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27 Nov 2006 : Column 455W—continued


Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of individuals involved in large scale attempts to defraud the tax credits system. [102102]

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC successfully prevent many false claims going into payment, but it is not possible to estimate how many people may be involved in such attempts.

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the tax credits computer system software was last updated; and if he will make a statement. [102355]

Dawn Primarolo: The tax credit system is improved on a cycle of updates. The most recent update was 30 October 2006.

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how calls between tax credits helpline callers and HM Revenue and Customs are (a) recorded and (b) archived; how many people are employed in such processes; and if he will make a statement. [102366]

Dawn Primarolo: All calls to the tax credits helpline are automatically digitally recorded and archived. There is no direct staff involvement.

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many cases of tax credit fraud involving (a) giro cheques and (b) fake giro cheques his Department has investigated; [102400]

(2) what investigation his Department has undertaken into tax credit fraud involving giro cheques. [102401]

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC takes fraud very seriously and has a range of checks in place to identify fraud. HMRC do not keep separate statistics of fraud involving giro cheques.

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claimants received giro cheques for (a) regular and (b) exceptional payment of tax credits in each of the last four years. [102402]

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his Department’s policy of distributing tax credits by giro cheque. [102648]


27 Nov 2006 : Column 456W

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested.

HM Revenue and Customs issue automated cash cheque payments in circumstances where it is not possible to pay tax credits into a bank, building society or Post Office Card Account.

Cash cheque payments are also made manually, in exceptional circumstances, to prevent hardship, or where a claimant is temporarily out of payment.

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the Beverley and Holderness constituency are in receipt of tax credits; how many receive tax credits by giro cheque; and if he will make a statement. [102649]

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2003-04 and 2004-05 are published in “Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2003-04 Geographical Analysis” and the “Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05 Geographical Analysis”. These publications and 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:

Information on number of people, in the constituency of Beverley and Holderness, who are receiving tax credits by giro cheque is not available except at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many compensation payments for maladministration and poor service were made by the tax credits section of his Department in each month from May 2006 to October 2006; what the total value of such payments was in each quarter since 1 April 2003; and if he will make a statement. [103991]

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 “maladministration” or “poor service”.

Tax Liability Assessments

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax liability assessments are made in respect of (a) people and (b) companies who buy and sell goods over the internet; what guidelines are in place on the level of trading which would constitute doing business; and if he will make a statement. [103271]

Dawn Primarolo: The same tax rules and assessment apply to internet trading as to any other form of
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trading. People and companies who trade over the internet are therefore liable to register for VAT and assessable to income tax or corporation tax on their profits through self assessment like any other trader or company. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) do not separately identify internet trading, and could not identify tax liability assessments on such traders except at disproportionate cost.

There is extensive guidance on the meaning of 'trade' for income tax and corporation tax on the HMRC website under:

More specific guidance for online trading will be published shortly.

UK Payments System

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will bring forward legislation to ensure that the UK payments system is open to new competition as announced in his Budget Statement on 21 March 2000. [103420]

Ed Balls: Following Don Cruickshank’s report on competition in UK banking, the Chancellor announced in the 2003 pre-Budget report that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) would set up a Payment Systems Task Force to examine UK payment systems. The Taskforce began work in spring 2004 and in September 2006 it reached agreement on a new model for payments systems governance. On 14 November 2006, the Chancellor approved the OFT’s recommendation to wind up the Task Force and to proceed with the creation of a new industry-led governing body to deliver improvements in payment systems, which will be reviewed after two years. In line with the Government’s better regulation agenda, the creation of this new body does not require legislation.

On 14 November 2006, I wrote to my right hon. Friend the Member for West Dumbartonshire (John McFall) in his capacity as Chair of the Treasury Select Committee to inform him of these developments. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

Women Pensioners

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many women he expects to reach the state pension age (a) by April 2010 and (b) after April 2010. [102116]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 27 November 2006:

Estimated number of women in the UK projected to reach state pension age in years April to April allowed for increase in SPA from age 60 in April 2010 to 65 by April 2020
Females reaching SPA( 1) (Thousand)

2006-07

416

2007-08

418

2008-09

390

2009-10

374

2010-11

182

2011-12

179

2012-13

177

2013-14

176

2014-15

176

2015-16

176

2016-17

177

2017-18

177

2018-19

176

2019-20

175

2020-21

355

2021-22

366

2022-23

378

2023-24

385

2024-25

392

2025-26

406

2026-27

418

2027-28

430

2028-29

438

2029-30

442

2030-31

441

(1) Rounded to the nearest thousand. Derived from 2004-based national population projections for United Kingdom (GAD).
Note:
The above figures give estimates for the numbers in the UK population reaching SPA in the financial years shown. They do not include those emigrating from the UK before reaching SPA and who may have entitlement to some UK state pension, but do include those migrating to the UK before SPA and who are resident in the UK on reaching SPA.

Work Force Statistics

Mr. Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the workforce was working (a) fewer than 16, (b) 16 to 20, (c) 21 to 25, (d) 26 to 30, (e) 31 to 35, (f) 36 to 40 and (g) in excess of 41 hours per week in each year since 1997. [103255]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 27 November 2006:


27 Nov 2006 : Column 459W
People in employment by usual weekly hours of work( 1) 1997, 1999 and 2001 to 2006 United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted
Three months ending June each year Total (thousands( 2) ) Under 16 hours per week 16 to 20 hours per week 21 to 25 hours per week

1997

26,356

10.3

6.3

4.5

1999

26,876

9.9

6.6

4.8

2001

27,438

9.1

6.8

5.1

2002

27,617

9.0

7.2

5.2

2003

27,863

9.2

7.2

5.1

2004

28,024

9.0

7.1

5.4

2005

28,193

8.8

7.3

5.4

2006

28,339

8.8

7.1

5.4


Three months ending June each year 26 to 30 hours per week 31 to 35 hours per week 36 to 40 hours per week 41 or more hours per week

1997

4.4

6.3

27.1

41.0

1999

4.5

6.2

28.5

39.5

2001

4.6

6.6

29.2

38.6

2002

4.7

6.9

29.5

37.5

2003

5.0

6.8

30.2

36.5

2004

5.2

7.0

31.0

35.1

2005

5.1

7.3

31.3

34.8

2006

5.2

7.2

31.9

34.3

(1 )Main job only.
(2) Includes those who did not state the number of hours they worked, but percentages are based on totals which exclude this group.
Note: Comparable data are not currently available for 1998 and 2000.
Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

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