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16 Oct 2009 : Column 1109W—continued
Council Tax
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the expenditure of each local authority in England was raised from council tax in the latest period for which figures are available. [292695]
Barbara Follett: I have placed in the Library of the House a table showing the latest estimates of the percentage of revenue expenditure financed by council tax by each local authority in England for 2008-09.
Council Tax: Ministers of Religion
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance his Department has given to billing authorities on (a) the categories of duty which a minister of religion should be able to demonstrate in order to be eligible for a Class E or Class H council tax exemption, (b) the definition of a minister of religion and (c) the religions which are recognised for the purpose of this exemption. [292708]
Barbara Follett: On 21 September 1994 the then Department of Environment sent to chief finance officers of billing authorities the following guidance:
"Under class E of S1 1992/551, the owner of a dwelling is liable to pay the council tax in respect of it if it is
"a dwelling which is inhabited by a minister of religion of any religious denomination as a residence from which he performs the duties of his office."
Under class H of SI 1992/558, a dwelling is exempt from the council tax if it is
"an unoccupied dwelling which is held for the purpose of being available for occupation by a minister of any religious denomination as a residence from which to perform the duties of his office."
The term "minister of religion" is not defined in the Act. Neither is the concept of occupying a property as a residence from which to conduct the duties of the office of a minister of religion. Authorities must consider the facts of each case in determining whether or not the person who inhabits, or for whom a property is held, is a minister of religion, and whether or not the property is used or held for use as a residence from which a minister of religion conducts the duties of his office.
In the Department's view a person might normally be considered a minister of religion if his duties include at least some of the following:
conducting religious worship;
providing pastoral care, especially to those who are sick, distressed or needy;
conducting weddings, funerals or baptisms (or their equivalent);
providing leadership to local members of his denomination;
overseeing the ministry of others who perform these functions, providing them with support and pastoral care.
It is also the Department's view that, in considering whether or not a minister conducts his duties from a property, regard may normally be had to whether he is available at that property to provide pastoral care, or whether business relating to his role as minister is conducted there. It is the Department's view that it would not normally be sufficient for a minister merely to reside in the property and undertake his private worship there."
Council Tax: Valuation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model has been used to assist in the amendment of council tax bandings; and whether the model is connected to his Department's council tax banding support tool. [292714]
Barbara Follett: The information is as follows.
(a) The AVM has not been used directly to assist in the amendment of council tax bandings.
(b) The council tax banding support tool was developed using automated valuation modelling techniques.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent from the public purse to date on (a) the 2007 council tax revaluation and (b) computer databases and data gathering associated with that revaluation. [292739]
Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for East Ham (Mr. Timms) on 7 July 2009, Official Report, column 775W.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2009, Official Report, column 190W, on council tax, (1) how many dwellings in England have been assigned the value significant code of OS (patio) in each local authority area, or in each equivalent local administrative area that the Valuation Office Agency's database uses, in the most recent period for which figures are available; [292853]
(2) how many homes in each local authority area have a (a) GG value significant code and (b) OS code; [293206]
(3) with reference to the Valuation Office Agency's reply to request 11437929.1/CEO/TE made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, if he will place in the Library a copy of the chart showing the number of dwellings assigned with each individual dwellinghouse code and each individual value significant code across England in the most recent period for which figures are available; [293257]
(4) how many dwellings in each local billing authority, or closest administrative unit used by the Valuation Office Agency, have been recorded with a (a) VC and (b) VE value significant code. [293350]
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2009, Official Report, column 25W, on council tax: valuation, for what reasons the automated valuation model (AVM) is not being used for council tax valuations and revaluations; what use is being made of the AVM database; and whether the database is being updated with property attribute information. [293015]
Barbara Follett: The automated valuation model (AVM) is not being used for a council tax revaluation as there is no revaluation taking place. It is not being used for individual council tax valuations, as it was developed as a tool for mass appraisal and is not an efficient tool for valuing individual properties.
There is no AVM database. The AVM accesses the Valuation Office Agency's digitised database of property records.
The Valuation Office Agency's digitised database of property records is continually updated with property attribute information as part of ongoing work in connection with maintaining current council tax valuation lists.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties within the Wiltshire County Council area are recorded with each individual (a) dwelling house code and (b) value significant code, including each individual (i) type, (ii) number of rooms, (iii) number of bedrooms, (iv) number of bathrooms, (v) number of floors, (vi) floor level, (vii) parking, (viii) garaging, (ix) conservatory type, (x) age, (xi) outbuilding and (xii) modernisation code according to electronic records held by the Valuation Office Agency. [293105]
Barbara Follett: The number of properties with each individual dwellinghouse code and each value significant code, for all local authority areas in England, will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the minimum size is of an external building next to a domestic dwelling which can be classified as an outbuilding by the Valuation Office Agency for the purposes of its dwellinghouse coding for council tax valuations. [293321]
Barbara Follett: None, but an external structure must be value significant to be recorded as an outbuilding for the purposes of dwellinghouse coding.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes have been made to the (a) eligibility and (b) ability of households to appeal against their council tax banding since May 1997. [293346]
Barbara Follett: There have been no changes to the eligibility of households to make proposals against their council tax bands.
Facilities to make a proposal became more accessible in June 2002 when the Valuation Office Agency introduced an application onto its website that allowed proposals to be made online.
Since 1 April 2008, taxpayers who have made a proposal and are unhappy with the decision of the Valuation Office Agency's listing officer can now appeal directly to an independent Valuation Tribunal.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government during what period of time a homeowner is able to appeal against the council tax band of their property. [293349]
Barbara Follett: There are limited circumstances in which a formal challenge (known as a 'proposal') will be accepted by the Valuation Office Agency as having been validly made, some of which are subject to a time limit. A person may, for example, make a proposal to alter the council tax banding of their property within six months of becoming the council tax payer. Further details of the circumstances and time limits are available from the Valuation Office Agency's website at:
If, having made a valid proposal, a householder is unhappy with the decision made by the Valuation Office Agency's Listing Officer; an appeal can be made to an independent Valuation Tribunal within three months of that decision.
Anyone who has concerns that their property's council tax band is incorrect should contact the local listing officer who may amend the banding if there is sufficient evidence to justify it.
Departmental Cost Effectiveness
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets his Department has been set for achieving value for money in its operations; and what progress has been made in meeting those targets. [293260]
Barbara Follett: The Department's value for money targets and its plans to achieve these are set out in the 2009 Department annual report (chapter 9, page 150). In summary, the comprehensive spending review 2007 (CSR07) set the Department a target to achieve £887 million vfm gains by March 2011, comprising of:
£734 million through the supply of new affordable housing;
£110 million from the Fire and Rescue Service;
£43 million by reducing the cost of running the Department.
Progress against these targets will be published in the Department's 2009 autumn performance report.
Departmental Databases
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what (a) information and (b) datasets held on the Places Database (i) are not accessible to the public via the Places internet interface and (ii) are only accessible from within his Department; [292750]
(2) which datasets are contained on his Department's Places Database. [292754]
Mr. Ian Austin: All the data and information that are held within the Places Database are accessible to the public.
The information requested on each the datasets contained on the Places Database has been deposited in the Library of the House.
Departmental Manpower
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009, Official Report, column 2007W, on departmental manpower, what the (a) job titles and (b) divisions are of each of the 59.5 full-time equivalent staff on fixed term contracts. [292861]
Barbara Follett: The following table sets out the division and grade of the full-time equivalent staff on fixed term contracts, according to our personnel records as requested.
| Grade | |||||||
| Location | AO and equivalent | EO and equivalent | HEO and equivalent | SEO and equivalent | G7and equivalent | G6 and equivalent | SCS |
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