Main Business |
| 1 | OPPOSITION DAY (4th allotted day)
[Until 10.00 p.m.]
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| | LOCAL TAXATION
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| Mr Michael Howard
Mrs Caroline Spelman
Mr Eric Pickles
Mr George Osborne
Mr Philip Hammond
David Maclean
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| That this House notes with concern the increasing burden of local taxation; awaits the outcome of the Lyons Inquiry but rejects the proposals for a local income tax; asserts that a local income tax would entail higher taxation on hard-working families and crippling compliance costs on local businesses and would undermine the incentive to work; believes that council tax must be reformed, with the introduction of an automatic discount for pensioners and other measures, but rejects proposals to move from a local services tax based on fixed property bands to a wealth tax; calls on the Government to reject the Mayor of London's proposals for a regional income tax in London and to cancel its plans for a council tax revaluation and higher bands in England, which would be a further stealth tax, particularly on those living on fixed incomes.
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| As Amendments to Mr Michael Howard's proposed Motion (Local Taxation):
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| The Prime Minister
Mr Secretary Prescott
Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer
Mr Secretary Clarke
Mr Geoffrey Hoon
Mr David Miliband
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| Line 1, leave out from `House' to end and add: `welcomes the Government's continuing support for local government with its 33 per cent. grant increase since 1997; notes that the average increase in council tax in 2005-06, at 4.1 per cent., is the lowest increase in a decade, the second lowest ever, and lower than the last three council tax settlements for which the previous Government was responsible; welcomes the Government's engagement with councils to facilitate the delivery of 2.5 per cent. annual efficiency gains in local government; and looks forward to the conclusions of Sir Michael Lyons's inquiry as an important contribution to securing a fair and sustainable system of local government finance for the future.'.
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| Mr Charles Kennedy
Sarah Teather
Simon Hughes
David Howarth
Mr Edward Davey
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| Line 1, leave out from `House' to end and add `notes that the unfair and regressive council tax has risen by more than 70 per cent since Labour came to power; further notes that these rises are hitting particularly hard those on low and modest incomes because of the way council tax was designed by the last Conservative Government; is concerned that this manifest unfairness of council tax now means that the poorest 10 per cent. of people pay over four times more of their income in council tax than the richest 10 per cent; further notes that the whole system of local government finance needs major reform owing to the problems caused by the dependency of councils on central government grants that produces the gearing effect whereby on average councils must raise council tax by 4 per cent. to offset a grant reduction of one per cent; believes that the Labour Government has made the bad situation it inherited from the Conservative Government even worse by its excessive reliance on ring-fencing, passporting and centrally-imposed targets and regulations; and therefore calls on the Government's Balance of Funding Review to make far-reaching proposals for reform when it reports shortly, including the introduction of a fair local income tax to replace council tax.'.
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| | GOVERNMENT REGULATION
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| Mr Michael Howard
Mr John Redwood
Mr David Willetts
Dr Liam Fox
Mr Andrew Lansley
Mr David Cameron
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| That this House draws attention to the escalating cost of regulation and the increasing number of cases where regulation either achieves nothing or does positive harm to those being regulated; urges the Government to produce a deregulation bill which goes beyond exhortation to better regulation by repealing unnecessary and burdensome laws and rules; encourages the Government to table a programme for the UK Presidency of lesser and better regulation for the EU as a whole; and asks the Government to bring forward proposals which free professionals in hospitals and schools, which cut the costs of controls over elected local government, and allow business in the UK to compete more successfully against Asian and American competitors.
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| As an Amendment to Mr Michael Howard's proposed Motion (Government Regulation):
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| The Prime Minister
Mr Secretary Prescott
Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer
Mr Secretary Straw
Mr Secretary Johnson
Mr John Hutton
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| Line 1, leave out from `House' to end and add `welcomes the steps the Government is taking to remove unnecessary regulations and rationalise inspection arrangements in both the public and private sectors; acknowledges the additional freedoms given to high performing schools, hospitals and local councils; notes the lead the Government has taken in driving forward the better regulation agenda in Europe; recognises the benefits that well-targeted and proportionate regulation can bring in driving up standards; and further notes that the UK is seen by international observers as a leader in the field of regulatory reform and that the success of the UK economy reflects the approach the Government has taken.'.
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| The selection of the matters to be debated this day has been made by the Leader of the Opposition (Standing Order No. 14(2)).
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| Debate may continue until 10.00 p.m.
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| + 2 | CONSOLIDATED FUND (APPROPRIATION) BILL: Second Reading
[No debate]
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| The Question on Second and Third Reading of the Consolidated Fund (Appropriation) Bill will be put without debate (Standing Order No. 56).
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| + 3 | NORTHERN IRELAND
[No debate]
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| That the draft Budget (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2005, which was laid before this House on 9th June, be approved.
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| To be decided without debate (Standing Order No. 115(3)).
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| + 4 | ADJOURNMENT (SUMMER)
[No debate]
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| That this House, at its rising on Thursday 21st July, do adjourn till Monday 10th October 2005.
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| To be decided without debate (Standing Order No. 25).
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| At the end of the sitting:
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| 5 | ADJOURNMENT
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| Proposed subject: In-patient bed closures in New Forest Community Hospitals(Dr Julian Lewis).
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| Debate may continue until 10.30 p.m., or for half an hour, whichever is later (Standing Order No. 9).
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