Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many apprentices were removed from their apprenticeship programme to cover tax credit renewal work in the last two weeks of July 2014; and where such apprentices were based.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) trained and deployed a flexible resource of just over 2000 staff from across the Department and deployed them in stages from 23rd June until the end of the Tax credit peak to ensure that the peak was a better experience for customers this year than it has been in earlier years. The Tax Credit peak this year was a huge team effort with staff of all grades including senior members of staff volunteering to help support our customers by taking telephone calls.

We do not have a record of how many of these additional staff were apprentices.