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19 Mar 2008 : Column 1224W—continued
Valuation Office: Cole Layer Trumble
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultancy work Cole Layer Trumble/Tyler Technologies (CLT) is providing to the Valuation Office Agency further to CLT’s contract with CapGemini in relation to council tax (a) valuations and (b) revaluations. [194773]
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what office space is provided to representatives of Cole Layer Trumble/Tyler Technologies by the Valuation Office Agency in relation to their work for the agency. [194774]
Valuation Office: Documents
Robert Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency plans to introduce an electronic document and records management system. [192324]
Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency has yet to decide if it will introduce an electronic document and records management system.
Valuation Office: ICT
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of the user guides for the Valuation Office Agency’s (a) server version of OASIS and (b) automated valuation model software. [194772]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 250W to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman).
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2008, Official Report, column 508W, on the Valuation Office: ICT, what the budget for the development of the geographic information system is. [194786]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the previous answer given by my hon. Friend the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury on 17 March 2008, Official Report, column 887W.
Mr. Pickles:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2008, Official Report, column 508W, on the Valuation Office: ICT,
whether the Geographic Information System will be integrated into the Automated Valuation Model. [194787]
Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency’s business requirement is that the proposed Geographic Information System will integrate with its existing property-related applications, including the automated valuation model technology.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2008, Official Report, column 508W, on the Valuation Office: ICT, whether the geographic information system will be used to assist the Valuation Office Agency’s work on council tax valuations. [194788]
Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency’s (VGA’s) proposed Geographic Information System (GIS) will better manage, display and analyse the VOA’s property-related information in geo-spatial form. This will allow the Agency to undertake a number of its functions, including those statutory duties relating to council tax, in a more efficient and effective way.
Valuation Office: Rightmove
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 31 January 2008, Official Report, column 680W, on the Valuation Office Agency: Rightmove, what the timetable is for the Valuation Office Agency to come to its operational decision on whether to extend the contract. [194508]
Jane Kennedy: No firm timetable has been set.
VAT: Administration
James Brokenshire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time for processing new value added tax registrations was in each of the last 12 months. [195645]
Jane Kennedy: The average processing times for VAT registration applications for the last 12 months is as follows:
| Period | Average time taken (in days ) |
The significant upturn in performance in recent months reflects the improvement measures introduced by HM Revenue and Customs to tackle the difficulties that there have been with registering new businesses for VAT.
VAT: Fraud
Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of the identity cards scheme to the tackling of missing trader intra-community fraud. [195096]
Jane Kennedy: The National Identity Scheme Delivery Plan 2008 puts emphasis on opportunities for individuals to assert and protect their identities. The scheme was published on 6 March 2008 and seeks views on how to deliver benefits to card holders.
A copy of the delivery plan can be found at:
Welfare Tax Credits
Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time taken was to respond to public enquiries on tax credits by HM Revenue and Customs offices in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [195246]
Jane Kennedy: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 18 February 2008, Official Report, columns 368-69W to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban).
It is not possible to provide information about the average time taken to respond to tax credits inquiries made to all HM Revenue and Customs offices.
Welfare Tax Credits: Appeals
Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the time period is in which individuals may appeal against a decision made by tax credit offices; and if he will make a statement; [195243]
(2) what arrangements are in place to inform individuals of their right to appeal decisions made by tax credit offices; [195244]
(3) how many appeals were made in each of the last 10 years against decisions made by tax credit offices; and if he will make a statement. [195245]
Jane Kennedy: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) and the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) on 11 March 2008, Official Report, columns 371-72W.
Information concerning appeals can be found in the HMRC leaflet WTC/AP ‘How to appeal against a tax credits decision or award’ which is available on the internet at:
Working tax credit and child tax credit were introduced in April 2003 and tax credits award notices include a message about a claimant’s right of appeal.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Data Protection Act 1998: Prosecutions
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what penalties and further obligations have been imposed on organisations or individuals who have been successfully prosecuted under the (a) Data Protection Act 1998 and (b) Computer Misuse Act 1990 over the last 12 months. [190696]
Mr. Thomas: BERR has not prosecuted any offences under either the Data Protection Act 1998 or the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in the past 12 months.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many Wikipedia entries have been (a) created and (b) amended (i) by (A) officials, broken down by advisers, communications officials and other officials and (B) Ministers and (ii) from departmental IP addresses and (iii) from IP addresses of (1) officials, broken down by special advisers, communications officials and other officials and (2) Ministers in (x) his Department and (y) its agencies since August 2005. [195191]
Mr. Thomas [holding answer 18 March 2008]: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Official Visits
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost was of overnight accommodation for (a) civil servants, (b) special advisers and (c) Ministers in his Department staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in the last 12 months. [193524]
Mr. Thomas: The total cost for overnight accommodation in the last 12 months (March 2007-February 2008) was:
(i) Mainland Great Britain—£794,048
(ii) Northern Ireland—£0.00
(iii) Republic of Ireland—£2,769
(iv) Other countries—£285,403
The Department does not separately record the overnight accommodation undertaken by (a) civil servants, (b) special advisers and (c) Ministers—to provide this information would entail disproportionate costs.
Departmental Written Questions
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many written questions to his Department had not received an answer as at 25 February 2008 for (a) between two and four, (b) between four and six, (c) between six and eight and (d) more than eight weeks; and how many in each category were tabled for named day answer. [193391]
Mr. Thomas: The details for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform written questions answered between the beginning of this session and 25 February are as follows:
| Weeks delayed | Number | Of which: named day |
During this period, the Department answered a total of 1,534 questions.
Employment Agencies
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many agency workers were employed by his Department on the latest date for which figures are available. [194888]
Mr. Thomas [holding answer 17 March 2008]: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform currently employs 57 temporary agency workers.
EU Internal Trade
Mr. Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was (a) exported to and (b) imported from other EU member states by the UK (i) in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available and (ii) in each year since 1978. [195367]
Mr. Thomas: Estimates of United Kingdom trade in goods and services with the European Union 27 are only available from 1999. The latest estimates are shown in the following table.
| £ billion | ||
| UK exports of goods and services | ||
| To EU27 | From EU27 | |
| Source: ONS Balance of Payments statistics. | ||
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