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27 Feb 2009 : Column 1184W—continued
Inheritance Tax: Housing
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households claimed inheritance tax loss on sale relief in the last 12 months; and what the thresholds and criteria are for claiming the relief. [258409]
Mr. Timms: Those liable for inheritance tax on the value of (a) qualifying investments (broadly quoted shares) and (b) land or buildings, which were part of the deceased's estate, and who sell the assets for a lower value than that originally returned, may claim, subject to certain conditions, that the sale price is the value to be adopted for inheritance tax purposes. The sales must take place within 12 months of the death for qualifying investments, and within four years of death for land and buildings. More details are available on HM Revenue and Customs' website at:
An estimated 1,700 estates made claims for loss on sale relief in respect of qualifying investments in year 2007-08, with a further 3,300 estates making claims between April 2008 and November 2008.
An estimated 3,000 estates made claims for loss on sale relief in respect of land and buildings in year 2007-08, with a further 3,000 estates making claims between April 2008 and November 2008.
Insurance: Construction
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from the construction industry and its associated industries on reductions in credit insurance cover. [258695]
Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.
Interest Rates
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monthly interest rate was for the period (a) six months before and (b) immediately following the first quarter of negative growth in the recession of 1992; and what it was in the six months (i) before and (ii) after July 2008. [250732]
Ian Pearson: A comprehensive set of historical interest rate data is available online from the Bank of England's website at:
Local Government Finance
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward financial measures to assist local authorities in delivering their capital programmes in circumstances where anticipated finance from capital receipts is reduced owing to falls in property and asset values. [259600]
Angela Eagle: Local authorities are responsible for determining their own capital spending plans and associated financing. The introduction of the prudential borrowing regime and the ending of ‘set aside’ of capital receipts from 1 April 2004 has given local authorities greater flexibility and discretion to manage the financing of these plans. This, alongside bringing forward to 2009-10 capital investment from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), in respect of the fiscal stimulus, will ensure that local authorities are well placed to maintain capital expenditure plans during the economic downturn.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will discuss with (a) the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and (b) local government representatives measures to relax (i) capital financing and (ii) tendering rules for local government expenditure as measures to support the economy; and if he will make a statement. [259604]
Angela Eagle: HM Treasury meets regularly with the Department for Communities and Local Government and representatives from local government to discuss a range of issues, including the impact of the economic downturn on localities.
Mass Media
Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of his Department’s contracts with press monitoring services was in each of the last five years. [251218]
Angela Eagle: For information on the last three years, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 November 2008, Official Report, column 1981W, to the hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mr. Hunt).
Prior year information is not readily available and could not be provided within the disproportionate costs threshold.
Non-Domestic Rates: Small Businesses
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he and his officials have had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the effect of the national non-domestic rate (NNDR) on the viability of small and medium-sized enterprises; what representations he has received on the (a) level and (b) future levels of NNDR; what recent estimate he made of the (i) cost to the Exchequer of and (ii) number of additional properties which would benefit from (A) not implementing the 2009-10 increase in NNDR and (B) extending the small business rate relief scheme to (1) properties under £20,000 rateable value outside London and (2) properties under £30,000 rateable value outside London and simultaneously amending the small business multiplier to (x) 40 pence, (y) 42 pence and (z) 44 pence; and if he will make a statement. [258725]
Angela Eagle: Treasury Ministers and officials work closely with CLG and other relevant governmental Departments on national non-domestic rates (NNDR).
Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of such representations.
Freezing NNDR for all commercial properties for 2009-10 would cost the Exchequer almost £1 billion in business rates foregone.
No estimates have been made of the impact of amending small business rate relief (SBRR) or the small business multiplier to the levels set out in the question. The cost of such changes would be borne by other ratepayers.
Ocean View Properties
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Financial Services Authority has made of the number of individuals who may have lost money in the Ocean View Properties International Ltd. property case; and what steps are being taken to assist those individuals. [258398]
Mr. Timms: Ocean View Properties International Ltd. was not regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) because it did not carry on any FSA regulated business. It has therefore never been the direct subject of inquiry by the FSA.
There are firms connected with Ocean View Properties that were at one time authorized by the FSA. The FSA has cancelled their authorisations and is carrying on an investigation into those firms. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.
I express my sympathy to anyone who has lost money in this case, and would urge them to contact their local police force, to pass on any relevant information or evidence, if they have not already done so.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assumed hourly cost to departments of the work required from civil servants in preparing answers to questions is used to calculate whether a parliamentary Question would incur a disproportionate cost; and what changes to the assumed cost for the preparation of an answer there have been since 1997. [258378]
Angela Eagle: When applying the disproportionate cost threshold (DCT) Departments calculate cost using the actual marginal cost of staff time required to provide an answer.
Marginal cost is the direct cost of civil servants’ time and excludes the fixed costs of the Department. A Department can choose to apply the DCT where this marginal cost is calculated as exceeding the threshold, currently set at £750.
Public Sector: Hospitality
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who holds records on the use of the Expotel hotel booking service for the public sector, as appointed to the OGCbuying.solutions framework; and which public sector bodies use this service. [258372]
Angela Eagle: OGCbuying.solutions hold details of usage of the framework by all customer Departments at summary level. Typical data held is non-personal information such as how many trips and the cost of trips within a given period.
Individual public sector Departments hold data on their use of the contract in more detail to enable them to manage spend in this area as well as comply with health and safety requirements and environmental considerations. Data held at a public sector departmental level is typically who has travelled, the method of travel and where an individual is staying.
Public Works Loan Board
Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average interest rate paid by local authorities for loans for capital schemes from the Public Works Loans Board is. [258963]
Angela Eagle: At 31 March 2008, the average rate on all loans, fixed and variable, was 5.722 per cent.
Regional Economic Council
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times the regional economic council has met; and where each meeting was held. [258407]
Angela Eagle: The regional economic council has met twice. The first meeting was held 5 November 2009 in London. The second meeting, on 5 January 2009, was also held in London.
The third meeting will be held on 2 March 2009 and will be held in Reading.
Revenue and Customs: Manpower
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the percentage level of staff turnover was for (a) HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff and (b) HMRC staff working in contact centres in the last year for which information is available. [258412]
Mr. Timms: For the year ended 31 December 2008 the percentage level of staff turnover, based on the number of people who left the department, was for (a) HM Revenue and Customs 8.77 per cent. and (b) HMRC contact centres 15.76 per cent.
Revenue and Customs: Standards
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many tax credit (a) claims and (b) claimants were affected by technical difficulties at HM Revenue and Customs in 2005-06; what measures have been put in place to resolve such difficulties; and if he will make a statement; [258484]
(2) how many tax credit claims have been (a) affected by and (b) delayed as a result of (i) IT problems and (ii) other technical difficulties at HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessor in each of the last five years; [258486]
(3) how many tax credit claims were unpaid for (a) over one year, (b) over two years, (c) over three years, (d) over four years and (e) five years or more as a result of (i) IT problems and (ii) other technical difficulties at HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessor. [258487]
Mr. Timms: The information is not available. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) works continuously with its IT provider to identify and resolve tax credits claims affected by technical difficulties.
Where there are IT problems or other technical difficulties, HMRC maintains affected tax credits claims by sending manual cash cheque payments to its customers.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what average length of time HM Revenue and Customs took to (a) process and (b) award a tax credit claim in the last 12 months; [258485]
(2) what procedures HM Revenue and Customs has in place to ensure the (a) accurate, (b) swift and (c) efficient payment of tax credits. [258488]
Mr. Timms: For information about processing times I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Northavon (Steve Webb) on 24 February 2009, Official Report, column 535W.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publish procedural guidance for staff handling tax credits claims on the department's website at:
More generally, Section 2 of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1921 requires the Comptroller and Auditor General to examine the accounts of HMRC to ascertain that adequate regulations and procedure have been framed to secure an effective check on the assessment, collection and proper allocation of revenue and that they are being duly carried out, and to report
the results to the House of Commons. His reports are published on the National Audit Office website at:
Revenue and Customs: Working Hours
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff working at HM Revenue and Customs contact centres have (a) requested and (b) been granted flexible working hours. [258410]
Mr. Timms: To ensure that HM Revenue and Customs provides an appropriate service to its customers during its contact centre opening hours of 8am to 8pm, seven days a week, the Department's contact centres utilise over 50 different shift patterns. These provide a wide range of different working patterns for staff. The number of contact centres staff who have requested or been granted flexible working hours under the Work and Families Act 2006 is not available.
Sick Leave: Revenue and Customs
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average number of days lost to sickness in the latest year for which figures are available for (a) all HM Revenue and Customs staff and (b) HM Revenue and Customs staff working in contact centres. [258644]
Mr. Timms: In the year to 31 December 2008, the average number of working days lost to sickness for the equivalent of each full-time member of staff, was for (a) HM Revenue and Customs 10.37 and for (b) HM Revenue and Customs Contact Centres 17.45.
Stamp Duty Land Tax
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the reasons for the level of take-up of stamp duty land tax relief for zero-carbon homes. [258404]
Ian Pearson: The Government have set a deliberately stretching target that all new homes must be zero carbon by 2016. The stamp duty land tax relief (SDLT) for zero carbon homes was introduced to help kick-start the market for new highly efficient technologies in homes, both for the fabric of the building and in the use of micro-generation, and sets a gold standard for green homes. The Government have committed to conducting an interim review by 2010 of the effectiveness of the relief in stimulating the production of zero carbon homes.
Taxation: Domicile
Colin Burgon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many days in each tax year individuals with taxable income from UK interests are required to spend outside the UK to qualify for non-resident status; when this figure was last reviewed; what plans he has to review it; and if he will make a statement. [259309]
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