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15 May 2009 : Column 1045W—continued
The data are as at 31 March 2009 and are from the Valuation Office Agency.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the gross cost before the application of downward phasing was of providing transitional relief in respect of business rate revaluation in England in each year from 2005-06. [274753]
John Healey: The reduction in rate yield on the local list due to full rate increases being deferred for each year from 2005-06 is shown in the table:
| Gross cost (£ million) | |
| (1) Data from NNDR 3: National Non-Domestic Rate Collection Yield Outturn returns (2) Data from NNDR 1: National Non-Domestic Rate Collection Yield Forecast returns | |
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to (a) undertake and (b) publish a (i) small firms and (ii) privacy impact assessment in respect of the 2010 business rate revaluation. [274909]
John Healey: The 2010 business rates revaluation takes effect from 1 April 2010. We will publish a draft impact assessment alongside our proposals for transitional arrangements to phase in changes in rate bills as a result of the revaluation later in the summer.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what date businesses must apply in order to be eligible for the deferral of 2009-10 business rate increases. [274910]
John Healey: The Government are currently considering the further detail and administrative arrangements for the business rates deferral scheme, working collaboratively with the local government sector and business to ensure ease of implementation.
The regulations authorising the scheme are planned to come into effect this summer and will set out in detail the application process and timetable. Businesses will be contacted by their billing authority and invited to apply for the scheme shortly after the regulations come into effect.
Mrs. Spelman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 5 June 2008, Official Report, columns 1067-68W, on non-domestic rates,
what estimate her Department has made of the maximum revenue that would be raised in England from supplementary business rates based on (a) 2009 rateable values and (b) 2010 rateable values post-revaluation calculated on the same basis as the estimates provided for maximum revenue based on 2007 rateable values in Table 3.4 of Business Rate Supplements: A White Paper. [274935]
John Healey: The Department has not made any further calculations of possible future revenues from supplementary business rates beyond those based on 2007 rateable values and published in Table 3.4 of Business Rate Supplements: A White Paper.
Rented Housing
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will end the target rent scheme in 2009-10. [275838]
Mr. Iain Wright: No. Future rents policy is tied in with work currently being undertaken as part of the Review of Council Housing Finance.
Shops: Valuation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the most recent edition of the Valuation Office Agency's zoning of shops valuation handbook. [274911]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 8 January 2008, Official Report, column 510W.
Culture, Media and Sport
Government Art Collection
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many items from the Government Art Collection are in (a) departmental offices, (b) ministerial residences, (c) offices of non-departmental public bodies, (d) public galleries, (e) embassies overseas, (f) storage and (g) elsewhere. [271210]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 27 April 2009]: The Government Art Collection comprises some 13,700 works of art. Its main purpose is to promote Britain by the acquisition and display of works of art (mostly by British artists) in the representational areas of major British Government buildings in the UK and abroad, where they are seen by thousands of visitors every year. At any one time some 70 per cent. of the collection is out on display, and the figures given here change on a daily basis.
The latest figures available are:
(a) 2,043 Government Art Collection (GAC) works of art in departmental offices.
(b) 560 in ministerial residences (including the whole of 10 and 11 Downing Street).
(c) 187 in offices of non-departmental public bodies and similar.
(d) 69 on loan to public galleries (including loans to temporary exhibitions).
(e) 5,404 in embassies overseas.
(f) 4,535 currently at the GAC's premises and available for selection and display; 470 of these were earmarked for specific locations (i.e. selected and awaiting installation). Of the rest, three were in commercial storage and 23 were being conserved and/or reframed.
(g) 912 displayed elsewhere (i.e. to organisations which do not fall into the categories a-f, such as in London: Lancaster House, Marlborough House and the Somerset House Trust; and abroad: the Offices of the Council of Europe in Paris and the European Commission Offices in Brussels).
Performing Arts: Discrimination
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the performing arts on age discrimination in respect of performers in theatre, film, radio and television; and if he will make a statement. [274810]
Barbara Follett: I have had no recent discussions of this nature. DCMS is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and we encourage our sectors to make the most of the full range of talent available to them.
Duchy of Lancaster
10 Downing Street: E-mail
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what his policy is on the use of web-based e-mail accounts on computers in 10 Downing Street. [275112]
Mr. Watson: The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of Cabinet Office and therefore follows its guidelines and policies in the use of ICT. The policy for the current Cabinet Office systems does not allow for any web- based e-mail accounts. Web-based e-mail accounts are permitted on a new pilot system, due to the increased security measures we are able to apply. If the system is rolled out, the Cabinet Office will reconsider its policy on web-based e-mails.
Census: Finance
Mr. Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what budget has been allocated to the generation of outputs from the 2011 Census. [274196]
Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated May 2009:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what budget has been allocated to the generation of outputs from the 2011 Census. (274196)
The purpose of conducting a Census is to generate statistics and over the period 2005-2016 the budget for the Census as a whole is £482 million. Provision of £450 million for the cost of the Census has been made up to the period 2011-12. Of this £450 million, £7.5 million has been allocated to the early development of Census outputs. Provision for later years from 2012/13 will be
subject to future spending reviews and will cover the final stages of data and output processing, preparing, publishing and disseminating outputs, and a number of subsequent output services and releases. This is set out in paragraphs 1.28 and 1.29 of the 2011 Census White Paper ‘Helping to shape tomorrow’ which was published in December 2008. A copy was placed in the House of Commons library and is also available on the website at
Final decisions have not yet been made about how the statistics are disseminated. We are at present conducting consultation with census users on their requirements for types of statistics and area levels and the ways in which they will be made available.
Civil Servants: Pensions
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of former civil servants have had their pension payments (a) reduced and (b) increased in the last 12 months; and for what reason in each case. [270080]
Mr. Watson: In April each year the pensions, payable from the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, of all former civil servants and their dependants are increased in line with inflation in accordance with the provisions of the Pensions Increase Act 1971 and Social Security Pensions Act 1975.
The Civil Service Pension Scheme is a statutory scheme and pensions are accordingly corrected when an under or overpayment is identified. I refer the hon. Member to the written statement I gave to the House on 16 December 2008.
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the administration costs of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme were in each of the last 10 years. [272639]
Mr. Watson: Central management costs of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme are met by appropriations in aid of the Cabinet Office from the accruing superannuation liability charges paid by employers. For financial years from 2001-02, these amounts are shown by way of note to the resource accounts for Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation. The central administration costs for earlier years are:
| £ million | |
Day-to-day administration costs are met by individual employers and details are not held centrally.
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many early retirements among members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme there were in the last five years for which figures are available. [272640]
Mr. Watson:
Figures are held centrally only in respect of early retirements on the grounds of ill-health. From 2006-07 these numbers are included in the resource
accounts for Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation. Copies of the resource accounts can be found in the Library and on the civil service pensions website at
Figures for the earlier years are as follows:
| Financial year | Ill-health retirement applications approved |
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidance the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme has issued to employing departments on enhancements of civil service pension entitlements for scheme members who (a) are made redundant, (b) take early retirement other than on grounds of ill health and (c) take early retirement on grounds of ill health. [272642]
Mr. Watson: On redundancies and early retirements other than those on the grounds of ill-health, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given in the other place to the noble Lord, Lord Laird, on 3 March 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, columns WA 134-35.
The terms payable in respect of early retirements on the grounds of ill-health are set out in the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, a statutory scheme made under the Superannuation Act 1972. The rules of the scheme can be found on the Civil Service Pensions website at:
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cost of pension payments made to civil servants who have taken early retirement between the date of their retirement and the date they reached the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme normal retirement age was in each of the last five years. [272644]
Mr. Watson: Employing Departments are responsible for meeting the full costs of early retirements of civil servants other than those on the grounds of ill-health. The annual cost of pension payments made before the scheme’s pension age in respect of such early retirements is contained in Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts (in the note to the accounts entitled “Revenue account—CSCS compensation agency arrangements”). Copies of the resource accounts can be found in the Library and on the civil service pensions website at:
The annual cost of pension payments made before the scheme’s pension age in respect of early retirements on the grounds of ill-health is not recorded separately. However, each year, the resource accounts of each employing department give details of the total additional annual pension granted to any of their employees who retired on the grounds of ill-health during that year.
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many retired civil servants receive a civil service pension of between (a) £2,000 and £3,000, (b) £3,000 and £4,000 and (c) £4,000 and £5,000 per annum. [274169]
Mr. Watson [holding answer 11 May 2009]: As at 7 May 2009 the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme is paying 52,741 pensioners a gross pension between £2000 and £3000; 46,257 pensioners a pension between £3,000 and £4,000, and 37,644 pensioners a pension between £4,000 and £5,000 per annum. "Pensioners" includes retired officers but not those in receipt of a dependant's pension.
Civil Servants: Redundancy
Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what his policy is on the size of redundancy payments for civil servants; and if he will make a statement. [272643]
Mr. Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Prime Minister on 31 March 2009, Official Report, column 60-61WS.
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