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25 Jan 2010 : Column 592W—continued
Child Benefit
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of child benefit claims in 2009-10 to date have not been processed within (a) 20 days, (b) 40 days, (c) 60 days, (d) 90 days and (e) 120 days; and if he will make a statement. [312468]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost, in light of the work required to construct an age profile of the processing of child benefit claims.
For information about the timeliness of child benefit processing refer to the answer given on 5 January 2010, Official Report , column 156W, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, West (John Battle).
Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit
Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) child benefit and (b) child tax credit are received by the parent with care in cases where the non-resident parent attempts to make a claim. [312548]
Mr. Timms: Where more than one person claims child benefit or child tax credit (CTC) for the same child, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will consider each claim in the light of the particular circumstances and the guidance published on its website at:
The HMRC website also provides advice for the people involved in these cases at:
Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how long on average it took to process a claim for (a) child benefit and (b) child tax credit in the last 12 months. [312549]
Mr. Timms: For information about the timeliness of (a) child benefit and (b) tax credits processing I refer to the answers given to the right hon. Member for Leeds West (John Battle) on 5 January 2010, Official Report, columns 156W and 179W.
Child tax credit and working tax credit are claimed on the same form so it is not possible to provide separate information relating solely to child tax credit processing.
Performance outturn for 2009-10 will be published in due course.
Child Benefit: Complaints
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) average and (b) longest time taken to resolve a child benefit complaint was in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07, (iii) 2007-08 and (iv) 2008-09. [308182]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available.
Information about the time taken to provide a substantive response to written complaints about child benefit is provided in the following table:
| Response times to written complaints received in child benefit office | ||
| Cleared within | Percentage clearance | Cumulative percentage |
Child Care Vouchers
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of childcare providers who have declined to accept payment through the childcare voucher scheme. [313195]
Mr. Timms: No such estimate has been made. The Government do not collect administrative data on the commercial use or acceptance of childcare vouchers provided under the Employer Supported Childcare scheme.
Departmental Billing
John Mason: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in December 2009. [311256]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Treasury paid 96.2 per cent. of invoices within 10 days in December 2009 against a target set by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills of 90 per cent.
Departmental Coordination
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what formal mechanisms are in place for co-operation between HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions. [312405]
Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) work together on a daily basis to administer the UK's tax and welfare systems.
While much of this contact is informal, a variety of formal mechanisms are established as required to facilitate policy development and the delivery of operational project.
A full of list of these mechanisms is available only at disproportionate cost, as the information is not centrally held by either HMRC or DWP. Specific examples of formal joint arrangements include:
The Pensions Reform Programme Board, which oversees HMRC IT and business changes needed to implement DWP's state pensions reforms;
Pilot on small debt working, announced in a joint ministerial statement on 14 September 2009 and
Employment and Support Allowance Project, which manages the implementation of changes to this allowance.
Departmental Internet
Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for its websites in each of the last three years; and what budget was allocated to each category in 2009-10. [311844]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The costs of maintaining websites within the Chancellor of the Exchequer's responsibility in each of the last three years are as follows:
| Financial year | Maintenance costs (£) |
A detailed breakdown per category could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Expenditure
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on (a) new furnishings, (b) works of art and (c) new vehicles in each of the last three years. [312513]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Details of the purchase of fixed assets can be found in the fixed asset note to the annual Report and Accounts from
There have been no vehicles purchased by the Treasury in the last three years. Purchases of furniture are included within the figures for 'furniture and equipment' and works of art within the figures for 'antiques'.
Economic and Monetary Union
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Government's Euro National Changeover Plan was last updated. [312162]
Ian Pearson: The Government's policy on membership of the single currency is unchanged. It remains as set out by the former Chancellor in his statement to the House of Commons in October 1997, and again in the statement on the five tests assessment in June 2003.
The third Euro National Changeover Plan was published on 9 June 2003. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version of the Integrated Communication Plan for the Euro Changeover. [312163]
Ian Pearson: The Third Outline National Changeover Plan was published in June 2003 and provides a comprehensive statement of how the Government would manage a UK changeover. It also includes information on our euro communication programme. A copy of this document has been deposited in the Library of the House.
Equitable Life Ex-gratia Payment Scheme Review
Mr. Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met Sir John Chadwick to discuss the payment of compensation to Equitable Life policyholders. [311656]
Mr. Byrne: I am in regular contact with Sir John and receive regular updates on the progress of his work.
The Government expect Sir John to submit his final report in spring 2010. Once the Government have had a chance to consider Sir John's advice, details of a payment scheme that is fair to both taxpayers and policyholders will be announced.
Excise Duties: Whisky
Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much duty has been collected from the whisky industry in each of the last five years. [312382]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Historical receipts of duty collected from spirits can be found in Table 2 of the HM Revenue and Customs Spirits Bulletin, a copy of which can be found at:
Information on duty collected from whisky is not collected separately.
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