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19 Jan 2006 : Column 1496W—continued
Stamp Duty
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average stamp duty paid by first-time buyers was in (a) England and (b) the United Kingdom in each year since 1996. [42823]
Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available as there is no requirement for taxpayers to provide information to HMRC as to whether they are a first-time buyer.
Tax Credits
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit overpayments were (a) disputed and (b) successfully disputed in each month from January to December 2005; and if he will make a statement. [41466]
Dawn Primarolo: The number of overpayments disputed, and successfully disputed, between 1 January 2005 and 30 November 2005:
(21)Figures are the number of overpayments remitted in the corresponding month and is not a count of the number of claimants that successfully disputed an overpayment. The figures do not directly relate to the disputes that were received in the same month.
Notes:
1.Figures rounded to the nearest 500.
2.Figures for December 2005 are not yet available.
Mr. Laws:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many possible cases of tax credit fraud were passed to HM Revenue and Customs Special Compliance Office in each month from April 2004 to April 2005; and if he will make a statement; [24506]
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(2) how many cases of possible fraudulent tax credit claims of over £1,500 have been (a) referred to HM Revenue and Customs Special Compliance Office and (b) passed to local compliance teams to investigate; and if he will make a statement; [24547]
(3) how many referrals were made to HM Revenue and Customs' Special Compliance Office in each of the last eight years; and what proportion of these referrals were about tax credits for each relevant year. [25248]
Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the total number of referrals received by Inland Revenue's Special Compliance Office and Criminal Investigations, which took over responsibility for prosecuting tax credit claims following the creation of HMRC in April 2005.
| Number of referrals | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 2,480 |
| 1999–2000 | 2,194 |
| 2000–01 | 1,830 |
| 20001–02 | 1,701 |
| 2002–03 | 2,157 |
| 2003–04 | 3,939 |
| 2004–05 | 5,197 |
| 2005-October 2005 | 3,165 |
Figures for the number of cases involving claims over £1,500 and for the number of referrals made specifically in relation to tax credits before 2005–06 could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In the period 1 April to 30 September 2005, Criminal Investigations received 1,286 referrals relating to tax credits.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department had the tax credit disregard been set at (a) £3,000, (b) £3,500 and (c) £5,000 in 2003–04. [29984]
Dawn Primarolo: The cost of different levels of income disregard depends on a number of factors, including the behaviour of tax credits claimants. Varying the disregard is likely to affect the reporting of changes in incomes by claimants, which would affect the Exchequer cost of tax credits. It is therefore not possible to produce a robust estimate of changes in the disregard in 2003–04.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether in every case where a tax credit overpayment has been disputed and then written off since June 2005, the overpayment already recovered was to be returned to the claimant; in how many cases where overpayments were written off the amount already recovered has not been reimbursed; and what estimate he has made of the average amount not reimbursed. [40457]
Dawn Primarolo:
This information is not available. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells (Mr. Clark) on 8 November 2005, Official Report, column 332W.
19 Jan 2006 : Column 1498W
Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on advertising (a) on television and (b) in printed media for HM Revenue and Customs tax credit campaigns in the last 12 months. [42399]
Dawn Primarolo: Advertising expenditure on tax credits for the 2004–05 tax year was as follows:
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what request changes have been made by HM Revenue and Customs to companies responsible for the IT systems which administer the tax credit system in each year for which information is available. [43750]
Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the form requested.
Tax Receipts
Mr. Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether data relating to tax receipts is available broken down by category of economic activity. [43067]
Dawn Primarolo: Data on tax receipts are published annually in the National Accounts Blue Book by the Office for National Statistics (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Produrt.asp?vlnk=l143&More=N). Table 11.1 shows taxes paid by UK residents to general Government and the European Union and The Supply and Use Tables" (Table 2.1) show taxes less subsidies on production by industry group. Monthly figures for central Government taxes on production, taxes on income and wealth, and other taxes are shown in the Public Sector Finances release (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=805&Pos= &ColRank=l&Rank=422).
Teenage Pregnancies
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many teenage pregnancies there were in the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley primary care trust area in each year since 1997. [43264]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 January 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many teenage pregnancies there were in the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Primary Care Trust (PCT) in each year since 1997. (43264)
Teenage conception figures by PCT are not available where there is risk of disclosure of information about individuals due to differences in boundaries between PCT and local authorities.
Information on conceptions is routinely published by local authorities and strategic health authorities. The most recent year for which estimates are available is 2003 Figures for the Dartford, Gravesham and Sevenoaks local authorities are given in the table.
19 Jan 2006 : Column 1499W
Wage Inflation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average increase in wage inflation was in each year since 1996–97. [42843]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 January 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask what the average increase in wage inflation was in each year since 1996–97. (42843)
Growth in earnings is estimated from the Annual Earnings Index (AEI) which is the National Statistic for short term economic earnings indicators. The AEI figures for Great Britain are collected and published monthly. The AEI does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
I attach a table showing the growth in average earnings in Great Britain from 1996 to 2004. The annual growth figure for 2005 will not be available until 15 February 2006 when the December 2005 figures are published.
The monthly changes to the index and growth are published on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/tsdtablesl.asp?vlnk=emp. Calendar year comparisons are available on request.
The AEI is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in Great Britain. Each month it surveys 8600 companies, covering 12 million employees.
Note:
All figures based upon the calendar year.
Source:
Annual Earnings Index, Office for National Statistics.
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