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Disappeared People

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what pressure is being brought to bear at meetings with Sinn Fein/IRA to disclose the whereabouts of the disappeared. [86315]

Paul Goggins: The Government urge anyone with information about the whereabouts of the disappeared to bring that information to the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains, so that the remains can be recovered and some degree of closure provided to the families.

Domestic Rates

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his estimate is of the average domestic capital value for rates revaluation purposes in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) each district in Northern Ireland. [86815]

Mr. Hanson: The information requested is contained in the following table.

20 July 2006 : Column 697W

District council	Average capital value assessment (£)
Antrim	105,000
Ards	128,000
Armagh	106,000
Ballymena	107,000
Ballymoney	103,000
Banbridge	107,000
Belfast	115,000
Carrickfergus	101,000
Castlereagh	131,000
Coleraine	122,000
Cookstown	111,000
Craigavon	90,000
Derry	95,000
Down	118,000
Dungannon	108,000
Fermanagh	103,000
Larne	91,000
Limavady	98,000
Lisburn	123,000
Magherafelt	109,000
Moyle	114,000
Newry And Mourne	118,000
Newtownabbey	105,000
North Down	154,000
Omagh	96,000
Strabane	85,000
Northern Ireland	112,000

20 July 2006 : Column 698W

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the latest estimate is of the (a) proportion and (b) number of households which will see (i) an increase, (ii) no change and (iii) a decrease in rates bills as a consequence of the domestic rates revaluation, before the application of transitional relief, in (A) Northern Ireland as a whole and (B) each district in Northern Ireland. [86822]

Mr. Hanson: The proportion of households in Northern Ireland which will face an increase in bill (of more than 5 per cent.) is 37 per cent. This represents approximately 261,000 households. The proportion that will experience a decrease in bill of more than 5 per cent. is 45 per cent. (around 320,000 households) and the proportion with no change in bill (that is, between +/-5 per cent.) is 18 per cent. (124,000 households).

The following table provides the information for each district council in Northern Ireland.

Council	Decrease in bill by more than 5 per cent.		Increase in bill by more than 5 per cent.		No change (between +/-5 per cent.)
	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage
Antrim	10,466	56	5,696	30	2,664	14
Ards	11,385	36	14,167	45	6,198	19
Armagh	10,954	51	7,370	34	3,358	15
Ballymena	13,304	54	7,290	30	3,910	16
Ballymoney	6,326	57	3,014	27	1,694	16
Banbridge	10,298	59	4545	26	2,740	15
Belfast	46,115	37	61,808	50	16,360	13
Carrickfergus	11,527	70	2,757	17	2,243	13
Castlereagh	7,541	26	16,483	58	4,616	16
Coleraine	13,609	51	8,772	33	4,219	16
Cookstown	3,256	26	6,107	49	3,159	25
Craigavon	23,848	69	6,622	19	4,166	12
Derry	22,497	55	10,259	25	8,077	20
Down	9,862	38	11,028	42	5,304	20
Dungannon	5,899	30	9,534	49	4,134	21
Fermanagh	8,693	36	10,075	41	5,531	23
Lame	7,965	57	4,631	33	1,363	10
Limavady	6,944	60	2,610	23	2,004	17
Lisburn	18,941	44	14,397	33	9,726	23
Magherafelt	5,898	41	5,240	36	3,389	23
Moyle	3,469	45	3,160	41	1,089	14
Newry	10,231	30	15,343	45	8,562	25
New’abbey	18,062	53	7,542	22	8,482	25
North Down	14,635	44	13,198	40	5,511	16
Omagh	9,351	51	5,584	30	3,513	19
Strabane	9,168	62	3,837	26	1,685	12

None of the estimates above take into account the households which may qualify for housing benefit or the new rate relief scheme. They also ignore the impact of the transitional relief scheme.

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