My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Bridget Prentice) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

I have made an order under Section 2 (6) of the Taxes Management Act 1970 amalgamating a number of divisions in Kent as follows.

With effect from 11 February 2008:

the Maidstone Division, the Sevenoaks Division and the Lower South Aylesford Division are merged into one division called the Maidstone and West Kent Division; and

the Peterborough Division and the Wisbech Division are merged into one division called the Peterborough and Wisbech Division

The amalgamation was made at the request of the general commissioners in all the divisions with the aim of improving the organisational efficiency of the divisions concerned. Copies of the Amalgamation of Divisions of General Commissioners have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses, the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office.