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12 Mar 2009 : Column 724W—continued
The figures for intelligence include the network of overseas fiscal crime liaison officers (FCLOs), who cover around 48 countries. However, the numbers and locations of FCLOs is sensitive information and cannot be disclosed.
Stamp Duty Land Tax
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many housing transactions to date have been affected by the temporary increase in the stamp duty land tax threshold; and what estimate he has made of the revenue to the Exchequer forgone as a result of the higher threshold. [262535]
Ian Pearson: Between the start of the temporary increase in the stamp duty land tax threshold and the end of January it is estimated that 63,000 housing transactions purchased at between £125,000 and £175,000 had their stamp duty land tax bill reduced to nil.
The estimated exchequer cost of the stamp duty land tax holiday, published in the pre-Budget report, was £280 million.
Valuation Office: Freedom of Information
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what requests have been made to the Valuation Office Agency under the (a) Freedom of Information Act 2000 and (b) Environmental Information Regulations 2004 in the last 12 months; and what the (i) case reference number, (ii) nature of information requested and (iii) request outcome was in each case; and, in respect of those cases where the request was denied, what the reason for exemption was. [262539]
Mr. Timms: The Valuation Office Agency’s 2008 Freedom of Information Act statistics on their requests, including (i), (ii), (iii), with their Environmental Information Regulations request statistics, will be finalised at the end of the current financial year (2008-09) for publication on the Ministry of Justice website. I will place a copy of these statistics in the Library at the same time.
Valuation Office: Rent Service
Mr. Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 29 January 2009, Official Report, columns 684-85W, on the Valuation Office: Rent Service, and with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for
Welwyn Hatfield of 20 November 2008, Official Report, column 776W, on the Valuation Office: reorganisation, what property attributes and information the Rent Service held prior to its transfer to the Valuation Office Agency. [262612]
Mr. Timms: The property attributes and information held by the Rent Service required for the majority of the cases that are subject to a rent officer function includes:
the type of residential property;
the number of living rooms;
the number of bedrooms;
information on kitchen facilities
information on bathroom and toilet facilities;
information on any outbuildings and their use;
information on the accessibility of statutory services;
details of the tenancy including:
the term
the commencement date
the rent
the provision of any services
the provision of any furniture
as appropriate, any special terms
Additionally, the property attributes and information held by the Rent Service required for a minority of the cases that are subject to a rent officer function, in addition to the above, includes:
the age of the property;
the size of the accommodation;
the method of heating;
the state of repair;
details of any disrepair attributable to the tenant;
details of any improvements carried out by the tenant;
further details of the tenancy:
a copy of any:
lease
agreement
inventory
schedule of services
repairing liabilities
terms for the treatment of any service charges
details of any gardens/grounds and their use.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 29 January 2009, Official Report, columns 684-85W, on the Valuation Office: Rent Service, and with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 20 November 2008, Official Report, column 776W, on the Valuation Office: reorganisation, whether property attribute information held by the Rent Service will be utilised by the Valuation Office Agency for council tax valuation purposes. [262613]
Mr. Timms: With effect from 1 April 2009, all property attribute information formerly held by the Rent Service will be transferred to the Valuation Office Agency.
Valuation Office: Rightmove
Mr. Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated cost to the Valuation Office Agency in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10 of the
service provided by Rightmove following the extension of the contract between HM Revenue and Customs and Rightmove.co.uk plc is. [262499]
Mr. Timms: Payments to third parties will be published in the Valuation Office Agency’s Report and Accounts in due course.
VAT
Mrs. May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the average annual saving to be made by (a) all households and (b) working age households without children in each income decile as a result of the reduction in the rate of value added tax to 15 per cent; [262312]
(2) what estimate he has made of the average annual saving to be made by households as a result of the reduction in the rate of value added tax to 15 per cent. where the head of the household was aged (a) 25 years or under, (b) 26 to 30, (c) 31 to 35, (d) 36 to 40, (e) 41 to 45, (f) 46 to 50, (g) 51 to 55, (h) 56 to 60, (i) 61 to 65, (j) 66 to 70, (k) 71 to 75, (l) 76 to 80 and (m) over 80 years. [262314]
Mr. Timms: Table 14 in ‘The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes, 2006-07’
presents information on spending on VAT, on average, accounted for by households in each income decile.
Household spending patterns vary widely within deciles and household types, so estimates of savings on such a basis should be treated with caution. This is exacerbated by there being greater sampling variability associated with estimates for deciles and groups of given household types due to the relatively small sample sizes.
Subject to these caveats, the following tables provide estimates of the benefit of the VAT reduction, for all households and for non-retired households without children, by income decile based on figures for average expenditures on VAT published by the ONS in their article ‘The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes, 2006-07’. Figures for average expenditures on VAT by age of the head of the household are not available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The estimates assume the majority of the VAT reduction will be passed on to consumers in the form of lower prices in line with past experience, and that spending patterns remain unchanged.
| Decile groups of all households ranked by equivalised disposable income | |
| Saving (percentage of gross income) | |
| Decile groups of non-retired households without children ranked by equivalised disposable income | |
| Saving (percentage of gross income) | |
Written Questions: Government Responses
Paul Holmes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer question 248252, on loss of departmental property, tabled on 12 January 2009. [262505]
Angela Eagle: I have replied to the hon. Member.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to answer question 247992 tabled on 12 January 2009, on small businesses; what the reason is for the time taken to reply; and if he will make a statement. [263294]
Angela Eagle: Question 247992 was transferred to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The hon. Gentleman was notified of the transfer in the usual way.
Communities and Local Government
Allotments
Mr. Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her
Department’s policy on the sale for development of allotments is. [262322]
Mr. Iain Wright: Local authorities are required under section 8 of the Allotments Acts 1925 to obtain consent from the Secretary of State to dispose of statutory allotments. Consent cannot be given unless the Secretary of State is satisfied that certain criteria are met. These criteria are as follows:
the allotment in question is not necessary and is surplus to requirement;
adequate alternative provision will be made for displaced plot holders;
the number of people on the waiting list has been taken into account;
that the authority have actively promoted and publicised the availability of sites and have consulted the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners; and
the implications of disposal for other relevant policies, in particular development plan policies, have been taken into account.
In addition, planning policy guidance note 17 Open Space, Sport and Recreation, requires that existing open space, including allotments should not be built on unless an assessment has been undertaken by the local planning authority which has clearly shown the open space to be surplus to local requirements.
Business Improvement Districts
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what business improvement districts have been established in each local authority area in each year since 1997. [262429]
John Healey: The following table shows the BIDs that have been established to date in each local authority area.
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