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5 Mar 2003 : Column 819—continued
Points of Order
12.32 pm
Mr. Michael Howard (Folkestone and Hythe): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. The House will be aware that the Chancellor of the Exchequer today announced that he intends to deliver his Budget statement on 9 April. You will be aware, Mr. Speaker, that that is the day before the date on which the House is due to rise for the Easter recess. I hope that all hon. Members will agree that it would be entirely unacceptable for debate on the Budget to be curtailed or postponed until after the recess. May I therefore ask whether you have had any indication that the Easter recess will be postponed, so that the customary four days of debate will take place immediately after the Budget? The House must be able to discuss the Budget's implications for the black hole in the Government's finances, the imminent and substantial rise in taxation, and the burgeoning pensions crisis—all of which lie directly at the Chancellor's door.
Mr. Speaker: Order. I am as concerned as everyone else about the Easter recess. However, the Leader of the House will answer business questions tomorrow—[Interruption.] Order. It would be more appropriate for hon. Members to put that matter to the Leader of the House tomorrow. [Interruption.] Order. What I am trying to say is that it is not a matter for me.
Mr. Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan): Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I wish to raise a matter which, if I may say so, is even more important than the Easter recess. That is that 9 April is right in the middle of the election campaigns in Scotland and Wales. Either the Chancellor has forgotten about that—which seems unlikely, as he is frightened of losing the elections—or he is showing breathtaking arrogance. My point of order for you, Mr. Speaker, is that a previous Government ended up losing in the Scottish courts when they tried to abuse the local electoral process in Scotland, never mind the parliamentary one. Is not the Chancellor in danger of ending up in exactly the same position?
Mr. Speaker: In a sense, the hon. Gentleman answered his own questions. That matter is not for me—it is for the Scottish courts.
Mr. Eric Forth (Bromley and Chislehurst): Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. If the Leader of the House knows the proposed dates for tomorrow, surely he must know them today. Why cannot the right hon. Gentleman—who is in his usual place—share with you and the rest of the House the Government's proposals, so that right hon. and hon. Members may know as soon as possible, then perhaps follow up the matter in business questions tomorrow? Following the intervention of the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond), there are severe implications for the rules governing the politicisation of the run-up to elections and they should be fully considered. When will we get proper guidance? Why do we have to wait?
Mr. Speaker: I think that the Leader of the House wants to come in on a point of order.
The Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Robin Cook): Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. Having said that it would be more appropriate to make the announcement at business questions, you will forgive me, I hope, if—in response to the right hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Mr. Forth)—I share with the House the information that I intended to announce tomorrow. That may be for the convenience of right hon. and hon. Members, so that there is no mystery about it.
It is standard procedure that there should be four days of debate following the Budget statement. It would be our intention to make sure that the House will have the opportunity to debate the Budget over four full days. The right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) is correct that it would be wrong to delay. That was never our intention. We shall therefore be tabling a motion for the House to sit on the Friday of that week for a day's debate on the Budget. The Budget debate will continue until the Monday of the subsequent week—14 April—when it will conclude. There will be, as always, four days' debate on the Budget.
Mrs. Angela Browning (Tiverton and Honiton): Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. It will be the first time that there has been such a partitioning of the Budget debate, with its deferral until April. That seems to coincide with the changes made to the sittings of the House. Will you please investigate the relationship between those changes and the appalling decision to defer the Budget debate?
Mr. Speaker: This is in danger—[Interruption.] Order. This is in danger of turning into a debate. The hon. Lady asked me to look into the matter. Perhaps I will look into the matter. That would be the best way.
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker: I hope that it is not on the same subject. Is it different?
Lembit Öpik: My point of order refers to the talks on Northern Ireland over the past two days. Given that some Northern Ireland parties have not seen the full content of that which was agreed—certainly the Opposition parties in this House have not done so—is there any mechanism that would cause the Prime Minister or the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to come to the House to make a statement on what has been agreed for our consideration?
Mr. Speaker: Perhaps that is something that the hon. Gentleman could raise in business questions tomorrow.
POLICE (NORTHERN IRELAND) BILL [LORDS] (PROGRAMME) (NO. 3)
Motion made, and Question put forthwith, pursuant to Orders [28 June and 29 October 2002],
- That the programme order of 10th February in relation to the Police (Northern Ireland) Bill [Lords] shall be further amended by the substitution in paragraph 2 (conclusion of proceedings in standing committee) for "Thursday 6th March" of "Tuesday 11th March".—[Mr. Woolas.]
Orders of the Day
Local Government Bill
[1st Allotted Day]
As amended in the Committee, considered.
New Clause 10
Local Retention of Rates
'(1) In Schedule 8 to the 1988 Act (non-domestic rating: pooling), in paragraph 4 (rules for calculating authorities' non-domestic rating contributions), before subparagraph (5) there is inserted—
"(4A) The rules may include provision for such deductions as the maker of the rules thinks fit for the purpose of enabling an authority to retain part, or all, of so much of the total payable to it in respect of the year under sections 43 and 45 above as exceeds an amount determined for the authority by or under the rules.
(4B) Subparagraph (4A) above shall not apply in the case of a special authority.
(4C) Subparagraph (2) above shall have effect subject to subparagraph (4A) above.
(4D) The consent of the Treasury is required to the inclusion in regulations under this paragraph of provision under subparagraph (4A) above relating to England."
(2) In paragraph 5(6) of that Schedule (contribution to be calculated after end of year and certified by Audit Commission)—
(a) before the word "and" at the end of paragraph (b) there is inserted—
"(ba) if it is an authority in England notify to the Secretary of State, and if it is an authority in Wales notify to the National Assembly for Wales, the amount of any deduction that in accordance with provision under paragraph 4(4A) above is made in calculating the amount mentioned in paragraph (a) above," and
(b) in paragraph (c), for "and the amount" there is substituted ", and the amount or amounts notifiable under paragraphs (b) and (ba) above,".
(3) In paragraph 5(6A) of that Schedule (Audit Commission to send copy of certification to Secretary of State or National Assembly for Wales), after "the amount" there is inserted "or amounts".
(4) In section 99 of the 1988 Act (regulations about English billing authorities' collection and general funds), after subsection (3) there is inserted—
"(3A) The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision—
(a) for the sharing among a billing authority and major precepting authorities, in accordance with prescribed rules, of an amount equal to all or part of any deduction that, in accordance with provision under paragraph 4(4A) of Schedule 8 below, falls to be made in calculating the billing authority's non-domestic rating contribution for a financial year;
(b) for requiring a billing authority to inform, within a prescribed period, any major precepting authorities of any amount that falls to be shared under provision under paragraph (a) above and of the effect of the rules governing its sharing;
(c) as to the manner in which any payments which fall to be made by a billing authority by virtue of any provision under paragraph (a) above must be made;
(d) as to the period within which, or time or times at which, any such payments or instalments of such payments must be made; and
(3B) The rules that may be prescribed under paragraph (a) of subsection (3) above include (in particular) rules that require a billing authority, when making an estimate under that paragraph, to disregard amounts that fall to be shared under provision under subsection (3A)(a) above."
(5) In section 97 of the 1988 Act (English billing authorities: principal transfers between funds), after subsection (4) there is inserted—
"(4A) Where in accordance with regulations under section 99(3A) below a billing authority is required to share any amount, it shall transfer from its collection fund to its general fund so much of that amount as, in accordance with the regulations, it calculates to be its share."
(6) In section 99(1)(b) of the 1988 Act (regulations about liabilities of English billing authority under section 97(1) or (3) to transfer sums from its collection fund), for "or (3)" there is substituted ", (3) or (4A)".
(7) In section 38 of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (c. 19) (council funds for principal councils in Wales), after subsection (9) there is inserted—
"(9A) The National Assembly for Wales may by regulations make provision for the sharing among a new principal council and major precepting authorities, in accordance with rules specified in the regulations, of an amount equal to all or part of any deduction that, in accordance with provision under paragraph 4(4A) of Schedule 8 to the Local Government Finance Act 1988 (local retention of rates), falls to be made in calculating the council's non-domestic rating contribution for a financial year."
(8) In subsection (10) of that section (provision that may be included in regulations under subsection (9))—
(a) for "The regulations" there is substituted "Regulations under subsection (9) or (9A)", and
(b) in each of paragraphs (d) and (e), after "the liability mentioned in subsection (9)" there is inserted "or any liability arising under subsection (9A)".
(9) In that section, after subsection (11) there is inserted—
"(12) In subsection (9A) "major precepting authority" has the meaning given by section 39(1) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.".'.—[Mr. Raynsford.]
Brought up, and read the First time.
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