§ 17 Mr. NEWMANasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, having regard to the fact that the information for making Finance Act valuations was already in the General Valuation Office in Dublin, why, in the case of any provisional valuations so far made in Ireland, Form IV. has first been issued and the information so obtained used both for the Finance Act and for rating valuations; (2) whether he will now state under what authority the Treasury are directing the permanent rating valuers of the General Valuation Office, Ireland, to make valuations under the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910; whether any official document is in existence defining the general scope of their duties; and what legal or other remedy is open to these permanent rating valuers to test the validity of the Treasury to employ them to make valuations under the Finance Act; (3) whether, in view of the fact that an increase of salary of 25 per cent. was granted to the Commissioner of Valuation (Ireland) when the duty of making valuations under the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910, was imposed on him, he will say why the salaries of the permanent rating valuers have not 1411 been equally raised in view of the fact that the like duty of Finance Act valuations has been imposed on them; and (4) whether, in view of the fact that the Finance Act valuations made in Ireland by the permanent rating valuers are largely used for work under the old Valuation Acts, and as any figures on which rating valuations are based must be stated in open Court or an appeal to Quarter Sessions, he will say if any secrecy attaches to the information given on the Increment Value Duty files or on Form IV. when issued; and whether Assessment Committees in Great Britain are allowed access to any information given on Increment Value Duty files or on Form IV.?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEThe issue of Form IV. is confined in Ireland to urban districts, in which areas the Valuation Office has no information as to how property is held. The information given on this Form was not used for rating valuations, nor is any confidential information on Increment Value files so used. Assessment Committees in Great Britain are not allowed access to any information given on Increment Value Duty particulars or on Form IV. The Commissioner of Valuation, who has the whole duty of carrying out the Finance Act Valuations in Ireland, receives £300 a year for doing this work. The permanent Rating Valuers, some of whom are employed for a couple of months in the year on this work, and draw subsistence allowance during that time, get a very substantial increase in their pay and prospects in the year 1910, chiefly owing to the fact that they might be called on to do some of this Finance Act work. The duties of these valuers are not confined to the making of valuations under the Irish Valuation Acts. The relatively small amount of work they have so far performed under the Finance Act does not necessitate their working extra time, nor has it in any way interfered with their vacation.