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26 Feb 2009 : Column 1045W—continued
Non-Domestic Rates: Business
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she has made an assessment of the likely effects on businesses of the increase in business rates in 2009-10. [257579]
John Healey: Established Government policy on Impact Assessments:
is that they are not required where a predetermined formula, such as the rate of inflation, changes the rate of a tax.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the new empty property business rates on local economies and local firms. [257949]
John Healey: An Impact Assessment detailing the impact of the empty property reforms was published by Communities and Local Government in May 2007 accompanying the introduction of the Rating (Empty Properties) Bill and a further assessment was laid before this House on 26 February accompanying the Non-Domestic Rating (Unoccupied Property) (England) Regulations 2008—Number: 386.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what estimate her Department has made of (a) the number of businesses eligible to claim small business rate relief and (b) the value of small business rate relief eligible to be claimed in each year since 2005; [258077]
(2) how many businesses paid small business rate relief supplements in each year since 2005; and what the value was of small business rate relief supplements collected in each year since 2005. [258079]
John Healey: Local authorities reported there were 392,000 businesses in England in receipt of small business rate relief as at 31 December 2006, the only year for which this information is currently available. Information on the number of businesses who paid the small business rate relief supplement is not available.
Details of the total relief granted and the value of the supplement collected since 2005-06 are given, in £ millions, in the following table.
| £ million | ||
| Relief granted | Amount raised | |
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the average administrative cost to businesses of applying for small business rate relief. [258081]
John Healey: No such estimate has been made. However, a regulatory impact assessment detailing the impact of the small business rate relief (SBRR) scheme was published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in January 2005 accompanying the introduction of the Non-Domestic Rating (Small Business Rate Relief) (England) Order 2004—Number: 3315—and a further assessment was laid before the House by Communities and Local Government on the 23 August accompanying the Non-Domestic Rating (Small Business Rate Relief) (Amendment) (England) Order 2006—Number: 2313.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to ensure that businesses are aware of their entitlement to small business rate relief. [258083]
John Healey: Local authorities include with rate bills information about the small business rate relief scheme and the website
also contains information about various aspects of the non-domestic rating system, including the small business rate relief scheme. Business rates information letters were also sent by the Department in September 08 to all local authorities in England to clarify the deadlines for applying for small business rate relief and to remind them that they should encourage businesses to apply for the relief.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how the level of small business rate relief supplements is calculated. [258159]
John Healey: The small business rate relief scheme is a self-financing scheme, funded by a supplement paid by businesses that do not meet the eligibility criteria. The level of the supplement in 2009-10 was calculated using information supplied by local authorities from their national non-domestic rates returns submitted to the Department about the cost of the small business rate relief scheme in previous years. A further estimate was made about the cost of the amendment to the scheme which comes into effect on 1 April 2009, allowing occupants of new properties that join the rating list during the financial year to claim relief. The value of the supplement is based on these estimates and a forecast of the number and aggregate value of properties that are able to fund the scheme.
Mr. Rob Wilson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to her Department's statistical release of 17 May 2007 on
national non-domestic rates to be collected by local authorities in England 2007-08, how the excess in small business rate supplements collected in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07 was spent. [258164]
John Healey: The small business rate relief scheme is a self-financing scheme, funded by a supplement paid by larger businesses that do not meet the eligibility criteria.
The supplement is adjusted each year to take account of the amount of revenue required to fund the scheme and can also be adjusted to ensure that over the lifetime of the scheme the relief is self financing. In years 2007-08 and 2008-09 the supplement was set at a lower rate than the costs in those years to meet the aim that large businesses do not over fund the scheme.
All non-domestic rate revenues collected are redistributed back to local authorities as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement.
Non-Domestic Rates: Ports
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the amount paid in non-domestic rates by port businesses in each year from 2003 via the cumulo system. [258234]
John Healey: This information is not collected by Communities and Local Government.
Any contractual agreement for payment of non-domestic rates on behalf of port businesses is a matter between them and their port operator.
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre: VAT
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre has reduced its retail prices for items which attract value added tax, including in its canteens, since December 2008. [258394]
Mr. Khan: The QE2 Conference Centre has applied the reduced rate of value added tax in accordance with HMRC guidelines to all its services since December 2008 and has passed this reduction in price on to its customers. Catering facilities at the centre are provided through a catering concession contract, by Leith’s, part of the Compass Group. Customers contract directly with Leith’s for their catering services and Leith’s have also passed on the value added tax price reduction to the customer.
Regional Ministers: Publicity
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of (a) production and (b) circulation of newsletters on the activities of each Regional Minister was in the last 12 months [258688]
Mr. Khan: The information is as follows:
| GO | Date | Cost of production | Cost of circulation |
|
£989 including VAT. This is for the set up of an electronic template for the newsletter to be delivered as PDF format. | |||
The other seven Government offices did not produce separate newsletters on the activities of their Regional Ministers.
Rented Housing: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new (a) council and (b) housing association homes for rent have been built in City of York constituency in each year since the creation of the unitary local authority. [257829]
Mr. Iain Wright: Information on social rented homes by constituency is not available. The following table shows the number of new social rented homes built by registered social landlords in the City of York unitary authority for each year from 1996-97. There have not been any new social rented homes built by local authorities in the City of York unitary authority since 1996-97. The figures exclude acquisitions of social rented homes.
| Registered social landlords new build social rented homes | |
| Source: Homes and Communities Agency Investment Management System (IMS), and Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) returns submitted to CLG by local authorities | |
Not all social rented housing is provided by new build completions, as some supply can come from acquisitions. In 2005-06, an additional four social rented homes were acquired by RSLs in the City of York unitary authority; these are not included in the main PQ answer. There have been no acquisitions in later years.
Social Rented Housing
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to social landlords on (a) the implementation of rent rises under the target rent regime and (b) the effects of the regime on tenants for whom such rises may cause financial hardship. [258842]
Mr. Iain Wright: The setting of actual rents is a matter for local housing authorities.
The former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister issued “A Guide to Social Rent Reforms in the Local Authority Sector” in February 2003, which outlined the principles of the rent restructuring programme including the formulae to be used for calculating formula and guideline rents, and the ‘caps and limits’ on rent charges designed to protect tenants from unduly high rent increases in any one year.
The guide makes clear the basis of the Government’s policy which is that social rents should remain affordable, and well below those in the private sector. The rent formula includes an element to reflect local earnings to take account of affordability.
Tenants’ Rights
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether she plans to implement the proposals of the Law Commission to facilitate the succession of secure tenancies of social housing to the children of couples upon their demise; [258274]
(2) if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Housing Act 1985 to facilitate the succession of a secure tenancy to the child of a couple following their demise. [258275]
Mr. Iain Wright:
We have no current plans to amend the rights of succession. While the law currently allows each tenancy to be succeeded only once, local housing authorities do have the freedom to grant new tenancies
to those unable to succeed, having considered the merits of individual cases in line with their duty to address housing need.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rounds of ammunition have been discharged in Helmand province by British forces in each roulement since June 2006, broken down by ammunition type. [257687]
Mr. Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 February 2009, Official Report, column 1993W.
Armed Forces: Deployment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the average tour interval for each regiment of the (a) Royal Logistics Corps, (b) Royal Artillery, (c) Royal Signals and (d) Royal Engineers is; [257692]
(2) what the average tour interval for each battalion of the infantry is. [257688]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Historical data to support the calculation of the average tour interval for each battalion or regiment of the Infantry or the Royal Artillery (RA) are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The following tables show the last operational tour interval for each infantry and RA unit as at 18 February 2009, based on the unit's last two operational tours to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Northern Ireland or Cyprus. The deployments listed are the unit deployments, defined as a regiment deploying with a regimental headquarters and more than two manoeuvre sub-units for four months or more.
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