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26 Oct 2006 : Column 2032W—continued
| Table 2: Lone parents( 1) of working age( 2) not in work 1997 to 2006—United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted | |
| Three months ending June each year | Thousand |
| (1) Refers to people who are neither married nor cohabiting and who have dependent children, who are defined as 0 to 15 year olds, or 16 to 18 year olds in full-time education. (2) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. Note: Comparable data not available for 1998 and 2000. Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS) | |
Helplines
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2006, Official Report, column 1891W, on incoming phone calls, (1) how many calls encountering an engaged tone were to (a) tax credit helplines and (b) other helplines; and if he will make a statement; [83329]
(2) how many calls to HM Revenue and Customs helplines in 2006 received an engaged tone; what the reasons were for the proportion of engaged calls as a percentage of total calls; and if he will make a statement. [83382]
Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the number of calls receiving an engaged tone for (a) the tax credit helpline and (b) other helplines operated as part of HMRC’s centrally managed Contact Centre Network.
| Calls receiving an engaged tone( 1) , 2005-06 | ||
| February | March | |
| (1 )Call attempts where the caller was played an engaged tone. Note: Figures in thousands rounded to the nearest thousand. | ||
Engaged tones occur mainly at the busiest periods when callers constantly hit the redial button on modern telephone handsets.
Engaged tone figures for 2006 will be available in the new year.
Life Expectancy
Mr. Skinner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the life expectancy is of (a) men and (b) women in (i) the East Midlands and (ii) the South East; and what it was in (1) 1996 and (2) 2000 in each case. [96949]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 26 October 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the life expectancy is of (a) men and (b) women in (i) the East Midlands and (ii) the South East; and what it was in (1) 1996 and (b) 2000 in each case. (96949)
Life expectancy figures are calculated as three year rolling averages. The table below provides the period life expectancy at birth for (a) men and (b) women in (i) the East Midlands and (ii) the South East government office regions, in (1) 1995-97, (2) 1999-2001, and (3) 2002-04 (the latest period available).
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will answer questions (a) 76207, (b) 76476, (c) 76478, (d) 76482 and (e) 76485 tabled on 8 June, question 78392 tabled on 13 June, question 81148 tabled on 26 June and questions (i) 83329, (ii) 83330, (iii) 83382, (iv) 83793, (v) 83795, (vi) 83796 and (vii) 83812, tabled on 4 July, on tax credits, from the hon. Member for Yeovil. [94097]
Dawn Primarolo: They have all been answered.
Tax Credits
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the highest annual income is which an individual can earn and still qualify for tax credits. [95681]
Dawn Primarolo: The maximum income at which a tax credit recipient’s award is tapered to zero depends on the tax credit elements that a family is eligible for, for example number of children in the family, childcare costs, disabled worker or disabled child elements.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rates of sickness absence were among tax credits staff in each month since April 2005; and if he will make a statement. [95734]
Dawn Primarolo: It is not practical to identify sickness absence relating to HMRC staff deployed on all aspects of administering tax credits.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information on the performance of the tax credits systems he receives on an (a) monthly, (b) quarterly and (c) annual basis; and if he will make a statement. [95735]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 7 July 2005, Official Report, columns 621-22W.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many compensation payments have been made by the tax credits sections of his Department since April 2003; what the total value is of those payments; and if he will make a statement. [96123]
Dawn Primarolo: The circumstances in which HM Revenue and Customs will make compensation payments to its customers are explained in the Department’s Code of Practice 1 “Putting things right” which is available at www.hmrc.gov.uk. The Department will pay compensation for reasonable costs incurred as a direct result of its mistakes or delays and to recognise worry and distress caused by those mistakes and delays. It does not keep separate details of compensation payments made specifically due to errors or delays.
For the value of compensation payments made up to 30 September 2005 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe) on 22 November 2005, Official Report, column 1913W.
The value of compensation payments made between 1 October 2005 and 30 September 2006 was around £782,700.
For the number of compensation payments made up to 31 May 2006, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 July 2006, Official Report, columns 360-61W.
The number of compensation payments made between 1 June 2006 and 30 September 2006 was around 3,000.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the information technology for the tax credits system is (a) stable and (b) performing well; and if he will make a statement. [96125]
Dawn Primarolo: The performance of the tax credit computer system is now stable and delivering flexible, responsive tax credits to 6 million families.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people (a) declaring bankruptcy and (b) entering individual voluntary agreements as a result of delays in payment of tax credits; and if he will make a statement. [96993]
Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs do not hold this information.
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people claimed (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit in Portsmouth, North in 2005-06; [97294]
(2) how many overpayments of (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit in Portsmouth, North were found to be a result of HM Revenue and Customs error in 2005-06. [97308]
Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments, for 2005-06 awards will not be available until after family circumstances and incomes for 2005-06 have been finalised.
Provisional estimates for the number of in-work families by constituency with tax credit awards as at selected dates in 2005-06 are available on the HMRC website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm.
Information on overpayments caused by HM Revenue and Customs error is not available at constituency level.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the tax credit take-up levels are for each quarter since April 2003. [97695]
Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested.
Information on tax credits, including take-up rates and number of families receiving tax credits are available on the HMRC website:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent forecast he has made of the gross cost of all tax credits in 2006-07. [97697]
Dawn Primarolo: A forecast for the public finances will be presented in the 2006 pre-Budget report.
Taxation Levels
Mr. Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reduce levels of taxation. [97309]
Dawn Primarolo: The Government are committed to a modern and fair tax system, which encourages work, saving and investment, keeps pace with developments in business practice and the global economy, and raises sufficient revenue to fund the Government’s objective to build world-class public services. All taxes are kept under review and are considered as part of the Budget process.
Unemployment (Hendon)
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were unemployed in Hendon in (a) May 1997 and (b) September 2006; and if he will make a statement. [96929]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 26 October 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (96929)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of employment for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
About 5,000 people resident in the Hendon parliamentary constituency were unemployed in the 12 months ending in February 1997 from the annual local area LFS. Latest APS data indicates that around 4,000 people resident in the Hendon constituency were unemployed in the 12 months ending in March 2006.
These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution
ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). In May 1997, 3,141 people resident in the Hendon constituency were claiming JSA. In September 2006, the equivalent figure was 2,182. These counts are not seasonally adjusted and changes will be affected by seasonal factors.
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