§ Mr. NEWMANasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he will state the number of gross values, full site values, and valuations on occasion, which have been made by the permanent rating valuers of the General Valuation Office, Ireland, since the Finance (1909 –10) Act, 1910, passed; (2) whether he will state the number of Increment Value Duty files which have come into existence in Ireland since the passing of the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910; in the case of how many of these files the corresponding valuation on occasion has been issued; and in the case of how many the valuation on occasion remains to be issued; and (3) how many estate duty valuations have been made in Ireland since the passing of the Finance (1009–10) Act, 1910; how many hereditaments or identification numbers they covered; for how many of these hereditaments or identification numbers have the original provisional valuations been issued; for how many of the original provisional valuations remain to be issued; when this balance of original provisional valuations will be all issued; and whether the work in connection with their issue will be given priority over all other valuations under the Finance Act in Ireland?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEAs I informed the hon. Member on the 14th July, the permanent valuers have been engaged on some 6,000 valuations. The number of Estate Duty valuations made in Ireland since the passing of the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910, has been 2,330. The other statistics asked for are not available and could not be prepared without considerable1042W expenditure of time and money. I cannot consent to add to the labours of the Department by instructing it to undertake this task, which will serve no public purpose, nor can I see any reason why the issue of provisional valuations should be given priority over all other valuations under the Finance Act in Ireland.