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19 Jan 2009 : Column 1078W—continued
The Minister for the West Midlands met with a group made up of business organisations (CBI, Chambers etc.) and regional heads of major banks including Lloyds
TSB on 1 December. The same group is due to meet again on 19 January. These meetings have been arranged as a direct consequence of the economic downturn and have been used to gain a regional picture of how banks are supporting businesses in the region.
The Minister for the North East, held a meeting with representatives of the banking, financial and accounting sectors on 21 November 2008 to discuss and address key concerns in relation to the current economic difficulties. Representatives of Lloyds TSB were invited but did not attend.
The Ministers for the East of England, the South East, London, East Midlands and the North West have not met, and have not been asked to meet, with representatives from Lloyds TSB on the matter of the security of employment of Lloyds TSB employees in the region.
Local Government: Bank Services
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 19 November 2008, Official Report, column 511W, on local government: bank services, what estimate has been made of the financial losses to local authorities from the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International. [246940]
John Healey: According to the liquidators for the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, local authorities held deposits of £77.243 million on the date the bank entered liquidation in January 1992. This was approximately $143 million at the rate of exchange in January 1992.
Dividends have been paid out in US dollars. Fluctuations in the exchange rate between dollars and sterling means that local authorities (and other claimants with funds originally held in sterling) have received almost 97 per cent. of their original balance, if converting their US dollars back into pounds at the rate applicable on the date of the declared dividend. This is higher than the 86.5 per cent. set out in my previous answer, which is the percentage in US dollars.
It is anticipated that there will be a final dividend paid out, but the liquidators are currently unable to confirm when this will become available or what the value will be.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the amount of interest local authorities have foregone on money frozen in Icelandic banks. [247022]
John Healey: Estimates of the amounts of interest local authorities have foregone on money frozen in Icelandic banks are not held centrally.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much money local authorities have deposited in Icelandic banks; [247023]
(2) which local authorities have funds frozen in Icelandic banks. [247024]
John Healey: The Local Government Association has compiled information supplied by individual local authorities that have deposits in Icelandic banks. It has published this information on its website:
In addition, Communities and Local Government is in the process of collecting data on local authorities that had deposits in Icelandic banks at the end of 2008 as part of our routine financial data collection programme. These data will be published once they have been fully validated and quality assured.
Local Government: Databases
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what data which her Department used to gather from local authorities is no longer gathered as a result of the adoption of the national indicator set. [246379]
John Healey: The Department has recently published an update to its simplification plan, which is available at:
This contains a list of data which the Department has already stopped collecting for local authorities and also sets out other activity under way to reduce the burden of data collection.
Further reductions may be identified as a result of the ongoing review of data collections which was referred to in the answer of 28 January 2008, Official Report, column 112W. Departments have until May 2010 to identify and implement reductions which contribute to the cross-Whitehall 30 per cent. target for reduction in data burdens announced on 9 October 2007 as part of the comprehensive spending review.
Local Government: Manpower
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were employed by local government in England in each year since 1996-97. [246389]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, Minister of State for the Third Sector (Kevin Brennan) on 5 November 2008, Official Report, column 501W.
Local Government: Reorganisation
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to make a statement on the structure of Suffolk and Norfolk local government. [246690]
John Healey: The Boundary Committee has been requested to provide advice to the Secretary of State no later than 13 February 2009 on proposals for unitary local government in Norfolk and Suffolk. The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 provides that where the Secretary of State has requested such advice, she may not make any decision in relation to any proposals received until at least six weeks after the date by which she has specified that advice must be provided.
Non-Domestic Rates
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the average non-domestic rates bill in England in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10. [246380]
John Healey: The average non-domestic rates bill in England is estimated as £10,333 in 2007-08 and £11,357 in 2008-09. It is not yet possible to estimate the average non-domestic rates bill for 2009-10.
The data, which refer to the local lists only, are taken from NNDR returns submitted by billing authorities.
Average non-domestic rates are calculated by dividing the net rate yield from local authorities’ lists by the number of hereditaments on local lists as at 31 December of the previous year.
Comparisons across years should be treated with caution as figures will reflect changes in the number and type of hereditaments as well as changes to rateable values and multipliers.
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the net revenue from non-domestic rates in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10. [246382]
John Healey: Data on the net revenue from non-domestic rates are available on the Communities and Local Government website.
Outturn data for 2007-08 can be found in the Statistical Release “National non- domestic rates collected by local authorities in England 2007-08” that was published on 17 September 2008 and can be found in table 1 at:
These data are taken from NNDR3 forms submitted annually by all billing authorities in England.
Budget estimate data for 2008-09 can be found in the Statistical Release “National non-domestic rates to be collected by local authorities in England 2008-09” that was published on 8 May 2008 and can be found in table 1 at:
These data are taken from NNDR1 forms submitted annually by all billing authorities in England.
Details of the estimated revenue from non-domestic rates in 2009-10 was published as part of the 2009-10 Local Government Finance Settlement and can be found at:
Non-Domestic Rates: Business
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what cap she plans to impose on the rate at which supplementary business rates are imposed. [246392]
John Healey: The Business Rate Supplements Bill currently before Parliament proposes an upper limit for BRS levied by a local authority in a financial year of 2p per pound of rateable value.
Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition of empty her Department uses for the purposes of determining empty property exemptions for business rates. [246376]
John Healey: The definition used by Communities and Local Government and English local authorities to determine empty property exemptions for business rates can be found in the Non-Domestic Rating (Unoccupied Property)(England) Regulations 2008. No. 386.
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of empty properties have a rateable value of less than £15,000. [246387]
John Healey: The Government do not hold this information. However VOA records show that 70 per cent. of all properties are under the £15,000 threshold and if empty will be exempt.
Non-Domestic Rates: Greater London
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the financial value of the threshold level of rate relief in London for small firms in relation to (a) small business rate relief, (b) exemption from empty property business rates and (c) exemption from supplementary business rates will be in 2009-10. [246386]
John Healey: The rateable value thresholds for rate relief in London are:
In regard to Small Business Rate Relief in London, there are three tiers to the current system; (i) eligible businesses occupying a property with a rateable value of less than £5,000 receive a reduction of 50 per cent. in their rates liability, (ii) eligible businesses occupying a property with a rateable value between £5,000 and £10,000 are entitled to relief on a sliding scale—for every £100 increase in rateable value, relief decreases by 1 per cent. (iii) eligible businesses occupying a property with a rateable value between £10,000 and £21,500 have their liability calculated with the small business multiplier and do not pay the supplement to fund the scheme.
In regard to empty property rates the current exemption threshold of a rateable value of £2,200 is to be increased to £15,000 for the financial year 2009-10.
As set out in clause 27(i) of the Business Rates Supplement Bill currently before Parliament, no business rates supplement may be levied before 1 April 2010.
Non-Domestic Rates: Ports
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 351W, on non-domestic rates: ports, what the aggregate rateable value in respect of each port in England and Wales affected by the change in valuation was (a) before and (b) after the change. [245932]
John Healey: The Financial Secretary to the Treasury and I submitted a memorandum to the Treasury Select Committee on 5 November 2008 which included a table showing the aggregate changes in rateable values in ports from the review. I have placed this in the Library. It represents the most up to date complete table currently available.
A revised table will be available at the end of January 2009 once the rating lists for the five remaining ports have been formally amended, in the light of any representations received in response to the notifications sent out by the respective valuation officers by 28 November.
Non-Domestic Rates: Small Businesses
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether small businesses will be automatically exempted from supplementary business rates. [246375]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) on 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 350W.
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what business rate multiplier she plans to use for (a) small firms and (b) medium and large firms in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10. [246378]
John Healey: The current small business rate multiplier for 2008-09 is set at 0.458 (45.8 pence in the pound) and will rise to 0.481 (48.1 pence) for 2009-10.
The non-domestic multiplier (for larger businesses) is currently 0.462 (46.2 pence) for 2008-09 and will rise to 0.485 (48.5 pence) in 2009-10.
Opencast Mining: Planning Permission
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for open cast coal mine developments were referred to the Secretary of State in each year since 1990, broken down by constituency of location. [247448]
Mr. Iain Wright: Planning applications for opencast coal developments that have been referred to the Secretary of State since 2001 are:
| Application | Date of referral | Constituency |
Data on planning applications referred between 1990 and 2001 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
David Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for open cast coal mine developments were
successful in each year since 1990; and in which constituency each was located. [247449]
Mr. Iain Wright: Responsibility for determination of planning applications lies in the first instance with the appropriate mineral planning authority for the area concerned. Information on the number of planning applications for open cast coal mine developments since 1990 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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