To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) plays in Scotland; and what services the VOA provides to agencies in Scotland. (114344)

In Scotland the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), which is an Executive Agency of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), carries out property valuations and property-related services as set out in section 10 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency publishes an autumn performance report. (114345)

No, it does not.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many photographs are stored on the Valuation Office Agency’s central database. (114371)

There are 25 million records for business and domestic properties, and there are 2.2 million photographs as at 20 November 2006.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2006, Official Report, columns 1731-2W, on departmental expenditure, what the reasons were for the change in the Valuation Office Agency’s expenditure on vehicle maintenance between 2004-05 and 2005-06. (114541)

A factor for the higher maintenance cost for 2005-06 was the servicing cycle of a number of pool cars nearing the end of their two-year lease and works required to meet the leasing obligations prior to handback of the cars to the leasing company.