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Tax Credits

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many child tax credit claimants he has written to with details about the process of finalising their 2003–04 claim and renewing a claim for 2004–05 reassessments, broken down by region; how many have responded, broken down by region; and if he will make a statement. [204735]

Dawn Primarolo: The number of families in each region with awards current at 5 April 2004 are shown in "Child and Working Tax Credits Quarterly Statistics. April 2004." All these families were contacted about finalising their 2003–04 award and renewing their claim into 2004–05.

Some families were required to reply only if a change in their circumstance had occurred, or if their 2003–04 income fell outside a given range. As a result, some awards have been finalised on new information provided and others on the basis of information already provided. No split by region is available of the number providing new information.

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credits payments have been made manually for (a) 2003–04 and (b) the current tax year. [204857]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 14 December 2004]: About 500,000 such payments were made in 2003–04, and about 280,000 between April and November 2004 inclusive.

Mr. Tyler: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appeals his Department has received in respect of requests to reconsider recovery of tax credit overpayments; and how many have been successful. [204867]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East (Dr. Kumar) on 15 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1087–88W.
 
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Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the nature is of an exceptional technical problem, referred to in a letter from the Inland Revenue to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead concerning a tax credits case; and how many of these technical problems there have been in (a) 2003–04 and (b) the current tax year. [205294]

Dawn Primarolo: If my right hon. Friend would provide me with details of his correspondence with the Inland Revenue, I will look into the matter.

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Inland Revenue officers mean when saying a tax credits case has gone technical; and how many such technical cases there have been in (a) 2003–04 and (b) the current tax year. [205295]

Dawn Primarolo: This is not an expression that the Inland Revenue recognises. If my right hon. Friend would like to provide details of the instance when this was said, they will look into it.

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what it means when Inland Revenue officers refer to a fatal error, in a tax credits case; and how many such errors there have been in (a) 2003–04 and (b) the current tax year. [205296]

Dawn Primarolo: The term comes from an error message staff sometimes see on the tax credits system. It means they could not see details about the taxpayer concerned. The vast majority are resolved by trying again.

It is not possible to provide the number of errors there have been in the periods referred to.

Teenage Pregnancies (Ribble Valley)

Mr. Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the teenage pregnancy rate in Ribble Valley and Fulwood was in each year since 1997. [205067]

Mr. Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Nigel Evans, dated 16 December 2004:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the teenage pregnancy rate in Kibble Valley and Fulwood was in each year since 1997. (205067)

The number of teenage conceptions that occurred in 2000 in Ribble Valley parliamentary constituency was 33. Figures are not available by parliamentary constituencies for other years. Figures are available for each year to 2002 for local authority and health authority areas.

Rates cannot be supplied for 2000 as population estimates by parliamentary constituencies are not available for that year.

Telephone Services

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list (a) Government Departments and agencies and (b) public bodies which use 0870 telephone numbers as contact numbers for members of the public. [205418]

Mr. Boateng: This information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
 
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Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice has been given to Government Departments on the advisability of using 0870 numbers when making telephone calls. [205419]

Mr. Boateng: There is no Government policy on the use of 0870 numbers. Each Government organisation is free to make its own arrangements depending on its particular requirements.

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to advise (a) Government Departments and agencies and (b) public bodies to use 0845 or alternative direct numbers in preference to 0870 numbers as contact numbers for members of the public. [205420]

Mr. Boateng: There is no Government policy on the use of either direct numbers, 0845 or 0870 numbers. Each Government Department, agency and public body is free to make its own arrangements depending on its particular requirements.

Vaccine Stocks

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) contacts and (b) protocols are in place between customs authorities in the European Union to track and trace (i) virus and (ii) vaccine stocks and materials as they cross borders. [204547]

Dawn Primarolo: HM Customs and Excise have no contact or protocols with other customs authorities in relation to these materials, although structures and relationships are in place that would allow such contacts and protocols to be rapidly established if this was felt necessary. HM Customs and Excise enforce licensing restrictions on the import into Great Britain from countries outside the European Union of animal disease samples and their carriers (such as fleas or blood samples) imposed by the Importation of Animal Pathogens Order 1980. Customs also enforce licensing restrictions on the import from and export to countries outside the European Union where such materials are derived from endangered species protected by virtue of EU Council Regulation 338/97.

Working Tax Credit

Dr. Iddon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) new applications and (b) renewals are outstanding for working tax credit. [205282]

Dawn Primarolo: The child and working tax credits have a joint claim form, therefore it is not possible to distinguish between claims for working tax credit and claims for child tax credit.

Nearly 140,000 new claims were received during November. As at 31 November 2004, there were around 75,000 claims that were waiting for further information or were being verified.

Information on the number of renewals waiting for further information or were being verified is not available.
 
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Dr. Iddon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set up a system to stop payment of working tax credit as soon as a recipient notifies the Inland Revenue that they have become ineligible to receive it. [205287]

Dawn Primarolo: The tax credits system is responsive to changes in claimants' circumstances. Payments will be stopped as soon as a claimant notifies the Inland Revenue that they are no longer eligible to receive tax credits.

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