§ 22. Mr. Costainasked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources how many 17 members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors with valuation experience are employed by his Department.
§ Mr. WilleyNone, Sir. I obtain such advice as I need from the Valuation Office of the Inland Revenue and, to ensure effective liaison, a valuer from the Valuation Office has been attached to my Department. He is a chartered surveyor.
§ Mr. CostainIs the Minister aware that we do not really know what the responsibility of his Ministry is? We can well understand that he has no staff, but how does he intend to carry out le valuation in future? Will he always rely on other Departments to do the work of his Ministry?
§ Mr. WilleyI can assure the hon. Gentleman that I do not intend unnecessarily to duplicate staff. Where staff is available in another Department I intend, as far as is possible, to make use of that staff.
§ Mr. Scott-HopkinsIs it not a fact that the valuers in the Inland Revenue Department are overstretched with the revaluation needed by the abolition of Schedule A for purposes of land drainage board charges? That being, so, how does he think that he will get sufficient staff from that Department to carry out the extensive work that needs to be done?
§ Mr. WilleyAs far as I can remember, the valuation office has always been overstretched. It is our intention to see that we have the valuers to do the work we believe that Parliament will ask us to do.