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Working Tax Credit

Dr. Iddon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints the Inland Revenue has received concerning (a) incorrect awards and (b) overpayment of working tax credit. [205283]

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.

Dr. Iddon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make the formula used in the calculation available to recipients of working tax credit. [205284]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue's booklet WTC2 "Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit—A guide", which is available from the Inland Revenue Enquiry Centres and the Inland Revenue website, explains how working tax credit is made up of several elements, what those elements are and how an award is worked out. There are also examples of how tax credits awards are calculated.

Recipients of working (and child) tax credit can call the tax credits helpline to ask for a detailed breakdown of the calculation of their award.

Dr. Iddon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what reasons underlie the policy that recipients of working tax credit who have been overpaid have to wait
 
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until April 2005 for repayment; and if he will make it his policy that repayment be accepted on a (a) weekly and (b) monthly basis. [205286]

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue's Code of Practice "What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?" sets out their approach to handling overpayments of tax credits.

Overpayments are collected from continuing awards wherever possible, subject to automatic limits on how much they collect.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of claimants in Scotland benefiting from the childcare element of the working tax credit; and what percentage this figure represents of the number of people eligible to claim. [205931]

Dawn Primarolo: The numbers benefiting up to April 2004 are shown in Table 8.3 of "Child and Working Tax Credits. Quarterly Statistics". These publications appear on the Inland Revenue website, at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu. htm. Figures for December 2004 will be published on 23 December. No estimate is available of the number eligible to benefit.

Mrs. May: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been overpaid working tax credit; and how much has been (a) overpaid and (b) repaid. [206770]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Members for Northavon (Mr. Webb) and for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 15 November 2004, Official Report, columns 946–48W.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Broadband Access

Mr. Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many honourable Members have broadband access in their constituency offices; and how many are waiting to be connected to broadband in their constituency offices. [204978]

Sir Archy Kirkwood: I understand that 367 hon. Members have constituency offices with broadband access provided by the Parliamentary Communications Directorate. 3 members have requested but not yet received a broadband connection.

Some Members may be using broadband services in their constituency offices provided through other sources.

Electrical Equipment

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission (1) what percentage of electrical equipment was removed for replacement from offices on the parliamentary estate in each of the last three years; and of this, what percentage is diverted for (a) landfill, (b) incineration and (c) reuse of parts; [204912]
 
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(2) what targets have been set on recycling of electrical equipment removed from offices on the parliamentary estate; and if he will make a statement. [204913]

Sir Archy Kirkwood: Around 25 per cent. of electrical equipment is replaced each year. The House of Commons has a number of computer equipment disposal contracts in place. The largest contract is managed by the Parliamentary Communications Directorate and uses a firm that offers obsolete equipment for resale. Equipment that cannot be re-sold is disposed of in an environmentally sensitive way and in compliance with the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive. A unified approach to the disposal of computer equipment is currently being considered and a new contract relating to the disposal of Members equipment is currently part of an EU procurement exercise.

The House does not have any targets for the recycling of electrical equipment at present. The main disposal contracts with third parties seek to ensure compliance with the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive.

Energy Use

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission (1) what targets have been set on reducing energy use on the parliamentary estate; and if he will make a statement: [204915]

(2) what measures are being taken to encourage energy conservation among Members and staff on the parliamentary estate. [204922]

Sir Archy Kirkwood: Energy use on the parliamentary estate is measured in kWh per sq m per year. The target for 2004–05 is 340 kWh per sq m with an allowance for the gas consumed in commissioning the new Palace boilers.

An "Energy Savers Group" including representatives of the departments of the two Houses and Members' staff meets regularly to encourage energy saving and act as champions in their respective areas of the estate. They have arranged for energy saving messages to be distributed with staff salary slips and to be printed in the "In House" magazine and they have distributed energy saving posters. In conjunction with the Carbon Trust, training is programmed for kitchen staff and other major energy users.

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many computers there are on the parliamentary estate; and what the estimated average daily energy usage of a computer on the parliamentary estate is. [204921]

Sir Archy Kirkwood: It is not possible to determine the exact number of computers on the parliamentary estate since not all of them are connected to the Parliamentary Network or issued centrally. In addition to this laptop
 
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computers may be taken onto and off the estate. As an indication of the numbers involved the Parliamentary Communications Directorate currently provides automatic downloads of anti-virus software to 3,763 personal computers on the Estate. It is not possible to give information on energy usage based on existing records.

Parliamentary Press Lobby

Mr. Gummer: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission (1) what the cost was of the provision of (a) desks and (b) telephones for the parliamentary press lobby in the last year for which figures are available; [204773]

(2) how much is paid by House of Commons press pass holders, or their employers, for the cost of accommodation on the parliamentary estate; [204774]

(3) how many House of Commons press pass holders have access to desks on the parliamentary estate. [204775]

Sir Archy Kirkwood: In the financial year 2003–04 nothing was spent on providing desks for the parliamentary press lobby. The cost of telephone calls made from the lobby in the year September 2003 to August 2004 was around £9,000. The press do not pay for accommodation on the estate. There are currently 310 category 28A and 28B passes and 189 work spaces. The allocation of desks is a matter for the press.

Parliamentary Works of Art

Mr. Gray: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will list works of art and artefacts (a) purchased and (b) sold by the Palace of Westminster in each of the last 10 years; and what price was (i) paid and (ii) achieved in each case. [203718]

Sir Archy Kirkwood: A folder containing details of all items purchased from the House of Commons acquisition budget since 1994 has been placed in the Library. The House of Lords has separate acquisition funds.

No items have been sold over the last 10 years.

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