.9 million forms. Claims are still coming in, and any which have not been dealt with in time for April pay

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will be backdated under the tax rules to April 2001 so that the claimant has the benefit of the tax cut for the whole of the tax year. The self-employed claim in the normal way when they complete their 2001-02 tax return.

Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what resources he has made available to publicise and promote the new children's tax credit; and if he will make extra resources available to increase the number of telephone advisers on the helpline. [151620]

Dawn Primarolo: On publicity, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) on 23 January 2001, Official Report, column 568W. The Inland Revenue has deployed extra staff to the helpline to deal with the increased number of calls resulting from the latest campaign.

Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on (a) the number of calls handled by the new children's tax credit helpline and (b) the level of staffing and resources allocated for the helpline. [151621]

Dawn Primarolo: The children's tax credit helpline and orderline has taken around 1.9 million calls. The number of calls increased during the most recent advertising campaign and the Inland Revenue increased the number of staff deployed on the helpline.

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