Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply. There are no data available on the number of persons who have lost their homes who are benefiting from accommodation provided as a result of rent-a-room relief.
Stephen Timms: No estimates have been made in the past 12 months of the tax gap attributable to offshore tax regimes. In March 2008, HMRC released details of some analysis from 2005 that attempted to derive estimates of the direct tax gap at the start of the decade—see http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/direct-tax-gaps.pdf. This included a very broad-brush estimate of the tax gap associated with the use of...
Stephen Timms: For 2008-09, HM Revenue and Customs aim to pay 69 per cent. of child benefit claims in nine working days and aim to pay all new child benefit claims in an average of 20 calendar days. This is the first year that this target has been in place. Performance outturn for 2008-09 will be published in due course. More complex claims, including those from customers arriving from abroad, often require...
Stephen Timms: The Valuation Office Agency, in conjunction with the system software provider, has produced two manuals to be used for training and guidance covering the main functions of the council tax banding support tool.
Stephen Timms: Multiple regression is a statistical technique. Its use by the Valuation Office Agency within automated valuation modelling is subject to commercial confidentiality.
Stephen Timms: As with the whole tax system, the Government keep the effect of falling house prices on the ability of families to meet inheritance tax liabilities under review. The Government therefore have two measures in place to address this eventuality of falling house prices affecting the ability to meet inheritance tax liabilities: While a house remains unsold, the inheritance tax due on it can be...
Stephen Timms: The Valuation Office Agency does not have a target to increase inheritance tax yields.
Stephen Timms: The national minimum wage (NMW) regime of enforcement activity does not include the use of fines for non-payment of national minimum wage. In January 2007, the DTI published the NMW penalty notice policy. In line with this, since February 2007, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has been issuing penalty notices, for those employers who fail to comply with an enforcement notice within 28 days....
Stephen Timms: There have been no recent changes to the tax treatment of lump sum payments made by businesses surrendering onerous leases. Such payments are not an allowable expense in computing trading profits, unless the trade consists of the buying and selling of leases.
Stephen Timms: No such estimates have been made.
Stephen Timms: HM Treasury is working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to take steps to ensure that individuals facing redundancy are helped to move swiftly into a new job. The recent pre-Budget report announced measures which build on the support Jobcentre Plus already has in place. The package included the expansion of Jobcentre Plus rapid response service to target both small and...
Stephen Timms: HMRC inspectors, in common with all HMRC staff below the senior civil service, are subject to a single pay and appraisal system which includes recognition bonuses for exceptional performance, top performance bonuses for those attaining the top marking as part of their annual appraisal, consolidated pay awards, and promotion on merit.
Stephen Timms: HMRC aim to reply to 80 per cent. of all correspondence within 15 working days, and 95 per cent. within 40 days. There is no separate target relating specifically to enquiries from Members of Parliament. Hon. Members can use the dedicated hotlines that HMRC have in place for specific issues, such as the 'MP hotline' for telephone queries about constituents' tax credits claims.
Stephen Timms: Potential estates savings for the next five years for offices in Scotland which HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plans to vacate are estimated as follows: £ million 2009-10 3.9 2010-11 7.5 2011-12 9.0 2012-13 9.5 2013-14 9.7 These savings are only part of the overall savings HMRC expects to achieve from the closure of these offices. The main reason for closure is that...
Stephen Timms: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Stephen Timms: HMRC does not keep data in this form.
Stephen Timms: HMRC's latest staffing projections, published in December on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/local/change-programme.htm indicate that about 1,500 HMRC staff will be needed in Southend by 2011. There are therefore no plans to revisit the decision announced in July 2007 to retain the HMRC office at Alexander house, Southend, which will be able to accommodate that number of staff.
Stephen Timms: The staff in post in Southend on Sea at 1 April for HMRC (and, for 2004 and 2005, the total of staff in HM Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue) is shown in the following table. As at 1 April: Headcount Full time equivalent 2004 2,491 n/a 2005 2,463 2271.4 2006 2,161 1999.83 2007 2,051 1887.9 2008 1,947 1781.76 These figures do not include staff in the...
Stephen Timms: This is a matter for the directors of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). The Government's investments in banks accessing the recapitalisation scheme will be managed on a commercial basis by an arm's length company, "UK Financial Investments Limited" (UKFI). The overarching objectives for UKFI will be to protect and create value for the taxpayer as shareholder with due regard to the maintenance...
Stephen Timms: The Government keeps the £30,000 tax exemption for redundancy payments under review along with all other aspects of the tax system.