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22 Oct 2009 : Column 1671W—continued
Council Tax: Valuation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors the Valuation Office Agency requires a bathroom in a dwelling to have to meet the bathroom classification under the council tax dwellinghouse coding system; and what classification is applied to a room with a toilet and sink only. [294515]
Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the Valuation Office Agency's Property Details Guide, which is available on its website at
Crown Estates: Parliamentary Questions
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 6 May 2009, Official Report, column 178W, on trade unions, on what matters relating to the Crown Estate he takes responsibility for answering Parliamentary Questions. [294436]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Crown Estate's role is defined by statute through The Crown Estate Act 1961. Treasury Ministers answer parliamentary questions on Crown Estate issues covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland, on the advice of the Crown Estate Office.
The Secretary of State for Scotland handles matters dealing with The Crown Estate in Scotland.
Housing: Valuation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a conservatory with a dwellinghouse coded D has a greater value weighting than a conservatory with a dwellinghouse codes under the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model. [294529]
Ian Pearson: A conservatory may add to value., depending on its size and quality.
Iraq Committee of Inquiry
Mr. Hague: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he has received a request to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry; [293562]
(2) how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have received requests to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry; and if he will make a statement. [293565]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the Prime Minister on 19 October 2009, Official Report, column 1210W.
Local Government: Assets
Mr. Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 October 2009, Official Report, columns 23-8WS, on sale of Government assets, whether any receipts of proposed sales of local authority assets will accrue to the Exchequer. [293673]
Mr. Byrne: Excepting certain receipts from the sale of housing land and dwellings that are required to be pooled centrally or surrendered, English local authorities are free to use capital receipts from asset sales to support capital investment, repay debt, invest to earn interest or any combination of these. The decision rests with the local authority concerned.
Non-domestic Rates: Valuation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 13 May 2009, Official Report, column 848W, on council tax: valuation, what (a) property attributes and (b) geo-spatial factors were taken into account when reviewing the sub-location codes for the revaluation of non-domestic rates. [294442]
Ian Pearson: Sub-locations are codes used by the VOA to group properties with similar characteristics for non-domestic rating purposes. Regard is had to factual characteristics such as property type, quality and location or a combination. No maps are maintained.
Operational Efficiency Programme
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to report on the conclusions of Sir Gerry Grimstone's review of the operational efficiency of (a) the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency, (b) the Royal Mint and (c) the Land Registry. [293955]
Mr. Byrne: The "Operational Efficiency Programme: final report", published in April 2009 stated that there would be an update on the Gerry Grimstone's strand of the Operational Efficiency Programme at the 2009 pre-Budget report.
Private Finance Initiative: Costs
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to reduce the costs associated with private finance initiatives. [294914]
Ian Pearson: HM Treasury provides a wide range of guidance and support to Departments and procuring authorities on managing the cost of private finance initiatives throughout the procurement cycle. This material is available on the Department's website at:
Tax Allowances: Fuel Oil
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will consider introducing tax exemption for mineralogical processes which use recovered fuel oil; [294959]
(2) what the difference is in the tax treatment on the use of recovered fuel oil in the (a) steel, (b) electricity and (c) lime manufacturing industries; and if he will make a statement. [294960]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government keep all taxes under review. Any changes to tax policy are announced by the Chancellor as part of his Budget judgment in the normal Budget and pre-Budget report process.
Recovered fuel oil used in blast furnaces is not subject to fuel duty as the oil is being used as a chemical reductant rather than as a fuel. Fuels used to generate electricity are exempt from duty to avoid double taxation since electricity is subject to climate change levy. Recovered fuel oil used in the lime manufacturing industry is subject to duty at the same rate as fuel oil, the fuel for which it most commonly substitutes. This rate is 10.37p per litre.
Taxation: Betting
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change tax arrangements for fixed odds betting terminals. [294865]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government are currently consulting on the taxation of gaming machines, including the taxation of fixed odds betting terminals. The consultation discusses whether the current system of amusement machine licence duty (AMLD) and VAT should be replaced with a gross profits tax (GPT).
The consultation ends on 23 October 2009, and can be found on the Treasury website:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consult_gaming machines_taxation.htm
Taxation: Gaming Machines
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what recent discussions he has had with representatives of seaside towns on changes to the taxation of gaming machines; [295236]
(2) what recent representations he has received from residents of (a) seaside and (b) coastal district towns on changes to taxation on gaming machines. [295237]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the usual policymaking process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.
Once the consultation period has ended, the Government expect to publish a summary of responses received.
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of (a) staff and (b) other costs arising from his Department's consultation on taxation of gaming machines. [295238]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: A consultation stage impact assessment was published alongside the consultation on the taxation of gaming machines. This included estimates of the change in administrative burdens on businesses resulting from a move to a gross profits tax.
A final stage impact assessment will be published after the consultation has been completed, which will also include the costs to HMRC of enforcement relating to a gross profits tax regime.
Taxation: Holiday Accommodation
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will assess the merits of raising the occupancy threshold for eligibility under the furnished holiday letting rules instead of abolishing those rules; [294433]
(2) if he will assess the merits of deferring the proposed abolition of the furnished holiday letting rules until April 2011 to enable further consultation; and if he will make a statement. [294434]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir) on 19 October, Official Report, column 1288W.
Valuation Office
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2009, Official Report, columns 2287-88W, on the Valuation Office Agency, what action was taken against each individual reported to have been convicted. [294449]
Ian Pearson: The Valuation Office Agency received fewer than five reports of convictions and related offences from the Cabinet Office and the action taken against each individual was in accordance with the Valuation Office Agency's Conduct Policy depending on the severity of the offence. To provide further detail on such a small number of individuals might allow them to be identified and thus breach data protection rules.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) speeches, (b) presentations delivered and (c) handouts issued by the representative of the Valuation Office Agency at the Global Property Tax Management Conference in Berlin on 22 September 2008. [294530]
Ian Pearson: A copy of the presentations have been placed in the Library of the House.
Valuation Office: Cole Layer Trumble
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2009, Official Report, column 1513W, on the Valuation Office: Cole Layer Trumble, how much money was paid by his Department to Cole Layer Trumble/Tyler Technologies in each of the last six years. [294365]
Ian Pearson: The following amounts have been paid on behalf of the Valuation Office Agency to Cole Layer Trumble/Tyler Technologies in each of the last six years:
| Total (£) | |
These figures exclude non-recoverable VAT.
Valuation Office: Digital Technology
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency has access to digital mapping facilities under the Pan-Government Agreement. [294519]
Valuation Office: Information and Communications Technology
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ludlow, of 14 September 2009, Official Report, column 2135W, on the Valuation Office: ICT, what the breakdown by category of expenditure was of the £6.7 million of expenditure on the automated valuation model since September 2005; and which Minister authorised that expenditure. [294445]
Ian Pearson: The breakdown of the £6.7 million expenditure is as follows:
| Item | £ (excluding VAT) |
This expenditure was originally approved by the former Minister for Local Government in 2005.
Valuation Office: Rightmove
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the duration of the contract between the Valuation Office Agency and HM Revenue and Customs and Rightmove.co.uk plc is; what the latest date is by which the Agency may exercise its right to extend the contract; and whether the contract will roll on if each party agrees. [294518]
Ian Pearson: An agreement to extend the contract extension was signed on 20 November 2008. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 2 February 2009, Official Report, column 905W.
The contract will not roll on.
Valuation Office: Standards
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ludlow of 16 September 2009, Official Report, column 2288W, on the Valuation Office Agency: publications, for what reasons the Agency did not meet its minimum target standards in each of the six process areas. [294448]
Ian Pearson: The external consultants who carried out the high level assessment advised that improvements were necessary in the six process areas to achieve an increasing profile against the target standards.
Publication of more detail in advance of those improvements being completed would represent an unjustified escalation of risk.
Valuation Office: Training
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2009, Official Report, column 1513W, on the Valuation Office, and of 21 May 2009, Official Report, column 1514W, on the Valuation Office: training, if he will place in the Library an electronic copy of each of the 25 other e-learning programmes. [294368]
Ian Pearson: There are now 30 e-learning programmes available to all Valuation Office Agency staff. 24 of these programmes have been developed in-house (as listed). One of the programmes has already been placed in the Library and copies of the remaining 23 programmes will be deposited in CD Rom format as soon as it is possible to create the discs.
1. Address Application
2. Enquiry Handling and Appeals Direct
3 Basic English Skills Grammar and Punctuation
4. Code of Measuring Practice
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