§ Mr. Parkasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to remedy the shortage of valuers.
§ Dr. GilbertI have been asked to reply as the Valuation Office of the610W Inland Revenue is the largest single employer of valuers in the country.
The Valuation Office runs a scheme whereby suitable school leavers with A-levels, and other applicants with equivalent or higher qualifications, are employed as cadet valuers and train for their professional qualification, at departmental expense, under the tutelage of an experienced valuer. The Valuation Office also offers employment, both during their "practical year" and after the end of their course, to students following a BSc (Estate Management) sandwich course at certain polytechnics. These schemes are proving very successful, and there are at present over 450 cadets under training and 40 sandwich course students in post. Recruitment to the profession from these sources provides a major contribution to meeting the need for valuers in the face of increasing demands for their services.
In addition there has over recent months been an appreciable release of qualified staff from the private sector, and the Inland Revenue Valuation Office is receiving more applications for jobs than for many years. There is still a long way to go before its full needs are met, but for the time being the recruiting outlook is clearly much more favourable than in the summer.