Tax Credits

Mr. Frank Field
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households were overpaid tax credits in each year since 2003; how much was overpaid in tax credits in each of those years; and how much of that overpaid money was not recovered in each of those years.

Mr. Timms
Information on the number of families who incurred overpayments and on the total value of overpayments in 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 is provided in part 2, figure 9 of the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, in the HM Revenue and Customs 2007-08 accounts. This is available on the HMRC website at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-dep-acct0708.pdf

Information relating to the recovery of these overpayments is provided in part 2, figure 11 of the same report.