Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking with the Minister for Defence to ensure that veterans in receipt of means-tested support who are living in areas with district councils are not disadvantaged by the move to unitary authorities.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
There will be no changes to how we expect councils to continue to support the armed forces community throughout the local government reorganisation process.
By abolishing two-tier local government across England, we will set up strong unitary councils that will improve public services, bringing them under one roof, improving join up with local partners, and making life easier for local residents.
We are committed to working with the Minister for Defence and across government to make sure unitarisation improves public services for all residents, including the armed forces community.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help mitigate the potential impact of moving the Valuation Office Agency into HMRC on the timely processing of cases.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The VOA is meeting the majority of its performance targets. In the areas where it isn’t, it has robust service recovery plans in place. These include moving staff to where there is the greatest customer demand and upskilling its workforce in a wider range of casework, to ensure greater flexibility. It continues to prioritise any cases where a customer is facing financial hardship.
The VOA proactively contacts customers, through direct email or automated updates sent as cases progress through a service.
The VOA reports monthly on performance to the HMRC Executive Committee and Board. The decision to move the VOA’s functions into HMRC next year will strengthen direct accountability to ministers.
Integration is being carefully managed by a joint HMRC and VOA team, with detailed transition plans in place and appropriate oversight from my department.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help people track the progress of cases pending with the Valuation Office Agency.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The VOA is meeting the majority of its performance targets. In the areas where it isn’t, it has robust service recovery plans in place. These include moving staff to where there is the greatest customer demand and upskilling its workforce in a wider range of casework, to ensure greater flexibility. It continues to prioritise any cases where a customer is facing financial hardship.
The VOA proactively contacts customers, through direct email or automated updates sent as cases progress through a service.
The VOA reports monthly on performance to the HMRC Executive Committee and Board. The decision to move the VOA’s functions into HMRC next year will strengthen direct accountability to ministers.
Integration is being carefully managed by a joint HMRC and VOA team, with detailed transition plans in place and appropriate oversight from my department.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the Valuation Office Agency processes cases in a timely manner.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The VOA is meeting the majority of its performance targets. In the areas where it isn’t, it has robust service recovery plans in place. These include moving staff to where there is the greatest customer demand and upskilling its workforce in a wider range of casework, to ensure greater flexibility. It continues to prioritise any cases where a customer is facing financial hardship.
The VOA proactively contacts customers, through direct email or automated updates sent as cases progress through a service.
The VOA reports monthly on performance to the HMRC Executive Committee and Board. The decision to move the VOA’s functions into HMRC next year will strengthen direct accountability to ministers.
Integration is being carefully managed by a joint HMRC and VOA team, with detailed transition plans in place and appropriate oversight from my department.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has she made of the volume of cases waiting to be considered by the Valuation Office Agency.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The VOA is meeting the majority of its performance targets. In the areas where it isn’t, it has robust service recovery plans in place. These include moving staff to where there is the greatest customer demand and upskilling its workforce in a wider range of casework, to ensure greater flexibility. It continues to prioritise any cases where a customer is facing financial hardship.
The VOA proactively contacts customers, through direct email or automated updates sent as cases progress through a service.
The VOA reports monthly on performance to the HMRC Executive Committee and Board. The decision to move the VOA’s functions into HMRC next year will strengthen direct accountability to ministers.
Integration is being carefully managed by a joint HMRC and VOA team, with detailed transition plans in place and appropriate oversight from my department.