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20 Jul 2005 : Column 1835W—continued
Red Diesel
Mr. Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his plans for the red diesel rebate will affect the position of charter angling boats; and if he will make a statement. [13409]
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John Healey: The excise duty paid on marine fuel (red diesel) used by crewed charter vessels with paying customers is fully repayable under the terms of the Energy Products Directive (2003/96/EC Article 14(1)(c) ).
Registrar General
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications were received by the Registrar General during the period 1997 to 2004 in response to the concession announced on 21 April 1993 whereby personal information could be extracted from the 1911 decennial census if it would enable the applicant to establish a legal entitlement such as an inheritance. [13577]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Michael Hancock, dated 20 July 2005:
As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many applications were received during the period 1997 to 2004 in response to the concession announced on 21st April 1993 whereby personal information could be extracted from the 1911 decennial census if it would enable the applicant to establish a legal entitlement such as an inheritance. (13577)
During the period 1997 to 2004 there were 5 applications for the release of personal information from the 1911 census for the purpose of establishing a legal entitlement.
Revenue and Customs
Peter Luff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire of 16 May requesting a meeting with the appropriate Minister to discuss the closure of the Revenue and Customs office in Droitwich Spa. [12834]
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Dawn Primarolo: The chairman of HM Revenue and Customs replied to the hon. Gentleman on 19 July.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs are engaged in the handling, processing and analysis of stamp duty land tax (SDLT) returns; and what proportion of that staff time is attributable to returns in respect of transactions below the SDLT threshold. [13256]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: On average, 276 staff in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are currently engaged in the handling, processing and analysis of SDLT returns. This encompasses guidance and support—by telephone and through correspondence—for customers submitting returns. We do not keep records for the proportion of staff time spent on transactions below the SDLT threshold.
Suicides
Chris Bryant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) male and (b) female suicides there have been in each year since 1975. [13413]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Chris Bryant, dated 20 July 2005:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many (a) male and (b) female suicides there have been in each year since 1975. (13413)
In routine statistics, ONS defines suicides as deaths from both intentional self-harm and 'injury of undetermined intent'. The most recent available figures are for the calendar year 2003. The figures in the attached table show the numbers of deaths for intentional self-harm and injury of undetermined intent by sex for the calendar years 1975 to 2003.
(55) The cause of death for intentional self harm was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Eighth Revision (ICD-8) codes E950-E959 for the years 1975 to 1978, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950-E959 for the years 1986 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2003, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84.
(56) The cause of death for injury of undetermined intent was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Eighth Revision (ICD-8) codes E980-E989 for the years 1975 to 1978, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E980-E989 excluding E988.8 for the years 1986 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2003, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes Y10-Y34 excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending.
(57) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year from 1975 to 1992 and for deaths occurring in each calendar year from 1993 onwards.
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Tax Credits
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been in receipt of the incorrect level of working tax credit, broken down by constituency; how many of these could not have been reasonably expected to know that a mistake had been made; and if he will make a statement. [8927]
Dawn Primarolo: Overpayments can arise for a number of reasons or from a combination of factors, for example, when a claimant's entitlement varies following a change in their circumstances.
Overpayments such as those arising from a change in circumstance or income are a normal feature of the tax credits system. They are not errors.
It is not possible to give separate information on underpayments and overpayments for working tax credits and child tax credits, nor is it possible to identify the cause of these overpayments or underpayments at constituency level.
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people have been waiting for an appeal relating to their tax credit payments in each month since 2002; [9728]
(2) what the total number of appeals on tax credit awards settled by agreement has been for each month since 2002; [9847]
(3) what the average length of time taken to process appeals for tax credits has been (a) when the case has been settled by agreement, (b) when the case has proceeded to a tribunal, (c) in all other cases and (d) in all cases in total for each of the last two years; [9848]
(4) what length of time the longest tax credit appeal case has taken. [9849]
Dawn Primarolo:
The Department aims to settle tax credits appeals by agreement with the claimant wherever possible. If agreement is not reached in this way, the Department refers the appeal, an explanation of their
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decision and any relevant papers to the Appeals Service who arrange for appeals to be heard by an independent appeals tribunal.
No information is available on the average length of time taken to process appeals for tax credits or on the length of time taken on the longest tax credit appeal case, as this is not data that the Department collates. The Appeals Service aims to consider an appeal referred to them within 12 weeks of receipt of the submission, and in 2004–05 achieved an average of less than eight weeks.
Until recently the Department did not collate figures relating to the number of people with an open appeal. However, the Department holds recent information on this, and figures for the last three months are:
| Month end | Total number open of appeals |
|---|---|
| March 2005 | 11,500 |
| April 2005 | 7,500 |
| May 2005 | 6,500 |
No figures are available of the number of appeals settled by agreement each month. But for the year to 31 March 2005 the Department had dealt with around 37,000 appeals, and of these around 1,650 were resolved at an appeals tribunal. So around 95 per cent. of tax credits appeals are settled by agreement.
The appeals process is explained in more detail in leaflet WTC/AP, available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/wtc_ap.pdf.
Information on appeals dealt with by a tribunal can be found at: http://www.appeals-service.gov.uk/.
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many of the overpaid tax credit awards in 2003–04 he expects to be rectified; and if he will make a statement; [11448]
(2) what proportion of the tax credit overpayment in 2003–04, excluding overpayments of £10 or less, he expects to be recovered. [11449]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 4 July 2005, Official Report, column 96W.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of over-payment of tax credits are awaiting a decision in the Chorley constituency. [12048]
Dawn Primarolo: Details on the number of disputed overpayments awaiting a decision by constituency are not available.
Mr. George Osborne:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if HM Revenue and Customs will send all customers who have received an overpayment, a letter setting out (a) the total amount they owe, (b) the reasons why the overpayment or excess payment in-year occurred and the date or dates it happened and (c) the applicable repayment arrangements enclosing a copy of Code of Practice 26 and drawing particular attention to the circumstances when recovery can be waived and the availability of additional tax credits in cases of hardship; [13467]
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(2) whether, when in-year recovery of excess tax credits is justified, the Revenue will take steps to pay additional tax credits automatically to families in receipt of income support and income-based jobseeker's allowance; [13470]
(3) if he will take steps to ensure that all HM Revenue and Customs staff who have contact with tax credit customers are alert to the circumstances when additional tax credits might be appropriate so that they can invite an immediate claim; [13472]
(4) whether, when it has been decided that an excess payment in-year is recoverable in accordance with Code of Practice 26, recovery will be at the same rates as those for overpayments in the previous year; [13474]
(5) if he will take steps to ensure that (a) customers are alerted on the payments page of an award notice to the fact that the recovery of an overpayment of tax credits can be challenged if the overpayment was due to official error and in circumstances where a customer reasonably thought they were being paid the correct amount and (b) customers' attention will be drawn on the same page to Code of Practice 26 and the fact that, if they want to dispute an overpayment, they need to complete form TC846; [13475]
(6) if he will ensure that HM Revenue and Customs do not seek to recover either an excess payment made in the current year, or an overpayment from the previous year, until it has come to a decision, based on all the relevant facts, as to whether or not the excess payment should be recovered in accordance with Code of Practice 26; [13476]
(7) if he will take steps to ensure that tax credits staff who are in direct contact with customers are made aware of situations where interim payments of tax credits may be appropriate; [13477]
(8) if he will (a) print details of the availability of additional tax credits prominently on the payments page of an award notice and (b) give greater prominence to the issue of financial hardship and how HM Revenue and Customs can help in the guidance notes which accompany an award notice; [13478]
(9) if, whenever a Revenue error is identified which has led to an overpayment of tax credits, the customer will be immediately notified of what has happened and informed of the circumstances when recovery can be waived; [13684]
(10) if his Department will consider writing off all excess and overpayments caused by official error which occurred during 2003–04 and 2004–05; [13686]
(11) if his Department will consider adoption of a statutory test for recovery of excess payments and overpayments of tax credits, consistent with the test that is applied to social security benefits, with a right of appeal to an independent tribunal. [13690]
Dawn Primarolo:
The hon. Gentleman's questions relate to the recommendations in the report of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Tax Credits: Putting Things Right". I am considering the report and, as my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury
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said in the debate on 12 July 2005, Official Report, column 723, I shall be providing the Parliamentary Ombudsman with my response shortly.
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the largest annual income for a household in receipt of tax credits was in the last 12 months. [13685]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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