| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Tax Credits
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in cases where two parents share the care of a child, which parent will be eligible for the child tax credit. [72427]
Mr. Boateng: Where two people share the care of a child the decision as to who is eligible to claim or who will receive payment depends on who has the main responsibility or is the "main carer" for that child or those children. This will depend on the particular circumstance of each case.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) pursuant to his answer of 24 April 2002, Official Report, column 336W, on tax credits, for what reason the Family Resources Survey for 2000–01 cannot be used to calculate a figure for the take-up of the working families tax credit; [64206]
- (2) what assessment the Treasury has made of the research conducted by the Policy Studies Institute on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions and the Inland Revenue on the take-up rate of the working families tax credit. [64124]
Dawn Primarolo: I have nothing to add to my previous answer.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the draft application form for the child tax credit and the working tax credit, with the relevant guidance notes. [72420]
24 Jul 2002 : Column 1190W
Mr. Boateng: As the Paymaster General made clear in the debate in Standing Committee on the Child Tax Credit Regulations on 16 July, in August we shall start to send out application packs to potential claimants. She confirmed then that we would keep hon. Members informed, and provide them with the guidance to ensure they can property advise their constituents at that time.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which non-Government organisations will help distribute information about the new tax credits. [72428]
Ruth Kelly: The new tax credits, child tax credit and working tax credit, are to be introduced in April next year. In the run-up to their introduction, the Inland Revenue is working with a large number of organisations from across the voluntary sector to make sure they have the information they need.
Government (Appraisal and Evaluation)
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the consultation paper on a revised version of appraisal and evaluation in central Government before 24 July; and if he will make a statement. [71303]
Mr. Boateng: The Treasury is today publishing for consultation a revised version of the new Green Book: Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government. Copies are available in the Vote Office and in the Library of the House.
Departmental Report
Mr. Beith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of publishing his Department's annual report for each of the past five years. [70486]
Mr. Boateng: Over the past five years the costs of publishing the Treasury's annual report that were born directly by the Department are set out in the table. Other costs of printing and publication are met directly by the publisher, The Stationery Office Limited (TSO), and do not fall to Government.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Direct cost | |
| 2002(21) | 4,100 |
| 2001 | 11,760 |
| 2000 | 4,450 |
| 1999(22) | — |
| 1998(22) | — |
(21) Costs are approximate and, pending some outstanding issues, will be finalised shortly.
(22) Prior to 2000, the report was designed in-house and thus no additional costs were incurred.
Statistical Information
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many questionnaires or forms seeking statistical information were sent to businesses by (a) the Office for National Statistics, (b) the Inland Revenue and
24 Jul 2002 : Column 1191W
(c) HM Customs and Excise in the latest year for which figures are available; and how many in each case were mandatory. [70838]
Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. J. Whittingdale, dated 24 July 2002:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on how many questionnaires or forms seeking statistical information were sent to businesses by (a) the Office for National Statistics, (b) the Inland Revenue and (c) HM Customs and Excise in the latest year for which figures are available; and how many in each case were mandatory. (70838)
The information requested is given in the table below.
| Number of surveys | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department | Forms(24) | Total | Voluntary | Statutory |
| ONS | 1,476,229 | 74 | 11 | 63 |
| HM Customs and Excise | 156,000 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Inland Revenue | 100,000 | 197 | 197 | 0 |
(23) All surveys are attributed to the sponsoring department.
(24) Includes telephone interviews, personal interviews, etc.
Source:
ONS—Government Statistical Service Report 2000—Annex A Tables, published 2002
Taxation
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answers of 8 July 2002, Official Report, column 769W, and 26 June, Official Report, column 945W, on taxation, if he will restate his answers excluding benefits and assumed changes in original incomes; and if he will make a statement. [70755]
Mr. Boateng: The table gives the information requested. The estimates are based on a pooled Family Expenditure Survey dataset for the three years from 1997–98 to 1999–2000 with incomes and expenditure projected forward to 2001–02. The estimates themselves only include the impact of measures introduced and do not include any assumed changes to original incomes.
| Net income Decile | Percentage change in net income |
|---|---|
| Bottom | 1 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 1 |
| 4 | 1 |
| 5 | 1 |
| 6 | 1 |
| 7 | 1 |
| 8 | 1 |
| 9 | 0 |
| Top | 0 |
Note:
The decile groups are of all households ranked by net income before housing costs and equivalised using the McClements scale.
Marks and Spencer
Mr. Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the implications for
24 Jul 2002 : Column 1192W
his consultation document on VAT on Face Value Vouchers of the 11 July judgment of the European Court of Justice in Case C-62/00, Marks and Spencer v Commissioners of HM Customs and Excise; [71696]
- (2) what estimate he has made of the total cost to the Exchequer of the 11 July judgment of the European Court of Justice in Case C-62/00, Marks and Spencer v Commissioners of HM Customs and Excise, relating to HM Customs' three year rule on retrospective VAT claims across the economy; [71695]
(3) with reference to the 11 July judgment of the European Court of Justice in Case C-62/00, Marks and Spencer v Commissioners of HM Customs and Excise, if he will estimate the total VAT erroneously charged on (a) chocolate coated teacakes and (b) face value vouchers since 1973; and if he will make a statement. [71698]
John Healey: Customs officials are in the process of consulting with legal advisers on the implications of the judgment of the European Court of Justice in Case C-62/00, Marks and Spencer plc v the Commissioners of Customs and Excise.
As the ECJ has endorsed the UK's three year time limit for repayments of overpaid VAT, Customs' view is that the judgment will only affect certain claims which were made, or could have been made, around the time when the cap was introduced in 1996.
Customs will be publishing guidance on the wider implications of the judgment for VAT registered businesses soon.
We are currently unable to provide an accurate estimate of the total revenue effect of this judgment, nor of its effect on claims relating to particular types of product. However, given the limited scope of this judgment, it is not expected to have a significant revenue effect.
This judgment is not thought to have implications for the current consultation document on 'VAT on Face Value Vouchers'.
Salaries
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the percentage increase in spending on salaries in his Department for each year since 1992; and if he will make a statement. [71722]
Ruth Kelly: The percentage change in spending on salaries for the Treasury, including what is now the Office of Government Commerce, can be seen in the table. Data for years before 1996–97 could only be collated at disproportionate expense. Growth rates may be affected by changes of functions.
| Pay bill £ million | Percentage change on previous year | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 56 | — |
| 1997–98 | 55 | -1.8 |
| 1998–99 | 49 | -10.9 |
| 1999–2000 | 51 | 4.1 |
| 2000–01 | 55 | 7.8 |
| 2001–02(25) | 61 | 10.9 |
(25) unaudited outturn
24 Jul 2002 : Column 1193W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |