Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken by the Valuation Office Agency is to complete a business rateable value check.

Since the Check, Challenge, Appeal system was introduced, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has received 82,300 Checks, 87% of which have been resolved. The Non-Domestic Rating (Alteration of Lists and Appeals) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 allow for up to 12 months to complete a Check unless an extension is agreed. If an extension is not agreed the customer has the right to progress to Challenge. Some cases are more complex than others and this can affect the time taken to resolve them.

As at 31 March 2019, the average time taken by the VOA to complete a Check is 54 calendar days.

Of the Checks outstanding;

(a) 1,504 have been outstanding for more than three months;

(b) 757 have been outstanding for more than six months; and

(c) Fewer than five have been outstanding for over 12 months. Statistical disclosure guidelines mean the precise figure is too small to publish.

Details of the longest time taken to complete a Check cannot be provided due to the possibility of breaching disclosure guidelines.