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25 Jun 2007 : Column 406Wcontinued
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the budgeted provision is for administering the tax credits system in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09; and if he will make a statement. [144711]
Dawn Primarolo: The costs of administering the tax credits system are reported annually in HMRCs Trust Statement, available at:
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many interim payments of tax credits there were in each month since October 2005. [144738]
Dawn Primarolo: For information up to and including January 2007, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 March 2007, Official Report, columns 1513-14W.
Information for the period February 2007 to May 2007 inclusive is:
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Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many additional tax credit payments were made in each month from April 2003 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement. [144739]
Dawn Primarolo: For the number and value of additional tax credits payments in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 June 2006, Official Report, columns 376-77W.
It is no longer necessary for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to issue manual payments in cases of hardship following an in-year adjustment. Instead, a
new process allows for an adjustment on the tax credits system to reduce the rate of recovery of an overpayment in-year.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit cases were dealt with by the Group 33 tax credits team in each month from April 2003 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement. [144746]
Dawn Primarolo: The information is given in the table as follows.
Month | Number cases dealt with by the Group 33 tax credits team |
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action is being taken as part of the Department's Transformation Programme to review the long-term operation of the tax credits system; and if he will make a statement. [144747]
Dawn Primarolo: The Tax Credits Transformation Programme, which is part of the Departmental Transformation Programme, aims to improve the delivery of tax credits by tailoring services and communications to the needs of the customers. As part of the Tax Credits Transformation Programme, HMRC has started to pilot some improvements in customer service, for example in helping customers whose circumstances change as the result of the breakdown of a relationship.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are planned further to simplify tax credit award notices. [144748]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Batley and Spen (Mike Wood) on 26 February 2007, Official Report, column 1104W.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of trends in tax credit fraud and error between (a) 2003-04 and 2004-05 and (b) 2004-05 and 2005-06; and if he will make a statement; [144870]
(2) if he will make a statement on current levels of fraud and error in tax credits. [144874]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Timms) gave him on 13 June 2007, Official Report, column 1126W.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the level of official error in the tax credits system; and if he will make a statement; [144749]
(2) what his latest estimate is of the level of software error in the tax credits system; and if he will make a statement. [144871]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the evidence given to the Treasury Select Committee on 14 March 2007 in response to the hon. Member for Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Central (Jim Cousins).
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the cost of the £2,500 tax credit income disregard for 2004-05; and if he will make a statement. [144877]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 18 July 2006, Official Report, column 361W.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many tax credit claims were disallowed after (a) pre-payment and (b) post-payment verification checks in each quarter from April 2003 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement; [144878]
(2) how many tax credit claims were examined by the Compliance Unit in each month since April 2003; and if he will make a statement; [144879]
(3) how many potential organised tax credit fraud cases were identified by HM Revenue and Customs pre-payment checks in each month since May 2005; and if he will make a statement; [144880]
(4) what the estimated yield was in 2006-07 from HM Revenue and Customs tax credit pre-payment checks; and if he will make a statement; [144881]
(5) how many suspect tax credit applications by organised fraudsters were stopped by HM Revenue and Customs in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07; and if he will make a statement; [144882]
(6) how many checks on tax credit awards before payment were made in each quarter from April 2001 to April 2007. [145247]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on tax credits compliance activities for 2005-06 was published in the Comptroller and Auditor Generals Standard Report on HMRCs Accounts. HMRCs 2006-07 Accounts are due to be presented to the House of Commons before it rises for summer recess.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sample site was used for 2004-05 tax credit awards to check the level of tax credit fraud and error; and if he will make a statement. [144897]
Dawn Primarolo: The United Kingdom.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2007, Official Report, column 830W, on welfare tax credits, if he will break down the figures given in table 4 of the publication child tax credit and working tax credit, take up rates, 2004-05 by those with (a) two working parents, (b) two parents, one of whom is working, (c) a single parent and (d) other family circumstances. [145188]
Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available except at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the backlog of cases is in the Tax Credit Calculating and Scheduling Group; and how long cases took to resolve in the last period for which figures are available. [145211]
Dawn Primarolo: Currently, the Tax Credit Calculating and Scheduling group has around four days work on hand. Information about how long cases take to resolve is not available
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets have been set for reducing error and fraud in the tax credit system; and if he will make a statement. [145245]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer you to the evidence given to the Public Accounts Committee on 23 October 2006 in response to questions 10-12 (which can be found at:
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the level of service from HM Revenue and Customs received by tax credit claimants; and if he will make a statement. [145249]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to HM Revenue and Customs 2007 departmental report available at:
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the total amount of tax credits paid out due to error or fraud in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06 and (d) 2006-07 he estimates will never be recovered. [145449]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer to my statement to the House on tax credits on 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1281. Estimates for subsequent years are not yet available.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions his Department has had with officials from HM Revenue and Customs on the administration of tax credits. [145548]
Dawn Primarolo: Treasury officials meet regularly with HMRC officials to discuss a wide range of tax credits subjects as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have been made to his Departments procedures to prevent people from claiming tax credit in respect of non-existent children. [143810]
Dawn Primarolo: HMRC check tax credits claims and carry out enquiries to make sure that claims are genuine, that any children claimed for actually exist and the circumstances of the family genuinely qualify.
HMRC prosecutes frauds and tax credits cheats face fines, jail and a criminal record.
HMRC is constantly looking at ways to improve our procedures to prevent tax credits fraud.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the amount lost to tax credit fraud recovered in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [144872]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1281W.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were prosecuted for tax credit fraud in each quarter since April 2003; and if he will make a statement. [144873]
Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.
For total prosecution figures for 2004-05 and 2005-06 I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 25 July 2006, Official Report, columns 1393-94W.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many organised tax credit fraud cases the Organised Fraud Strategy Board investigated in each quarter since April 2003; and if he will make a statement. [144875]
Dawn Primarolo: The Organised Fraud Strategy Board is a governance body and it does not investigate any cases of tax credit fraud directly.
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