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5 Feb 2010 : Column 621W—continued
This information on OGC's website is summarised in the following table.
Hotels
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many separate bookings for stays at five star or above hotels were made through the Expotel contract by (a) his Department, (b) HM Revenue and Customs, (c) the Valuation Office Agency and (d) his Department's agencies in the last 12 months; and at what cost. [315252]
Ian Pearson: The Treasury and its agencies do not hold a central record of bookings through Expotel with regard to the star rating of hotels and the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Neither HM Revenue and Customs nor the Valuation Office Agency book accommodation through an Expotel contract.
Land: Valuation
Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Valuation Office Agency made of the average value of a hectare of land in each of the last 20 quarters. [315656]
Ian Pearson: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) publishes the Property Market Report (PMR). This report provides valuation opinions on land, dwellings and commercial property across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The PMR, available on the VOA's website at
is published twice yearly reporting on the property market as at 1 January and 1 July.
Public Sector: Consultants
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which companies have been appointed to each of the lots to provide services referred to in the Office of Government Commerce Buying Solutions Contract Notice 2009/S 60-086533 on general management consultancy services. [315259]
Ian Pearson: A list of suppliers awarded to each of the 13 lots of the Management Consultancy and Accounting Services Framework is available on the Buying Solutions website
Revenue and Customs
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs has spent on the Employee Share Scheme project; what the running costs of the project are estimated to be in 2010-11; and how many transactions have been processed under the scheme. [315257]
Ian Pearson: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has spent £9.6 million on the Employee Share Schemes (ESS) project. The estimated running costs for this project for 2010-11 are £796,000. HMRC has processed over 91,000 annual share scheme returns since the project went live in April 2007.
Stamp Duty Land Tax
Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the stamp duty and stamp duty land tax (a) threshold and (b) rate was in each relevant year since 1996. [316067]
Ian Pearson: Stamp duty reserve tax rates are given at
Rates for stamp duty are the same as for stamp duty reserve tax.
Stamp duty land tax threshold and rates are given at
Tax Allowances
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether HM Revenue and Customs will continue to provide exemption from taxation for existing free travel to work benefits; [313684]
(2) how much revenue has been raised by the change to HM Revenue and Customs' rules on travel to work benefits; [313626]
(3) which travel to work schemes will be regarded as a taxable benefit by HM Revenue and Customs in 2010-11; [313625]
(4) whether recent guidance issued by HM Revenue and Customs will (a) restrict and (b) remove the exemption from taxation in respect of free travel-to-work benefits; [315341]
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the effects on those who participate in the Salary Sacrifice Travel scheme of his Department's recent revisions to its guidance on the scheme. [315667]
Mr. Timms: There have been no changes to the employment related travel expenses rules since 1998 or to benefits related to travel to work since 2002.
As a general rule, tax relief is not given for the cost of travelling between home and the workplace. Legislation (sections 243 and 244 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003) sets out the conditions under which relief for a benefit received as a consequence of an employer's support for local bus transport and for Cycle to Work schemes apply.
In December 2009, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) updated its guidance relating to these schemes to clarify the conditions that need to be met in order for relief to be available. The revised guidance is available at:
The changes to HMRC's guidance do not widen or restrict the scope of the legislation.
Information on the revenue implications and the effects on users of these schemes as a result of the change in guidance is not available, as HMRC does not hold the detailed data necessary to produce this analysis.
Tax Avoidance
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the contribution of the then Paymaster General of 3 May 2000, Official Report, column 217, what the evidential basis was for the £900 million figure; and how much has been raised through IR35 in each year since 2000-01. [315308]
Ian Pearson: Estimates of the yield from the intermediaries legislation (also known as IR35) were informed by a survey of accounts held at Inland Revenue tax offices of small companies with taxable profits that were less than £500,000, conducted in1999-2000.
With respect to how much has been raised through IR35 in each year since 2000-01, I would refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) on 5 May 2009, Official Report, column 64W.
Communities and Local Government
Audit Commission
Mr. Pickles:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether board members of the Audit Commission are required to
disclose membership of a political party when making a declaration of political activity. [315513]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 5 February 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me to reply.
There is no requirement for Board Members of the Audit Commission to disclose membership of a political party when making a declaration of political activity. The Commission follows the guidance of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, which does not require details of party membership.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many employment disputes involving staff of the Audit Commission have been taken to an employment tribunal in the last four years; what the outcome was of each; and what the grounds of the dispute were in each case, anonymised where necessary. [315549]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the Chief Executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 5 February 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me to reply.
Seven employment tribunal claims have been brought against the Commission by members of staff or former staff in the last four years. The grounds of dispute and outcome in each case are outlined below.
1. A former employee argued that dismissal on grounds of redundancy was unfair. The matter was settled on cost efficiency grounds.
2. A former employee disputed the amount of holiday pay owed by the Commission on termination of employment. The Tribunal dismissed the claim.
3. A former employee alleged breach of contract relating to an agreement to make payment in lieu of notice (PILON). The claim was settled for a nominal amount.
4. A former employee brought a claim against the Commission for failure to make an ill-health retirement recommendation to the Commission's Pension Scheme Trustees. The claim was withdrawn.
5. A former employee argued that dismissal on grounds of redundancy was unfair. The claim was withdrawn.
6. Nine members of staff brought a claim against the Commission for equal pay. The claim was upheld by the Employment Tribunal and is the subject to an appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
7. A former employee has brought claims against the Commission for unfair dismissal, race discrimination, disability discrimination and other related claims. The claims are yet to be heard and are fully contested by the Commission.
A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) declaration of interests and (b) record of gifts and hospitality has been made by each board member and Commissioner of the Audit Commission; and what benefits in kind are provided to the board members of the Audit Commission. [315550]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the Chief Executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 5 February 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
Board Member Declarations of Interest
Audit Commission Board members are required to declare any interests that are relevant and material to the Commission, and which they might reasonably be expected to know about. Commissioners must also declare any perceived or actual interest at Board meetings, where the interest relates specifically to a particular issue under consideration. Interests that should be regarded as 'relevant and material' are circumstances in which there is a real possibility of bias, including those in which a Board member or his/her close family or any nominee of his/hers is:
a paid employee, partner, Director or proprietor of a company or other body with which the Commission has, is entering into or is proposing to enter into a contract;
is a trustee or on the Committee of Management or other controlling body of a non-profit making organisation, for example a charity or a Housing Association, with which the Commission has significant dealings;
has a controlling interest or has shares or securities with a nominal value of more than £25,000 or one-hundredth of the total issued share capital in a company or organisation with which the Commission has, is entering into or proposing to enter into a contract;
has a direct interest in any land or property that is used by the Commission; and/or
any other general declarations they might wish to make.
Below is a table of all such declarations made by current Board members. This information is published on the Audit Commission website at:
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