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8 Jan 2008 : Column 508W—continued
Valuation Office: Manpower
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff are employed by the Valuation Office Agency for undertaking work relating to (a) council tax valuations and (b) business rate valuations. [176249]
Jane Kennedy: At 2 January 2008, the VGA employed 4,037 full time equivalent staff of whom approximately 3,500 were engaged on council tax valuations and business rate valuations. As staff work flexibly across these local taxation activities, according to work demands, no further breakdown is available.
Valuation Office: Ordnance Survey
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what use the Valuation Office Agency makes of Ordnance Survey maps and datasets to calculate the plot sizes of residential properties. [176446]
Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency uses digital mapping tools, based on Ordnance Survey maps and datasets, to help determine plot sizes for residential properties.
Valuation Office: Rightmove
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency plans to exercise the option in its contract with Rightmove.co.uk plc to extend the term for a further 12 months. [176422]
Jane Kennedy: It is not normal practice to disclose commercially sensitive information.
Valuation Office: Training
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's eLearning module The Role of the AVM. [176405]
Jane Kennedy: This module was produced for internal staff training purposes in preparation for the (now postponed) council tax revaluation in England. It has been withdrawn from use.
Valuation Office: Travel
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tonnes of carbon dioxide were offset against travel by the Valuation Office Agency in the last year for which figures are available. [176416]
Jane Kennedy: This figure is displayed, along with further information about the GCOF, in the public domain on the Defra website at:
Valuation Office: Video Recordings
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the titles were of the 25 internal videos produced for staff on the Valuation Office Agency's wide area network since October 2004. [176428]
Jane Kennedy: The information is as follows.
World Class Video Magazines—Spring, Summer and Autumn 2006
Andrew Hudson—On the way ahead for the Agency
The new restructured Human Resources Directorate
IRRV Conference 2004—Brighton
Out and About in Peterborough
Andrew Hudson Staff Survey 2004
Head of Customer Services—Freedom of Information Act 2000
A New Year message from Andrew Hudson
Staff Survey 2004—Insight into results (Andrew Hudson—CEO)
Message from ODPM client (March, 2005)
Introducing the new intranet
Right First Time Introduction
Message from CLG client (September 2005)
Next steps for the Agency—Andrew Hudson Chief Executive (November 2005)
Moving forward into 2006—A message from Andrew Hudson
BPS Introduction
Achieving World Class—Back-Up Recording of Live Broadcast
Achievements and Challenges—Video Message from Andrew Hudson (31.07.06)
New functions for the VOA—29 November 2006
New Year Message—Tuesday 16 January 2007
2007-08 Forward Plan Message—Andrew Hudson
Delivering the Vision—Where we are at the half-way milestone
The Rent Service
Valuation: Licensed Premises
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether section 825 of the Valuation Office Agency's Rating Manual Volume 5 has been updated in light of the Licensing Act 2003. [176248]
Jane Kennedy: The Rating Manual section on public houses, licensed restaurants and wine bars is being reviewed and comprehensively rewritten, and will incorporate all necessary charges.
Valuation: Shops
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency’s zoning of shops handbook guidance. [176251]
Jane Kennedy: A copy of the Valuation Office Agency’s zoning of shops handbook guidance—“It’s all a question of zoning” has been placed in the Library.
VAT: Crown Dependencies
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which categories of products illegal to market in the UK qualify for relief from value added tax under the Low Value Consignment Relief Scheme when imported for personal use from the Crown dependencies. [176949]
Jane Kennedy: Any goods which can legitimately be imported for personal use and which fulfil the relevant criteria, may benefit from the Low Value Consignment Relief scheme if the total value of the consignment does not exceed £18.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons personal imports from the Channel Islands of certain food supplements and herbal remedies which cannot be marketed in the UK directly are exempt from liability for value added tax (VAT) under the Low Value Consignment Relief Scheme; what assessment he has made of the impact of such exemptions on health food retailers and mail order companies in the UK; when he next plans to review his policy on such VAT exemptions; and if he will make a statement. [176950]
Jane Kennedy: Goods imported into the United Kingdom from the Channel Islands are subject to import VAT in the same way as goods imported from any country outside the European Union.
However, under European Community legislation, import VAT is not payable on commercial consignments, if the total value of the goods in the consignment does not exceed £18.
There is no prohibition on the importation of food supplements for personal use within the EC Food Supplement Directive, with the exception within the UK of Kava-Kava containing foodstuffs. Therefore UK Customs must apply the VAT exemption rules until the policy on the import of such goods is changed.
No assessment has been made on specific products imported under the Import VAT Accounting Scheme, but the scheme is very closely monitored taking into account the revenue consequences and the impact on the UK market.
VAT: Home Information Packs
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been collected by HM Revenue and Customs in VAT on home information packs. [176450]
Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on VAT from individual goods and services.
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