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24 July 2006 : Column 1067W—continued
Total expenditure of new tax credits for 2003-04 is published in the Department of Inland Revenue Accounts 2003-04, Note 3 of the Trust Statement. The net expenditure for 2004-05 is calculated by removing the negative tax figure published in the PBR 2005 report from the net expenditure figure published in the Department of Inland Revenue Accounts 2004-05, Note 3 of the Trust Statement.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate has been made of the number of multiple separate cases of tax credit claims from the same address; how much fraud has been uncovered; and if he will make a statement; [78406]
(2) what action he has taken to reduce tax credit fraud by screening all multiple tax credit claims from a single address; and if he will make a statement. [81417]
Dawn Primarolo: HMRC have measures in place to tackle such indication of possible fraud. However, it would be inappropriate to disclose detailed information relating to HMRC action to reduce tax credits fraud as to do so could provide assistance to those engaged in criminal activity.
Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his assessment is of the ability of the tax credits computer system to recalculate tax credits payments to surviving spouses and families; and if he will make a statement. [81526]
Dawn Primarolo: The tax credit computer does not recalculate tax credits payments in these circumstances. A new claim is made by the surviving partner.
Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff have been employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in administering the tax credit system in each year since its inception; and how many hours overtime were paid in each of those years. [81527]
Dawn Primarolo: For the approximate number of staff deployed to tax credits work in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General published on 11 July 2006 which is available at http://www.nao.org.uk/home.htm Given that HMRC constantly monitor and balance the needs of their various work areas and deploy their resources accordingly, figures about the number of staff in HMRC who are working on tax credits at any one time can vary.
Separate information relating to the number of staff across HM Revenue and Customs working full-time or part-time in administering tax credits, and information on the number of hours of overtime paid for those staff, is not available.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether there have been (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful organised frauds of the tax credit system since 1 December 2005; and if he will make a statement. [81754]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the HMRC publication “Tackling error and fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits” available on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm and to HM Revenue and Customs 2005-06 Accounts: the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Standard Report, Part 2, available at http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/05-06/05061159.htm
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people received tax credits while unemployed in each year since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement. [83904]
Dawn Primarolo:
Working families tax credit awards, which were payable in 2001-02 and 2002-03, were not available to families who were out of work at the start of the award. Children’s tax credit benefited only taxpayers and therefore were also only available for in-work families. No information is available on the number of families who received working families tax
credit or children’s tax credits that included an adult who was out of work for all or part of the year.
Estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 of the average numbers of out of work families receiving child tax credit in finalised awards, or equivalent support via income support or income based job seekers allowance, are published in “Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05”. This publication, and estimates of the equivalent numbers in provisional awards as at selected dates up to April 2006, are available on the HMRC website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm
Television Licences
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions took place between his Department and the BBC about the decision not to renew the contract for renewal and purchase of television licences supplied at post offices. [87430]
John Healey: The Treasury has had no discussions with the BBC in relation to the BBC's procurement exercise for its “over-the-counter” TV licensing business.
Temporary Workers
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of workers in each (a) industry sector and (b) occupational group were temporary in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2005; and what each sector’s and group’s share was of the total number of temporary workers in each year. [86546]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 July 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the percentage of temporary workers in employment in (a) industry sectors and (b) occupational groups for the years 1997, 2001 and 2005; and what each sector’s and group’s share was of the total number of temporary workers in each of those years. (86546)
The two tables attached show the available information covering the 12 month periods ending February 1999 and 2001, and December 2005. No comparable information is available for 1997.
These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
| Twelve months ending: | February 2001 | |
| All employees( 1) | Number (Thousand) | As percentage of total employees in industry |
| Twelve months ending: | December 2005 | |
| Number (Thousand) | As percentage of total employees in occupation/industry | |
| (1) Total includes those who did not state their occupation, whereas occupation group percentages exclude them. (2 )Data not available. (3 )Total includes those whose workplace is outside the UK, or who did not state their industry, whereas industry group percentages exclude them. Source: ONS: Labour Force Survey Annual datasets | ||
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