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3 Nov 2009 : Column 843W—continued
Non-Domestic Rates
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons business revaluation transitional relief will not apply to supplementary business rates from April 2010. [294126]
Barbara Follett: Transitional relief is provided to limit and phase in significant increases in business rate liability resulting from the regular five yearly revaluation of business rates. The majority of business properties-60 per cent.-will see their rates liability fall as a result of the 2010 revaluation. The minority facing large increases will benefit from £2 billion worth of transitional relief.
Transitional relief is a national scheme which is funded by other business ratepayers. Extending it to increases resulting from the introduction of a local business rate supplement would raise the possibility of ratepayers in parts of the country, where rateable values have gone down as a result of revaluation, being asked to pay for relief on an increase which does not result from revaluation but is, instead, the result of a local business rate supplement that is not being levied in their area and, therefore, not bringing any benefits to them.
Any increase in a ratepayer's liability due to a local decision to levy a supplement on the business rate to fund additional projects to promote the economic development of the local area is independent of revaluation 2010. Transitional relief is not, and has never been, intended to target increases in liability resulting from factors other than revaluation-for instance, increases resulting from a property's rateable value rising above the rateable value thresholds which determine whether it is eligible for other rate reliefs, or whether it is liable to pay a local supplement on the national non-domestic rate. Where a local authority exercises its discretionary power to levy a business rate supplement, it has discretion to set the rateable value threshold below which a property is exempt from paying the supplement anywhere above a minimum of £50,000 rateable value.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 16 October 2009, Official Report, column 1131W, on non-domestic rates, whether the 2010-11 multipliers which will take into account the 2010 revaluation and negative level of Retail Price Index inflation will be adjusted to entail a cash terms (a) reduction in overall tax yield, (b) freeze in the overall tax yield and (c) increase in the overall tax yield; and what his most recent estimate is of the level of business rates tax yield in 2010-11. [295733]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 26 October 2009]: The multipliers are set in accordance with Schedule 7 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and the increases in the business rates multipliers each year are capped by the previous September's RPI. Under the same legislation, the multipliers will also be adjusted to ensure that the overall tax yield does not increase as a result of the 2010 revaluation. The Government have no plans to amend the way that the multipliers are calculated.
The most recent estimate of business rates gross revenue for 2010-11 is £23,445,000,000. This is consistent with the figure in the consultation document "The
transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation", published on July 8, 2009. The document can be found on the CLG website at:
This is a broad estimate and does not take account of the impact that the September RPI inflation will have on the multipliers, transitional relief or any other reliefs applicable to businesses.
The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of their property relative to others. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government.
Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. The Government intend to put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases. This is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.
Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 131W, on non-domestic rates: empty property, whether the rateable value threshold for empty property rate relief of £2,200 will be increased to reflect the average uplift in rateable values consequent on the 2010 business rates revaluation. [297430]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 2 November 2009]: The Government have already announced that the rateable value thresholds for small business rate relief, rural rate relief and stud farm relief will be increased in line with the overall effect of the revaluation from 1 April 2010 and will make an announcement on the rateable value threshold for empty property rates later this year.
Planning Permission: Appeals
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria are applied in cases where he personally intervenes to fix a date for an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. [295634]
Mr. Ian Austin: Procedural guidance on inquiries is on the Planning Portal website:
A Good Practice Advice Note on bespoke casework is also on the Planning Portal website:
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/pins/pins-gpa-5-2009 bespoke-casework.pdf
Police: Pay
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the salaries of senior local authority officers will be published; and if he will make a statement. [297085]
Barbara Follett: New legislation requiring disclosure of senior salaries in local authorities will come into force on March 31 2010, requiring detailed disclosure of remuneration in the statement of account for 2009-10 onwards. The government's response to the statutory consultation was published on October 22 2009 and can be found on the CLG website:
Roads: Lighting
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effect on (a) energy usage and (b) expenditure of the installation of environmentally-friendly LED street lights. [297000]
Dan Norris: I have been asked to reply.
No analysis has been carried out specifically to estimate the energy usage and cost of LED street lighting. However, DEFRA is in the process of updating its 2008 consultation on sustainable products. The consultation is published via the Government's Market Transformation Programme and more information is available on its website at:
The updated paper includes a section on the energy efficiency of street and traffic lighting and will be published shortly for consultation.
Tenant Services Authority
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Tenant Services Authority will cease operating under the legal powers granted to the Housing Corporation. [297428]
Mr. Ian Austin: We are working towards commencing the Tenant Services Authority's new powers under the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 on 1 April 2010.
Tenant Services Authority: Public Consultation
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date the statutory consultation on the Tenant Services Authority's standards framework will commence; and how long he expects it to last. [297427]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Statutory consultation on TSA's standards framework is due to commence this month. It is expected to run for 12 weeks.
Tony Clements
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 16 July 2009, Official Report, column 656W, on Tony Clements, whether Mr. Clements was appointed to the post as Policy Adviser through a process of open competition; whether the job vacancy filled by Mr. Clements was advertised on the public part of the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway; and whether his position is subject to standard Civil Service terms and conditions. [292981]
Barbara Follett: Mr. Clements was recruited through a fixed-term appointment, under one of the permitted exceptions for fair and open competition contained in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles. There is no automatic requirement to advertise such appointments through open competition or on the public part of the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway, and this post was not advertised through either route. This position is subject to standard Civil Service terms and conditions.
House of Commons Commission
House of Commons: Offices
Mr. Carswell: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission (1) how many unutilised square metres of office space there were on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate in each year since the opening of the 2005 Parliament; [296425]
(2) how many empty offices there are on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate. [296426]
Nick Harvey: The number of vacant rooms on the House of Commons estate fluctuates constantly as requirements change or maintenance work is carried out. Only records of current vacancies are maintained.
At present there are 14 unoccupied offices on the estate with a total area of 230m(2). Six of these offices are vacant to enable major roof works to take place in the area known as the "Yellow Submarine" north of Speaker's Court.
There are 2,100m(2) of, open plan offices leased in No. 4 Millbank for use as decant space. Of this, 500m(2) is currently vacant, awaiting fit-out.
There are also 2,800m(2) of vacant, open plan space which is the House of Commons' area of No. 14 Tothill street, a building leased in October 2007 and shared with the House of Lords. This area will be fitted out and available for use by the Department of Resources in autumn 2010.
Refreshment Department: Finance
Mr. Hayes: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much subsidy was provided for each (a) eatery and (b) bar in the House of Commons part of the Palace of Westminster in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the most recent estimate is of the level of usage of each such outlet by (A) hon. Members, (B) visitors, (C) hon. Members' staff and (D) House staff. [296137]
Nick Harvey: The House does not provide a subsidy for individual eateries and bars. In 2008-09 the overall net cost incurred by the catering and retail directorate in the Department of Facilities was some £6.1 million, in accordance with the budget approved by the Finance and Services Committee. This represents the difference between income and the cost of the services provided. Food and drink pricing is agreed by the Finance and Services Committee, with advice from the Administration Committee.
With the exception of the Terrace cafeteria and the Debate self-service restaurant, no information is kept on the level of usage of each outlet by different types of pass holders. An annual survey is conducted in the Terrace cafeteria and the Debate self-service restaurant in order to assess the customer profile over a peak-lunch period. The last survey was held in May 2009, when usage of these outlets was as follows:
| Customer group | Terrace cafeteria | The Debate | ||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
Home Department
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders have received an anti-social behaviour order plus sentence upon conviction in England in the last three years. [293130]
Mr. Hanson: Information on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued is available up to 31 December 2007. The number of ASBOs issued following conviction for a criminal offence at all courts in England during 2005, 2006 and 2007 were 2,684; 1,671 and 1,228 respectively.
Asylum
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of (a) asylum applications and (b) applications for leave to remain were successful in each of the last five years; what percentage of applications of each type which were refused were then granted following an appeal in each of those years; and if he will make a statement. [293060]
Mr. Woolas: Data on the number of applications for asylum and leave to remain and applications refused are available in the Home Office statistical bulletin "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom, 2008". This publication and future publications may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
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