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1 Mar 2010 : Column 965W—continued
Non-domestic Rates
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the maximum percentage increase in business rates in each individual year of the 2010 to 2015 rating cycle will be as a result of the transitional relief scheme for the 2010 business rates revaluation. [319215]
Barbara Follett: The 2010 Business Rates Transitional Relief scheme limits annual increases in liability resulting from revaluation, before changes in other rate reliefs have been applied to set percentages for each year. The individual caps on increases for each year of the 2010 revaluation for small and large properties is set out in the following table.
| Transitional Relief 2010 revaluation (before inflation) | |||||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | |
| Note: These are year on year caps on increases. Small properties are those whose rateable value for 1 April 2010 is less than £18,000 or less than £25,500 in Greater London. | |||||
The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure that each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring that the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of its 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. Our £2 billion transitional relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases will ensure that in 2010-11 no business property sees its rates bill increase by more than 11 per cent. (after inflation) as a result of the revaluation, with maximum increases capped at just 3.5 per cent. (after inflation) for small properties. That is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the minimum percentage reduction in business rates in each year of the 2010-15 rating cycle is to be as a result of the downward phasing element of the transitional relief scheme for the 2010 business rate revaluation. [319261]
Barbara Follett: The 2010 Business Rates Transitional Relief scheme limits annual increases in liability resulting from revaluation, before changes in other rate reliefs are applied by set percentages for each year. This relief is funded by limiting annual reductions in bills due to the revaluation. The individual caps on reductions for each year of the 2010 revaluation for small and large properties is set out in the following table.
| Transitional Relief 2010 revaluation (before inflation) | ||
| Percentage | ||
| Downward cap | ||
| Small properties | Large properties | |
| Note: These are year on year caps on reductions. Small properties are those whose rateable value for 1 April 2010 is less than £18,000 or less than £25,500 in Greater London. | ||
The five-yearly Business Rates Revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring that the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of its 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. Our £2 billion Transitional Relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases will ensure that in 2010-11 no business property sees its rates bill increase by more than 11 per cent. (after inflation) as a result of the revaluation, with maximum increases capped at just 3.5 per cent. (after inflation) for small properties. That is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable he has set for the publication of data on the take-up rate of small business rate relief; and how many local authorities provided data for the survey. [319267]
Barbara Follett: The report "Small Business Rate Relief-Improving Evidence on Eligibility and Take-up" was published on 9 December 2009 and it estimates that of the approximately 1.2 million non-domestic properties in England which fall below the current rateable value (RV) thresholds for SBRR, around 575,000 are occupied by eligible small businesses. This report has been validated by an independent peer review and is available at:
New experimental statistics on the number of hereditaments claiming SBRR were published on the Communities and Local Government website on 25 February 2010. The statistical release, entitled "Number of Hereditaments Benefiting from Small Business Rate Relief and the Number of Empty Hereditaments: Experimental Statistics" is available at:
All billing authorities provided data on the number of hereditaments claiming SBRR; further information concerning the validation of these data is available in the 'data quality' section of the above statistical release.
In the light of these new statistics we have updated the published estimate of take-up. Local authorities estimated that 462,000 hereditaments were benefiting from SBRR on 31 December 2008. By applying that figure to the estimated 575,000 properties on the 2005 rating list occupied by eligible small businesses, it is estimated that around 80 per cent. of those eligible were claiming SBRR in 2008-09-see table 1 as follows:
| Table 1: Take-up of SBRR-numbers claiming | |||
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
|
Number of hereditaments estimated to be occupied by eligible small businesses (Thousand) | |||
Relief granted to small businesses has been increasing since SBRR was introduced-from £202 million in 2005-06 to £298 million in 2008-09. This represents a real terms increase of 34 per cent. Furthermore in 2008-09, 92 per cent. of the total relief that would be paid if all those estimated to be eligible were to claim, was actually being paid-see table 2 as follows:
The Government have already removed the requirement for small businesses to reapply for the relief annually, and are taking further action to maximise take-up by removing the requirement to reapply at revaluation. This will reduce considerably the administrative burden on both small businesses and local authorities.
Non-domestic Rates: Squatting
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether empty and incomplete dwellings illegally occupied by squatters are liable for empty property business rate (a) discounts and (b) exemptions. [319224]
Barbara Follett: Owners of empty dwellings may become liable to council tax but not empty property rates. Squatters occupying a dwelling that is shown in a council tax list will be liable for council tax in the same way as any other person occupying a dwelling. Incomplete dwellings are not liable to council tax unless they have been entered in a valuation list because they are deemed to be complete as a result of a completion notice; or, despite not being complete, have become dwellings by virtue of being occupied as living accommodation.
Opencast Mining: Health Hazards
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department and its predecessors have conducted on the effects on public health of opencast mining since 1997. [319303]
Mr. Ian Austin: We have conducted one piece of research. In 1999 the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne prepared a report "Do Particulates from Opencast Coal Mining Impair Children's Respiratory Health?" for the Department of Health and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
The findings of this report were fed into the Government's policy on dust from mineral workings and associated operations, which is set out in Annex 1 to Minerals Policy Statement 2 "Controlling and Mitigating the Environmental Effects of Minerals extraction in England". This annex was published in 2005.
Political Impartiality
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has granted requests from its employees for permission to stand as a candidate in local government elections due to take place in 2010. [317802]
Barbara Follett: Information relating to requests from employees for permission to stand as a candidate in local government elections is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Public Houses: Government Assistance
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps his Department has taken to assist public houses to avoid closure; [319141]
(2) what the responsibilities are of the Minister for Housing and Planning in relation to public houses. [319122]
John Healey: Ministers recognise the important role pubs can play in maintaining community life and there is concern across Government about the number of community pubs that have been forced to close during the recession. The Department of Communities and Local Government is working with a range of Government Departments to develop a package of measures to support community pubs.
Government action cannot sustain pubs that are fundamentally unviable but it is right to do everything possible to support those pubs that play an important community role. We will announce this package shortly.
Right to Buy Scheme
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will increase the thresholds at which Right to Buy discounts are capped. [319277]
John Healey: We have no plans to change the current Right to Buy discount limits.
Social Rented Housing
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to (a) the Homes and Communities Agency, (b) the Tenant Services Authority and (c) registered social landlords on local supply chain procurement in the last 12 months. [318530]
John Healey: The Office of Government commerce is responsible for issuing general guidance to the public sector on procurement.
Supporting People Programme
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2010, Official Report, column 255W, on supporting people programme, what representations he has received from (a) local authorities and (b) registered social landlords on non-renewal of supporting people contracts. [318401]
Barbara Follett: The Department has continual engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including local authorities and representatives of registered social landlords about the Supporting People Programme. While this may include issues concerning commissioning and contracts, it is for local authorities to make decisions about the renewal of contracts for the Supporting People Programme based on their strategic assessments of their areas' particular needs.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to answer Question 314659 on intentionally homeless households with children, tabled on 27 January 2010. [319826]
Mr. Ian Austin: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 24 February 2010, Official Report, columns 613-4W.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Adult Education: Grants
Mr. Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 21 July 2009, Official Report, column 1675W, on adult learning grants, what the average duration of claims for adult learning grants is amongst each age group; what the cost was of paying the adult learning grant to each age group in 2008-09; what the (a) mean and (b) median annual payment of the adult learning grant was in 2008-09 for each age group; and if he will make a statement. [318434]
Kevin Brennan: Data requested are provided for the 2008/09 academic year. This complements the data provided in my answer to the hon. Member on 21 July 2009, Official Report, column 1675W, which was also for the 2008/09 academic year.
| 2008/09 ALG recipients | ||||
| Annual payment (£) | ||||
| Age groups | Average claim duration (weeks) | Total cost (£) | Mean | Median |
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