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Freedom of Information Act

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement. [199075]

Mr. Touhig: Any work resulting from Wales Office compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will be carried out by existing staff as part of their normal duties. These costs are unquantifiable but I expect them to be marginal.

Smoking

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the legislative framework will be to enable the National Assembly for Wales to legislate for a ban on
 
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smoking in all workplaces and enclosed public places in Wales; and what the time scale will be for bringing forward such legislation. [199329]

Mr. Hain: The Government recognise that in taking forward the public health agenda on smoking in public places it will be important to provide a legislative framework to address plans in Wales in this respect.

The Assembly has asked an all-party committee to consider the issue. That committee is expected to report in May.

Wales Office

Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff were employed in the Wales Office in April (a) 1999 and (b) 2004; which jobs have been (i) created and (ii) removed; and if he will make a statement. [196843]

Mr. Touhig: The Wales Office was established on 1 July 1999 with a complement of 34 staff. An internal review of staffing led to the creation of six policy posts in 2000–01 and a review by independent consultants in 2001–02 recommended an additional 13 staff, mostly policy but some in central services. As a result of this review an additional 10 posts have been created with the result that in April 2004 the Wales Office employed 50 staff.

TREASURY

Tax Credits

Mrs. May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of overpayment of the child care tax credit there were in the last financial year; how much money was overpaid; what the average overpayment was; and what the average weekly repayment is. [199134]

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Miss Begg) on 9 November 2004, Official Report, column 659W.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of compensation payments due to errors and delays in the Inland Revenue tax credit departments, for each quarter from April 2001 to August 2004; and if he will make a statement. [191775]

John Healey: There are 6.1 million people benefiting from tax credits. The total number of compensation payments in the year to August 2004 represents about one third of 1 per cent. of the number of awards current at that date.

The numbers from April 2003 appear in the following table.
Compensation payments made to tax credit claimantsApril 2003 to August 2004

Quarter	Number
April to June 2003	20
July to September 2003	1,600
October to December 2003	3,400
January to March 2004	5,800
April to June 2004	5,300
July and August 2004	3,500

 
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Quarterly figures for earlier years could not be compiled without incurring disproportionate cost. About 2,200 compensation payments were authorised in 2001–02 and about 1,800 in 2002–03. The average number of compensation payments per year represents about one sixth of one per cent. of the average number of awards current.

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for tax credits have been waiting for their first payment for (a) one month, (b) two months, (c) three months, (d) four months, (e) five months and (f) six months or more. [197790]

John Healey: The total number of households waiting for a decision on their tax credits claim for more than one month is 3,220. This is broken down as follows:

(a) One month: 1,386

(b) Two months: 744

(c) Three months: 290

(d) Four months: 178

(e) Five months: 96

(f) Six months: 526

The largest numbers of claimants awaiting a decision are those where information provided requires further examination.

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many families are receiving child tax credits in Newcastle-under-Lyme; [198535]

(2) how many families are benefiting from the working tax credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme; and how many families benefited from the working families tax credit. [198600]

John Healey: Estimates of the number of in-work families in each constituency benefiting from these tax credits are shown in the various issues of "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical analyses", and the "Working Families' and Disabled Person's Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses."

Both these publications can be found on the Inland Revenue website, at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm.

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Newcastle-under-Lyme have benefited from research and development tax credits. [198625]

John Healey: This information is not available.

Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value is of the largest small overpayment of tax credit which the Inland Revenue has written off. [198672]

John Healey: This information is not available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
 
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John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the City of Edinburgh local authority area are in receipt of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit. [198924]

John Healey: Estimates of the number of in-work families benefiting in each local authority area are shown in "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical analyses. January 2004", which can be found on the Inland Revenue website, at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm.

Estimates for December 2004 will be published on 23 December 2004.

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the national percentage take-up of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit. [198925]

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 19 October 2004, Official Report, column 587W.

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases in (a) 2002–03 and (b) the current financial year to date repayments have been requested for overpayment of child and working tax credit where the Inland Revenue has accepted responsibility for the error which led to overpayment. [199049]

John Healey: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) on 15 November 2004 Official Report, columns 946–948W. These tax credits were available from 2003–04.

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the tax credit award notices that were sent out in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2003–04 were sent out (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four, (v) five and (vi) six months after the beginning of the financial year for which tax credits were to be paid. [199143]

John Healey: Award notices are not just sent out at the beginning of the financial year but throughout, following the successful processing of a new claim, the renewal of an existing award and the notification of changes in income or circumstances. They are sent to both partners in a couple.

In 2004–05:

(i) 1,710,000 award notices were sent out between 6 April—5 May 2004

(ii) 4,280,000 were sent out between 6 May—5 June 2004

(iii) 4,820,000 were sent out between 6 June 2004—5 July 2004

(iv) 3,940,000 were sent out between 6 July 2004—5 August 2004

(v) 3,340,000 were sent out between 6August 2004—5 September 2004

(vi) 2,810,000 were sent out between 6 September 2004—5 October 2004

In 2003–04:

(i) 2,490,000 award notices were sent out between 6 April -5 May 2003

(ii) 3,260,000 were sent out between 6 May—5 June 2003

(iii) 1,970,000 were sent out between 6 June—5 July 2003

(iv) 2,040,000 were sent out between 6 July—5 August 2003

 
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(v) 1,220,000 were sent out between 6 August—5 September 2003

(vi) 1,450,000 were sent out between 6 September—5 October 2003

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what circumstances the Inland Revenue does not request repayment of overpayments of child and working tax credit where it accepts responsibility for the error leading to the overpayment occurring. [199048]

John Healey: The Inland Revenue's Code of Practice 26 ("What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?") sets out their approach to handling overpayments of tax credits, including those cases where the overpayment was the result of an official error.

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the reasons for the number of overpayments that have been made to families in receipt of working tax credit. [199287]

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General gave on 19 October 2004, Official Report, column 588W to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws)

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action will be taken to ensure that the overpayment of working tax credit is reduced in future years. [199288]

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 October 2004, Official Report, column 428W by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General to the hon. Member for Torbay (Mr. Sanders).

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