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25 Jun 2007 : Column 399Wcontinued
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2007, Official Report, column 2134W, on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), if he will place in the Library copies of staff magazines produced by the VOA since the January 2006 edition. [142401]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 8 January 2007, Official Report, column 432W, which confirmed that a copy of the Valuation Office Agencys staff magazine for June 2006 was placed in the Library. Two subsequent editions have now been placed in the Library.
Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of the Valuation Office Agencys Audit Committee minutes from the last 12 months. [143661]
Dawn Primarolo: The meeting summaries, which will be published on the Valuation Office Agencys (VOA) websitewww.voa.gov.uk;have been placed in the Library.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Valuation Office Agency's target is for increasing the number of photographs of (a) domestic and (b) non-domestic properties held on its electronic database. [145223]
Dawn Primarolo: The VOA has no target to increase the number of photographs on the electronic database.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2007, Official Report, column 1513W, on the Valuation Office: manpower, what the figure was in each year from 1990 to 1999. [145345]
Dawn Primarolo: The numbers of full-time equivalent staff employed by the agency as at the end of March each year are shown in the following table:
Number of full-time equivalent staff | |
The VOA does not retain records prior to 1997. Therefore we are unable to produce Staff In Post reports before this year.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Valuation Office Agency spent on media training in each year since 2001. [145224]
Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency spent £20,000 in 2004 on media training.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the foreign countries which representatives of the Valuation Office Agency have visited on official business since 1 January. [145234]
Dawn Primarolo: Since 1 January 2007, VOA staff visited Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA and Lithuania on official business.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of total uncollected VAT revenues in the last year for which figures are available. [126242]
Dawn Primarolo: Recoverable VAT revenue uncollected at the end of financial year 2005-06 was estimated at £1.1 billion.
This figure is a snapshot of the amount unpaid at the end of the financial year and fluctuates throughout the year.
This debt is being actively managed and will be subject to recovery action, time to pay arrangements, legal proceedings and insolvency action.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the expected (a) gross and (b) net revenue is from VAT on (i) home information packs (HIPs), (ii) the home condition report element of a HIP and (iii) energy performance certificates; [145228]
(2) whether VAT will be payable on the entire contents of a home information pack. [145229]
Dawn Primarolo: The extent to which VAT will be payable on the costs incurred by a prospective house seller in compiling a home information pack will depend on the contents of each individual pack, and on how it is compiled.
HM Revenue and Customs does not have the information required to make these specific estimates.
Mr. Truswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on businesses of the time taken to approve VAT applications; what steps he intends to take to reduce this timescale; and if he will make a statement. [144729]
Dawn Primarolo: It is right that HM Revenue and Customs take steps to prevent abuse of the VAT systemincluding by those who seek to register for fraudulent purposes. While these steps aim to target abuse, HMRC recognise that unacceptable delays for legitimate businesses should be minimised. HMRC are introducing new working practices and processes designed to improve the service.
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007, Official Report, column 1500W, on VAT: registration, how many VAT applications not processed within 21 days of receipt in March 2007 related to (a) mobile telephones, (b) other electrical equipment and (c) other activities. [145175]
Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not record processing times for businesses involved specifically in mobile phones or electrical equipment.
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007, Official Report, column 1500W, on VAT: registration, how many such complaints were from companies seeking VAT registration to conduct business activities relating to (a) mobile telephones, (b) other electrical equipment and (c) other activities. [145177]
Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not record details of the trading activities of businesses that made complaints.
Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much VAT was raised from the sale of solar panels for the latest year for which figures are available. [145884]
Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on VAT from individual goods and services.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of what the expenditure on (a) tax credits and (b) child benefit will be in 2006-07; and on what assumptions including take up rates this figure is based. [144554]
Dawn Primarolo: Provisional estimates of tax credit and child benefit expenditure in 2006-07 is published in Table 1.3b Monthly and quarterly Child and Working Tax Credits and Child Benefit net payments, which is available on the HMRC website at:
These estimates may be subject to revision when definitive annual totals are released with the 2007 HMRC Trust Statement.
No assumptions are made in producing these statistics.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what backlogs there are in HM Revenue and Customs offices of unprocessed (a) tax credit claim forms and (b) declaration forms; and if he will make a statement. [144709]
Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs aims to deal with 86 per cent. of new claims, renewals and changes of circumstances within five working days and 95 per cent. in 30 working days.
The latest figures that are available show there are no backlogs of unprocessed new claims or 2006-07 annual declaration forms.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many of the Parliamentary Ombudsman's recommendations for reform of the tax credit system were fully implemented as at 31 May; and if he will make a statement; [144710]
(2) what steps are being taken to bring to the attention of tax credit claimants their potential entitlement to additional payments due to in-year restrictions on recovery; [144740]
(3) what action has been taken to implement a period of notice before recovery of a tax credit overpayment; what period of notice is to be given; and if he will make a statement; [144741]
(4) what action had been taken as at 31 May 2007 to ensure that all claimants who are asked to repay overpaid tax credits are automatically made aware of the reasons for any overpayment; and if he will make a statement; [144742]
(5) why the Government have not implemented the Parliamentary Ombudsman's third recommendation on tax credits in relation to displaying appeal rights on overpayments on the award notice; and if he will make a statement; [144743]
(6) what action his Department takes to notify tax credit claimants of the circumstances in which they can have recovery of overpaid tax credits waived; and if he will make a statement; [144744]
(7) pursuant to the debate of 15 March 2007, Official Report, column 181WH, on tax credits, what the evidential basis was for the statement by the Paymaster General that the vast majority of the Parliamentary Ombudsman's recommendations on tax credits had been implemented; and if he will make a statement. [144750]
Dawn Primarolo: Progress against each of the ombudsmans recommendations of her report, Tax Credits: Putting Things Right (HC 124), can be seen in the following table:
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