We cannot return documents give personal replies or guarantee to answer letters We accept no legal

We cannot return documents, give personal replies or guarantee to answer letters We accept no legal responsibility for advice.. Britain’s tax credit system, designed to boost the income of poorer families, was last week branded a “nightmare” by an influential group of MPs. It will take 10 days if you apply over the phone on 0845 606 2030. Alternatively, you can pick up a form at the post office and apply by post; the process will take 21 days.When you go on holiday, make sure you take all the relevant travel documents with you, as many hospitals will ask to see evidence before proceeding with treatment.If you need help from our consumer champion, write to Sindie at The Independent on Sunday, Independent House, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS or email sindie independent.co.uk.

It should mean you don’t have to go through endless form-filling in hospital and should make your life much simpler,” she adds.You can apply for the new card by going to www.dh.gov.uk/ travellers and your request will be processed within seven days. “Some travel insurance policies can turn out to be invalid without an E111 or EHIC.”Recent findings from the DoH show that more than a third of British people have travelled to a continental European country without either a valid E111 or travel insurance – leaving them vulnerable to the possibility of large medical bills.”Carrying the card in your wallet takes the hassle out of travelling. The card should be valid for three to five years.You can apply free of charge for an EHIC – online, by post or by phone – and also make a request on behalf of your spouse or partner and any children (aged up to 16 years old).When applying, you will need the date of birth and NHS or national insurance number of each applicant.Travellers should also be aware that the E111 or EHIC is no substitute for insurance. You will still need a comprehensive travel policy to protect yourself against all eventualities.Failure to take out insurance means you will not be covered for costly extras such as personal liability, cancellation, loss of baggage and repatriation.At the same time, good travel cover doesn’t negate the need for an E111 or EHIC.”The two should be carried in tandem,” says the DoH spokeswoman. So you should be prepared to make a contribution to the cost of your care.”While the new card will offer the same cover as the E111, there are differences in the way it is administered.For example, with the old-style E111, one form could cover the whole family; under the new system, each member will require one.

“But this does mean you may not be covered for all the things you’d expect to get free of charge on the National Health Service here in the UK. And if they were issued before 19 August 2004 – the date on which a new format for the form was introduced – they will already be out of date. Since then, travellers have had to apply for the new-style E111.And in the latest change, which took effect at the start of this month, they have been issued with a card instead.This is the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which will run alongside the E111 until January next year, when it replaces it altogether.The EHIC will be the new “passport” that all British travellers – normally resident in the UK – need to produce should they incur medical expenses while travelling on the Continent.According to the Department of Health (DoH), the card entitles you to reduced-cost, and sometimes free, medical treatment while you’re in a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland.The EEA consists of European Union (EU) states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, while Switzerland applies the EHIC arrangements through an agreement with the EU.The EHIC covers any “necessary” medical treatment that arises during your trip – because of either illness or an accident, explains a DoH spokeswoman.It gives access to state-provided medical treatment only, and you will be treated on the same basis as an “insured” person living in the country you’re visiting.”The EHIC card works on a reciprocal agreement,” she says. So it’s worth familiarising yourself with these reforms before you travel to save a lot of hassle in the event of accident or illness.First, even if your forms have been issued within the past 12 months, they will only be valid until 31 December this year. Further, as our existing forms were issued around a year ago, I don’t even know if these are still valid.Can you clarify whether we are still covered by our old E111s, and if not, how we go about applying for new ones? GL, by emailA: You are right in thinking that the current E111 form is going through change, and right in wondering whether some amendments have been made already. I’m not sure when those changes are coming into play – and whether this will affect our forthcoming trip.

We both have E111 forms already, and so I’m not sure how much extra cover we need to purchase
I also read recently that these forms are changing. Q: My husband and I have booked a fortnight’s holiday to Norway and Sweden for early next year, and are now in the process of organising our travel insurance. Melanie Green of consumer body Which? says it could be “useful” for managing money, while Richard Mason of price-comparison service moneysupermarket has backed its flexibility.But while such a “bundled” financial product is convenient, he warns, consumers could get better value for money by opting for a standalone current account and a competitive credit card instead.Alliance & Leicester, for example, pays 4.89 per cent gross on any balances in credit on its Premier Plus current account.The Capital One credit card has the same APR of 6.9 as Egg, but it also has the longest 0 per cent balance transfer rate, until January 2007.. The most you can borrow, though, is twice your monthly salary.To help you manage your cash, the account includes an online calculator and finance “analyser” to help you see where you spend it, whether on clothing, food and drink or leisure.Customers will also receive a weekly text message showing their account balance and latest transactions.The account has had a cautious welcome. But it isn’t: this Egg deal won’t let you set up direct debits or standing orders.Instead, it only wants our disposable income – that pile of cash left after we’ve paid off all our bills from our current account every month.This sum – which is calculated for you online before you join – should then be switched into the Money account, says Egg, where consumers can get a clearer idea of just where they stand with their finances.You’ll earn 4 per cent gross on a balance in credit, while any spending is rewarded with a 1 per cent cashback – rising to 2 per cent in the run-up to Christmas.Spend more than you put into the account, and you’ll pay interest at an annual percentage rate (APR) of 6.9 if you have a good credit history.However, a worse record could see you pay an APR as high as 15.9, since the product is priced according to how it sees you as a risk. Spend, earn interest on balances in credit, and borrow – would you do it all with just one lender?

Internet bank Egg thinks so.