NEEDY families left without cash because of the tax credits fiasco said today an apology by a Treasury Minister just is not good enough.

Dawn Primarolo, the Paymaster General, admitted in a statement to MPs last night that many people had not received the Government handouts on time - despite applying three months ago.

She insisted most families entitled to the tax rebates were receiving them and that two million families would receive their monthly payments on Friday as planned.

Up to 300,000 people nationwide are still waiting for their benefits, despite submitting their application forms for weekly payments before the January 31 deadline. Ms Primarolo told MPs: "I apologise for the difficulties experienced by individual families and I can assure the House that the Inland Revenue is doing all it can to put things right."

But Sarah Carrick, 33, of Paradise Fields, Easingwold, is still waiting for her award certificate to be processed and her weekly payments to be made.

She and her husband, Jonathan, say they will actually have less money to support their five sons under the new system. Sarah said: "We have had nothing and still cannot get through to the helpline.

"How can they sort out all the payments to those who receive them monthly by the end of this week when we haven't got anything?

"They say our payments will be back-dated but we will have just sorted them out when the forms for next year arrive.

"It just isn't good enough."

Michael Howard, the Shadow Chancellor, demanded an urgent inquiry into the administrative delays and the policy decisions that led to them.

He said: "Won't the families caught up in this tax credit shambles view the promises on social justice as another sick joke?"

Updated: 10:54 Tuesday, April 29, 2003