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6 Feb 2006 : Column 1035W—continued
Property Prices
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average purchase price was of properties bought by first-time buyers in (a) England and (b) the United Kingdom in each year since 1996. [42824]
Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
Average mix-adjusted house prices for first time buyers buying with a mortgage are published on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website in table 507 at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/116/Table507Excel47Kb_id_1156116.xls.
Estimates are not available for first time buyers who purchase without a mortgage.
Self-invested Personal Pension (Property)
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a regulatory impact assessment has been prepared on his decision to withdraw the right to hold residential property in a self-invested personal pension. [49162]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 January 2006 Official Report, column 405W.
Tax Credits
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time tax credit staff were working in (a) debt management and banking, (b) disputed overpayments, (c) bank liaison, (d) child care provider checks, (e) complex cases, (f) employer liaison, (g) international claims, (h) issues relating to persons from abroad, (i) postroom, (j) the specialist trace unit, (k) claims processing, (l) appeals, (m) complaints, (n) valuables and (o) tax credit hotlines on the latest date for which figures are available. [48438]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
UK Contribution (EU)
Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the UK's cumulative net contribution to the EU between 2007 and 2013; and if he will make a statement. [49381]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 31 January 2006, Official Report, column 399W.
Valuation Office Agency
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency owns a licence for an image management and archiving computer database. [47863]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The Valuation Office Agency's information technology systems are provided by Capgemini under the Aspire" contract with HM Revenue and Customs. All necessary licences for systems, including those for secure data storage, are obtained and held by Capgemini on the Agency's behalf.
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Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what child protection policy the Valuation Office Agency has to regulate the activities of council tax valuation inspectors who may enter people's homes. [47903]
John Healey: The legislation governing the powers of Valuation Office Agency staff to inspect people's homes was passed in 1992, and the VOA's approach to operating it has remained largely unchanged since then. Permission to inspect is always sought from the occupier, owner or taxpayer (as appropriate), usually in advance in writing. All VOA inspectors carry photographic identity. Under no circumstances would a VOA inspector enter a property without the occupier, owner or taxpayer (as appropriate) permission, and the VOA's instructions make clear that under no circumstances should they inspect if only a minor is present—this is the child protection policy which is operated. On recruitment all Agency staff are required to declare, subject to the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, convictions or charge for any offence which is still pending, if they are subject to probation, on a conditional discharge or bound over after being charged with an offence. Following employment all staff are required to report any charge, apart from minor traffic offences, which is brought against them. In addition the Agency receives, via the Cabinet Office, reports of convictions and related offences from Chief Constables, in accordance with Home Office Circular No. 45/1986, in respect of its staff.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether agents of the Valuation Office Agency who conduct council tax valuation inspections inside someone's property are subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check. [47904]
John Healey:
The legislation governing the powers of Valuation Office Agency staff to inspect people's homes was passed in 1992, and the VGA's approach to operating it has remained largely unchanged since then. Permission to inspect is always sought from the occupier, owner or taxpayer (as appropriate), usually in advance in writing. All VOA inspectors carry photographic identity. Under no circumstances would a VOA inspector enter a property without the permission of the occupier, owner or taxpayer (as appropriate), and the VGA's instructions make clear that under no circumstances should they inspect if only a minor is present. This is the child protection policy, which is operated. On recruitment all agency staff are required to declare, subject to the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, convictions or charge for any offence which is still pending, if they are subject to probation, on a conditional discharge or bound over after being charged with an offence. Following employment all staff are required to report any charge, apart from minor traffic offences, which is brought against them. In addition the agency receives, via the Cabinet Office, reports of convictions and related offences from chief constables, in accordance with Home Office Circular No. 45/1986, in respect of its staff. Staff are not therefore subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check. In addition, the majority of the Valuation Office Agency groups have received the independent Charter Mark award for customer service, and as part
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of their commitment to improve their service they have started to survey taxpayers about how the inspection is undertaken.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the functions of the District Valuer Services within the Valuation Office Agency. [48034]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: District Valuer Services provides a range of services which are set out in the booklet, District Valuer Services. This is available on their website www.voa.gov.uk.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) rights and (b) powers (i) Valuation Office Agency staff and (ii) its representatives have to conduct internal or external inspections of property for (A) capital gains tax, (B) inheritance tax and (C) business rates purposes. [48035]
John Healey: The legislation governing the powers of Valuation Office Agency (VOA) staff to inspect properties for the purposes specified is longstanding— it is for (a) capital gains tax, section 111 Taxes Management Act 1970, (b) inheritance tax, section 220 Inheritance Tax Act 1984 and (c) business rates, Schedule 9 paragraph 7 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. The way the Valuation Office exercises these powers, and similar powers in earlier legislation, is well established. Permission to inspect is always sought from the occupier, owner or taxpayer (as appropriate) usually in advance in writing. All VOA inspectors carry photographic identity, but if the occupier, owner or taxpayer is in any doubt they are able to contact the local Valuation Office to establish the authenticity. Under no circumstances would a VOA inspector forcibly enter a property without the person's permission. Nor would an inspector enter the property if, despite having made a prior appointment, it was discovered that only a minor was present.
The Valuation Office Agency recognises the importance of not only carrying out its duties responsibly but also being clearly seen to do so. Thus the majority of its Groups already hold the independently awarded Charter Mark award for customer service, and applications from the remaining Groups are in train. As part of its commitment to improve its service, the agency now specifically surveys taxpayers about how inspections have been undertaken.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency has (a) sold and (b) transferred any of its data to non-public sector third-parties in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [48036]
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Mr. Ivan Lewis: In the last five years the Valuation Office Agency has regularly sold compilations of the published non-domestic rating lists and, since October 2004, of the supporting summary valuations. All of this material is readily accessible to the public at large in non-compiled form on its website www.voa.gov.uk free of charge.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) staff intranet announcement notice and (b) the data strategy update paper to which the Valuation Office Agency's Management Board Meeting minutes of 27 October 2005 refer. [48045]
John Healey: The (a) staff intranet announcement notice, referred to in the Valuation Office Agency's Management Board Meeting minutes of 27 October 2005, will be placed in the Library. The (b) data strategy update paper, also mentioned in the above minutes, includes material prepared as an input to the formulation of Government policy and cannot be made available.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what training (a) videos and (b) DVDs the Valuation Office Agency has produced for its staff and contractors in the last three years in relation to (i) council tax valuations, (ii) business rates, (iii) inheritance tax, (iv) capital gains tax, (v) revaluations, (vi) automated valuation model and (vii) computer assisted mass appraisal. [48046]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The VOA has produced no training videos or DVDs since 2002. E-learning has replaced the use of videos to supplement face to face training.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of advice to staff on Health and Safety in the Field, produced by the Valuation Office Agency. [48053]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: A copy of what the Valuation Office Agency makes permanently available to its staff on Health and Safety in the field is being placed in the Library of the House.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidelines regulate access by (a) the public, (b) private sector organisations and (c) local authorities to the data used to assess the valuations of domestic properties by the Valuation Office Agency. [48054]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Disclosure of confidential information to third parties by the Valuation Office Agency is only permitted in the circumstances prescribed by section 18(2) and (3) of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005.
Section 28 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and regulations made thereunder governs publication of the Council Tax Valuation List.