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8 Jun 2009 : Column 753W—continued
Non-domestic Rates
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether under the business rates deferral scheme local authorities will be required to issue a business with a rebate in cases where that business had already paid more than 40 per cent. of its 2009-10 rates liability at the time the deferral scheme became operational; [278390]
(2) whether under the business rates deferral scheme a business will be able to defer (a) a maximum of 60 per cent. of its 2009-10 business rate liability and (b) 60 per cent. of the amount of liability that remains unpaid at the time the deferral scheme became operational. [278391]
John Healey: As announced on 31 March 2009 and confirmed at Budget, the Government will enable business rate payers to defer payment of 60 per cent. of the annual RPI inflation increase in their 2009-10 business rates bills until 2010-11 and 2011-12. Ratepayers occupying property that received transitional relief in 2008-09 will in addition be able to defer payment of 60 per cent. of the increase in their 2009-10 rates bills due to the end of the 2005 transitional relief scheme.
The Government do not have the power to make the regulations that will implement the scheme apply retrospectively. So where a ratepayer has, for whatever reason, already paid their full liability for 2009-10 under the existing legislative scheme, the billing authority will not be able to grant the ratepayer a deferral and give the ratepayer a refund. However, all ratepayers with enough outstanding 2009-10 rates liabilities will be able to defer the amounts set out above, which will be deducted from their remaining 2009-10 instalment payments. Those whose outstanding rates liability is less than the amount they can defer will be able to defer whatever is remaining of their 2009-10 liability.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 1 June 2009, Official Report, column 202W, on Local Government Finance Act 1988, (1) whether she expects July 2009 to be the first billing month for companies using the business rates deferral scheme; and if she will make a statement; [278454]
(2) how many weeks after the coming into force of regulations implementing the business rates deferral scheme she expects local authorities to take to (a) inform businesses of the deferral option, (b) process requests for deferrals and (c) begin issuing rates bills that incorporate any requested deferral; [278420]
(3) what recent guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on the time between coming into force of regulations in respect of the business rate deferral scheme and the issuing to businesses of revised bills. [278421]
John Healey: As announced on 31 March 2009, the Government are planning to bring regulations implementing the business rates deferral scheme into force by the end of July.
Further details on the timetable for implementation and the availability of the scheme to ratepayers are described in the business rate information letter issued on 5 June 2009. This letter, which was sent to all billing authorities in England, can be accessed at:
I have placed a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 1 June 2009, Official Report, column 203W, on non-domestic rates, whether the full funding by her Department of costs incurred by local authorities in administering the business rates deferral scheme is taken into account in the 2009-10 budget for her Department, as outlined in Table C11 on page 241 of the 2009 Budget Red Book. [278419]
John Healey: The figures cited in Table C11 of the 2009 Financial Statement and Budget Report setting out the Departmental Expenditure Limits for Communities and Local Government cover costs associated with implementing deferral of business rate payments.
Any net additional costs to local government as a whole arising from the business rates deferral scheme will be fully funded under the new burdens principle.
Official Hospitality
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 7 May 2009, Official Report, column 397W, on official hospitality, (1) if she will make it her policy to publish declarations of (a) interest and (b) gifts and hospitality made by her Department's special advisers; [277141]
(2) what financial thresholds trigger requirements for her Department's special advisers to make a declaration of (a) interest and (b) gifts and hospitality. [277142]
Mr. Khan: Civil servants may not accept gifts, other than in very limited circumstances. Where a gift is accepted, departmental procedures require that details of all gifts, other than items such as diaries, calendars or other small items of modest value bearing a company’s name or insignia, must be declared in writing.
All hospitality received by staff, with the exception of light refreshments and meals provided in the course of normal departmental business must also be declared in writing. Government publish information on hospitality received by departmental board members. A copy of the published board hospitality report can be found in the Library of the House, and on the Cabinet Office website at:
In accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code, civil servants, including
special advisers, must declare any business interests which they would be able to further as a result of their official position.
Smoke Alarms
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect of rates of adoption of domestic smoke alarms between 1988 and 2000 on the rates of death from domestic fires in that period. [277783]
Mr. Khan: Smoke alarms are not designed to prevent fires. It is therefore not possible to make a causal link between the number of dwelling fires and smoke alarm ownership. The alarms are designed to alert people to the presence of a fire and thereby prevent deaths and injuries.
The percentage of households with a smoke alarm increased from 8 per cent. in 1988 to 83 per cent. in 2000. There were 64,200 primary dwelling fires in 1988. By 2000 the number of primary dwelling fires had increased to 70,900. However, the number of deaths in accidental dwelling fires fell from 661 in 1988 to 397 in 2000.
Travelling People: Caravan Sites
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Travellers' caravans on unauthorised sites without planning permission in England, were (a) tolerated and (b) not tolerated on land (i) owned by the Travellers and (ii) not owned by the Travellers, in (A) January and (B) July in each year since 2000. [277030]
Mr. Iain Wright: The count of Gypsy and Traveller caravans, carried out in January and July each year, and published on the website of Communities and Local Government, provides details of the number of authorised and unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller caravan sites. It provides the following breakdown for the period January 2000 to January 2009:
| Unauthorised sites (without planning permission) | ||||
| Count Period | Number of caravans on sites on Gypsies’ own land | Number of caravans on sites on land not owned by Gypsies | ||
| Tolerated | Not tolerated | Tolerated | Not tolerated | |
International Development
Afghanistan: Overseas Aid
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was allocated to the United Nations Development Programme by his Department for use in Afghanistan in each of the last five years; and what criteria there were for the allocation of such funds. [278561]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development’s (DFID) allocation of its bilateral programme through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for use in Afghanistan in the last five years is listed as follows:
| £ | |
DFID contracts are tendered and awarded in accordance with DFID’s procurement guidance, drawn up in line with the EU Public Procurement Directive.
Burma: Overseas Aid
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consideration the Government have given to further measures to deliver aid to the Irrawaddy Delta region of Burma following Cyclone Nargis. [278260]
Mr. Michael Foster: In March the UK Government committed an additional £20 million to Burma over two years, increasing the Department for International Development’s aid programme to £25 million in 2009-10 and £28 million in 2010-11. Approximately 60 per cent. of this additional funding will be allocated to further relief following Cyclone Nargis. No UK aid is delivered though the Government of Burma.
Departmental Billing
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available. [275198]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: Details of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) payments under the Late Payments of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 are published in the DFID Resource Accounts, which are available online at:
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