§ Mr. Kaberryasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) the cause of the delays in the adjudication section of the Stamp Office; and whether he is aware that these delays cause difficulty and hardship in many cases;
(2) what is the average length of time required to secure the stamping of a deed in the adjudication section of the Stamp Office; what is the quickest time and what is the longest time taken within the last year; and whether he will take all necessary steps to expedite the whole procedure;
(3) what is the size of the staff employed in the adjudication section of the Stamp Office; how many experienced staff have left during the last 12 months; to what extent there has been abnormal 99W sick leave during the last six months; and what arrangements are made for the training of new staff to deal with the type of documents presented for adjudication.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftThe time taken to assess the stamp duty on documents submitted to the adjudication section depends primarily on the nature of the document. Within the last year some cases have been stamped and returned within two days of lodgement. Others involving difficult questions of law or valuation inevitably lead to correspondence and argument lasting many months. There are arrangements for giving priority of attention to urgent cases.
The staff engaged on assessment of stamp duty in the adjudication section number 25; five left during the past 12 months and there has been one case of abnormal sick leave. New staff are trained on the work of the section by their seniors and more experienced colleagues.