To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many temporary Construction Industry Scheme 4 cards were issued without the applicant holding a current national insurance number in (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006; (131254)

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 20 March 2007, Official Report, column 767W, for the number of temporary Construction Industry Scheme 4 cards issued in 2004-05 and 2005-06. The available data for 2006-07 now show that the number of temporary Construction Industry Scheme 4 cards issued in this year is 76.000¹.

Temporary cards are issued for 12 months where a validated national insurance number cannot be supplied immediately and automatically expire after 12 months. Of the temporary cards 2006-07, 75,000 are currently valid and eligible for use.

Temporary construction industry scheme 4 cards ceased to be used when the new Construction Industry Scheme was introduced on 6 April this year.

¹ Data for 2006-07 are incomplete.