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ENVIRONMENT
Non-domestic Rateable Value Prescriptions
Mr. Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those industries for which he prescribes the non-domestic rateable value; and if he will make a statement. [39662]
Mr. Curry: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I currently prescribe the rateable values of the National Grid, National Power, PowerGen and other electricity generators, British Gas, British Rail, Railtrack, London Underground and all electricity distribution companies, water supply companies and certain statutory docks and harbours. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, under separate powers, prescribes the rateable values of utility undertakings in Scotland, including British Gas, water authorities, electricity companies, railways and certain docks and harbours.
It is our intention that from the date of the next revaluation--1 April 2000--these industries should be conventionally assessed by the Valuation Office in England and Wales and the Scottish Assessors in Scotland.
To this end, the Valuation Office is currently working with the industries to determine the feasibility of conventional assessment; and the Scottish Assessors Association has set up the public utilities co-ordination committee to work with the industries in Scotland.
We are also setting up an advisory committee to examine how the plant and machinery of the industries should be treated under conventional assessment, and we are today inviting applications from people interested in chairing or serving on that committee. Its terms of reference will be:
I expect the committee to report by the end of September 1997.
Mr. Wallace:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 11 June, Official Report, column 116, how many of the 372,000 households registered for home energy efficiency grants at 1 April
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 333
have not had the work carried out, what estimate he has made of the time scale required to clear the backlog of applications; and if he will make a statement. [37918]
Mr. Clappison:
At the end of June, 334,691 pre-registrations remained on the list. Not all of these will result in claims for grant; but if they were to do so, and the current pattern and rate were maintained, all the pre-registrations would be cleared in less than 10 months. Over 140,000 HEES grants were paid in the first quarter of this year, of which some 37,000 were to people who had pre-registered their interest.
Mr. Wallace:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many households to date have taken up the 25 per cent. grant payable under the home energy efficiency scheme. [37919]
Mr. Clappison:
By 30 June 1996, 129 such grants had been paid.
Mr. Thurnham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will investigate the current level of local reference rents applying to flats at (a) 76 Gilnow road and (b) 10 Columbia road, Bolton; and if he will make a statement on (i) delays relating to and (ii) levels of rent determinations in Bolton relative to (1) the north-west and (2) England. [38689]
Mr. Clappison:
Rent officers are independent statutory officers. They are not accountable to the Secretary of State for their decisions on rent levels.
The Department is aware of concerns about delays to rent determinations in the Greater Manchester rent registration area. This problem has now been addressed by the appointment of four additional rent officers to the area.
Data on rents determined by rent officers since 2 January, including local reference rents, will be published in the Department's quarterly bulletin, Rent Officer Statistics. I will arrange for a copy of the bulletin covering the first quarter of 1996 to be sent to the hon. Member when published.
Mr. Rendel:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to allow those businesses whose rates are being kept up by the transitional arrangements to be reduced to the full amount applicable to their valuation at the next Budget. [37670]
Sir Paul Beresford:
I shall, before the start of the next financial year, review the limits on reductions in the rates bills of properties in downward transition. A commitment was given to this House to carry out such reviews before the start of each financial year, Official Report, 14 December 1994, column 950.
If no change is made to the limits then, for 1997-98, the bills for properties still in downward transition and with a rateable value of less than £10,000 or less than £15,000 in Greater London, will fall by a further 20 per cent. in real terms. For larger properties this further reduction in bills will be 15 per cent. in real terms.
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Dr. Strang:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many HSE prosecutions there were in agriculture during 1995-96; and what was the (a) average, (b) highest and (c) lowest fine. [39124]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Proceedings instituted by HSE's field operations division inspectorates in the agricultural sector 1995-96 were:
Further details can be obtained from my Department.
To consider:
(i) the extent to which the plant and machinery of industries currently subject to prescribed assessments would be rateable under existing legislation; and,
(ii) having regard to the financial and other considerations involved, to recommend any legislative changes required to ensure fairness of treatment and consistency with the principles that underlie present legislation governing the rating of plant and machinery in the UK.
Dr. Strang:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many (a) improvement notices and (b) prohibition notices were issued by the HSE in agriculture for each of the past 10 years. [39126]
Informations laid: 177
Convictions: 114
(a) Average fine per conviction: £1,095
(b) Highest fine £10,000 (on two occasions)
(c) Lowest fine £50 (on one occasion).
| Year | Improvement | Deferred prohibition | Immediate prohibition | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-87 | 5,607.00 | 172.00 | 1,660.00 | 7,439.00 |
| 1987-88 | 4,094.00 | 153.00 | 1,087.00 | 5,334.00 |
| 1988-89 | 3,671.00 | 56.00 | 1,134.00 | 4,861.00 |
| 1989-90 | 3,848.00 | 58.00 | 1,004.00 | 4,910.00 |
| 1990-91 | 3,737.00 | 99.00 | 1,027.00 | 4,863.00 |
| 1991-92 | 3,493.00 | 122.00 | 950.00 | 4,565.00 |
| 1992-93 | 3,034.00 | 98.00 | 978.00 | 4,110.00 |
| 1993-94 | 2,574.00 | 35.00 | 998.00 | 3,607.00 |
| 1994-95 | 2,458.00 | 37.00 | 695.00 | 3,190.00 |
| 1995-96(1) | 1,539.00 | 21.00 | 599.00 | 2,159.00 |
(1) Provisional.
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average fine for all industry in 1995-96 resulting from HSE prosecutions. [39125]
Sir Paul Beresford: The provisional figure for the average fine per conviction arising from prosecutions by the HSE was £2,567 in 1995-96.
Dr. Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in respect of how many of the recorded deaths in agriculture in 1995 there were HSE prosecutions; and what was the (a) average, (b) highest and (c) lowest fine in those cases. [39123]
Sir Paul Beresford: In the year commencing 1 January 1995, of the 42 deaths in the agriculture sector, five resulted in prosecutions. The average fine was £2,367.
The highest fine was £5,000 and the lowest was £100.
Dr. Strang:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average frequency of visits by HSE inspectors to a farm where there are (a) five or less, (b) six to 10, (c) 11 to 50 and (d) more than 50 employees. [39127]
Sir Paul Beresford:
This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 335
Mr. Byers:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the standard spending assessment for 1996-97 in terms of pounds per head for each district council in Leicestershire. [39070]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The standard spending assessments for 1996-97 were as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Blaby | 64.32 |
| Charnwood | 78.02 |
| Harborough | 72.88 |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | 69.46 |
| Leicester | 136.42 |
| Melton | 80.76 |
| North West Leicestershire | 83.17 |
| Oadby and Wigston | 69.97 |
| Rutland | 79.25 |
Parliamentary Questions (Meetings)
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions ministerial conference and meeting rooms in the parliamentary estate have been booked in his name, or that of other Ministers in his Department, for meetings with Conservative Members immediately preceding questions to his Department in the current parliamentary Session. [39514]
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