Hansard

Tax Credits

Volume 454: debated on Wednesday 6 December 2006

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Anne Main

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 27 November 2006, Official Report, column 455W, on tax credit, on how many occasions recorded calls have been used to resolve investigations of overpayment; and if he will make a statement. (107285)

Mr. Paul Goodman

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much was waived in relation to overpayments of tax credit claimants as a consequence of official error in each year for which figures are available; and in how many cases this applied; (107535)

(2) how many complaints were received by HM Revenue and Customs in relation to the recovery of tax credit overpayments in each year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) tax credit and (b) region.

Dawn Primarolo

For the number and value of disputed overpayments written off as a result of official error, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Mr. Moore) on 7 November 2006, Official Report, columns 1040-41W.

The information requested on complaints about the recovery of tax credits received in HM Revenue and Customs is not available.

Anne Main

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the tax credits computer system last crashed; and if he will make a statement. (102577)

Dawn Primarolo

The last time the system went down unexpectedly was on the evening of 28 March 2006 because of a power failure. The system was fully restored to complete working order the following morning.

Dr. Cable

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what provision is made for assessing research and development tax credit claims from companies in Northern Ireland. (106531)

John Healey

Companies whose main R&D activities are conducted in Northern Ireland will submit their R&D tax credit claims to the Cardiff R&D unit which will have compliance and outreach roles in respect of those companies.

Lady Hermon

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people have been in receipt of tax credits in each Northern Ireland constituency in each year since their introduction, broken down by tax credit type; (107621)

(2) how many people in receipt of tax credits in each Northern Ireland constituency have been overpaid in each year since their introduction, broken down by tax credit type; and how much was overpaid to people in each constituency in each year, broken down by tax credit type;

(3) what percentage of tax credit overpaid in each Northern Ireland constituency has been recovered in each year since their introduction, broken down by tax credit type;

(4) how long tax credit overpayments were made, on average, before such overpayments were identified in each Northern Ireland constituency in each year since their introduction, broken down by tax credit type.

Dawn Primarolo

Estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments 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. Supplement on Payments in 2003-04. Geographical Analysis” and the “Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05. Supplements on Payments in 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:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm.

We do not produce statistics separately for child and working tax credits.

Information on recovery of overpayments is not available at constituency level.

Information on the average length of time taken to identify an overpayment after it has occurred, in each Northern Ireland constituency, is not available.