§ Mr. John Pattenasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the Government's intentions with regard to the general rating revaluation for England and Wales for 1982.
§ Mr. HeseltineThe Government have decided to cancel the rating revaluation currently in progress. The necessary legislation will be introduced in the autumn. Meanwhile no further evidence will be sought from the public by the Valuation Office, and my advice to people who have received questionnaires about their property for the revaluation is to tear them up.
Cancellation of the revaluation will provide the opportunity for the Government to sort out the longer-term future of the rating system. It will also lead to significant manpower economies in the Valuation Office of the Inland Revenue and will save about £5 million of public expenditure over the next three years.