§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what plans he has to review the proposed programme of closure and merger of district valuation offices; [9178]
(2) what representations he has received regarding the closure and merger of district valuation offices; and if he will make a statement. [9179]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe information requested is the responsibility of the Valuation Office. I have asked the acting chief executive to reply.
Letter from Peter Upton to Mr. Peter L. Pike, dated 25 July 1997:
I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions to the Chancellor (refs 9178 and 9179 of 15 July) in which you ask for information concerning the Agency's reorganisation proposals.The proposals for streamlining the Agency network of local valuation offices were detailed to constituency MPs in a letter of 19 July 1995 from the then Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Mrs Angela Knight. And on 10 May 1996 the VOA's former Chief Executive, John Langford, wrote to you in response to your concerns about the proposed closure of Burnley Valuation Office.Since this time, the Agency has been piloting its proposed new structure in the Leeds, York and Halifax offices and the results are due to be evaluated shortly.Dawn Primarolo, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Minister with responsibility for the VOA, has already been supplied with a good deal of background material on the restructuring initiative which she will be considering carefully and discussing the proposals with me very shortly. The plans are subject to ongoing discussions with national Trade Union representatives and she will be seeing them too.At the commencement of the restructuring programme the Agency advised all interested parties, including Members of Parliament and Local Authorities of the proposals.No final decision on implementing will be made before the views of all concerned have been carefully considered.I hope you will find the above helpful but if I can assist further then please let me know.