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6 Apr 2010 : Column 1220W—continued
The data are taken from NNDR returns submitted by billing authorities.
Comparisons across regions and years may not be valid as the rateable values for individual properties, and hence actual rates bills, vary greatly. Changes in the figures for the years around 2000-01 are affected by transfers of properties from the central list to local lists, transfers of crown properties to local lists and the adjustments made to the multiplier at the time of the 2000 revaluation to take account of losses from appeals. Changes in the figures for the years around 2005-06 are also affected by adjustments made to the multiplier at the time of the 2005 revaluation.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 6 July 2009, Official Report, column 605W, on non-domestic rates, what projection has been made of the (a) change in rateable value on the ratings list resulting from rateable value appeals and (b) the amount of fees payable by those appealing against their rateable value in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11. [323091]
Barbara Follett: No projection has been made of the change in rateable value on the ratings list resulting from appeals. However, for the purpose of modelling the 2010 transitional relief scheme, my Department has made an assumption about the total reduction in RV as a result of appeals.
The assumptions used for this modelling are detailed in the consultation document titled "The transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England". The methodology and assumptions can be found on page 49 of the consultation. A copy of the consultation document is available at the following link:
There are no fees payable to valuation officers for making proposals challenging rateable values. Nor are there hearing fees payable should the proposal become an appeal to the Valuation Tribunal for England. Many ratepayers choose to employ the services of a professional representative to handle their rating liability. This is a personal matter between ratepayer and representative.
Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) address, (b) 2005 rateable value and (c) 2010 rateable value is of each hereditament with a special category code of public houses/pub restaurants (national scheme). [324511]
Barbara Follett: The Valuation Office Agency has published the current 2005 and draft 2010 Rating Lists on the internet at:
Search facilities within the site (using the 'Agent' access, which is open to any individual) allows the identification of properties within billing authorities by SCAT code. Public houses/pub restaurants (national scheme) are identified by SCAT 226.
Piers: Repairs and Maintenance
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent restoring seafront piers in each year since 1997. [325603]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected by this Department and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Public Houses
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what recent discussions he has had with pub landlords on the effects of the recession on their businesses; [325597]
(2) whether he has visited any pubs on official business in the last 12 months; [325599]
(3) what assistance his Department has provided to pubs during the recession. [325600]
John Healey: Since the Prime Minister asked me to lead work across Government to help and support Britain's community pubs in January, I have made a number of visits to pubs and had various discussions with landlords. I have also had discussions with cross-party groups and other organisations directly concerned with the pub industry.
On 19 March 2010, I published the Government's package of measures to support community pubs. Our plans fall into three main categories:
Business support
Industry standards and consumer choice
Community and local authority action.
Further details on our package of measures can be found on our website:
In addition to this package of measures described above, Planning Policy Statement 4: 'Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth' (published in December 2009) provides policy tools for local authorities to take into account the importance of pubs to the local community when a planning application is made that would result in its loss and enables them to refuse planning permission where people's day to day needs are not safeguarded.
Public Sector
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place a copy of the final report from each Total Place pilot in the Library. [325328]
Barbara Follett: The reports of the 13 pilot areas have been published online and are available through the Total Place website at:
Tenant Services Authority: Pay
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent staff work in the Tenant Services Authority communications team; and what the cost to the public purse was of that team on the latest date for which figures are available. [313092]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Tenant Services Authority employs 3.7 full-time equivalent staff in its press office and public affairs teams. The total cost to the public purse of employing these staff in the 12 months since TSA was established on 1 December 2008 was £171,300.
Unitary Councils
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have (a) applied for and (b) been accepted for unitary status in each year since 1997. [325601]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Since 1997, 26 proposals for unitary structures were submitted in January 2007 following the Invitation to Councils in England issued in October 2006. A further Invitation for unitary structures in Bedfordshire was issued in November 2007 and one proposal was received in response to it. From these proposals, nine unitary councils were established on 1 April 2009, and orders creating a further two on 1 April 2011, Exeter and Ipswich, have now been made following their approval by Parliament.
World Urban Forum
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who represented his Department at the World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro in March 2010; and whether his Department allocated funding to that forum. [324605]
Ms Rosie Winterton: No one from the Department for Communities and Local Government attended this year's World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro; nor was any money allocated to the event.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to answer questions (a) 323248, (b) 323249 and (c) 323251 on the MIPIM international property conference, tabled by the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield on 16 March 2010. [325232]
Barbara Follett: I have now replied to the hon. Member's questions.
Cabinet Office
Business: Cardiff
Jenny Willott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many small businesses have (a) closed and (b) opened in (i) Cardiff Central constituency and (ii) Cardiff in each of the last five years. [325320]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many small businesses have (a) closed and (b) opened in (i) Cardiff Central constituency and (ii) Cardiff in each of the last five years. [325320]
Annual statistics on business births, deaths and survival are available from the ONS release on Business Demography at:
Information on the number of enterprise deaths by parliamentary constituency is only available from 2005 onwards. The table below contains the latest statistics available on small enterprise birth and deaths in Cardiff over the past five years.
| Count of enterprise birth and deaths for Cardiff unitary authority and Cardiff, Central parliamentary constituency from 2004-08 with less than 50 employment (small) | ||||
| Births | Deaths | |||
| Cardiff | Cardiff, Central | Cardiff | Cardiff, Central | |
| Note: A small business is defined as an enterprise with less than 50 employment | ||||
Departmental Private Detectives
Mr. Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 15 January 2009, Official Report, column 873W, on private detectives, how much her Department spent on hiring or commissioning individuals from the panel of independent investigators in each of the last five years. [312258]
Tessa Jowell: My Department has incurred no costs in hiring or commissioning individuals from the panel of independent investigators.
Government Communications Review
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which recommendations made in the report of the Phillis Review on Government communication have not been implemented to date. [323450]
Tessa Jowell: Government communications have changed fundamentally over the past five years. Substantial progress has been made towards implementing the findings of the Phillis Review and all the key recommendations have been taken forward, except for Recommendation 10.1 calling for on camera lobby briefings, which was not implemented. Briefings are off the camera but on the record, a record of the briefings is available on the PM's website the same day.
Ministerial Policy Advisers: Bullying
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many complaints against special advisers alleging bullying or harassment have been made by civil servants since 1997. [323452]
Tessa Jowell: The Cabinet Office does not hold this information for the civil service. This information may be held by the individual employing Departments.
The civil service has a zero tolerance policy on bullying and harassment.
Opposition
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether her Department has undertaken costings of the policies of the (a) Conservative Party and (b) Liberal Democrat Party at the request of Ministers or special advisers in the last 36 months. [324242]
Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth, North (Sarah McCarthy-Fry), on 30 March 2010, Official Report, column 1044W.
Union of Good
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what investigations the Charity Commission has carried out into links between humanitarian charities based in the UK and the Union of Good in the last 12 months. [325224]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission to reply.
Letter from Andrew Hind, dated 29 March 2010:
As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission I have been asked to respond to your written question on what investigations we have carried out into links between humanitarian charities based in the UK and the Union for Good in the last twelve months.
In 2009 we published a report of our statutory inquiry into the Palestinians Relief and Development Fund, registered charity number 1040094 (known as Interpal). Among other issues, the inquiry considered the relationship between this charity and the Union for Good, which we understand to be a coalition of UK and overseas organisations working with Palestinians and in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The inquiry concluded that the charity's membership of the Union for Good was not appropriate, and directed the charity to take a number of actions, including to disassociate itself from membership of the Union for Good.
At the time this inquiry report was published, the Charity Commission was aware of concerns that had been raised that other charities, registered in England and Wales, were said to be members of the Union for Good. We investigated these concerns and concluded that, on the evidence then before us, this was not the case.
The Commission is continuing to monitor Interpal's compliance with the requirements of the Commission.
I will arrange for a copy of the statement of results of the inquiry on the charity Interpal to placed in the Library of the House. We would be very happy to meet you to discuss this area of our work further.
I hope this is helpful.
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