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Ofsted: Registration of Childminders

Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:

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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): These are matters for the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). HM Chief Inspector of Schools, David Bell, will write to the noble Baroness and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library.

Non-residential Property

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What the latest available figures are for (i) the resident population and (ii) the total rateable value for non-residential properties in each of the following wards:

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Local AuthorityWardLocal AuthorityWard
CamdenHolbornLeicesterWycliffe
Kings CrossNorthamptonCastle
Regent's ParkDerbyBabington
St PancrasLitchurch
Somers TownBirminghamLadywood
Hammersmith & FulhamWhite City & Shepherds BushDudleyBrierley Hill
HackneyMoorfieldsCoventrySt Michaels
IslingtonBunhillWolverhamptonSt Peters
ClerkenwellHullMyton
LambethBishopsLeedsCity & Holbeck
SouthwarkCathedralSheffieldCastle
DockyardDarnall
RiversideStoke-on-TrentShelton
Tower HamletsMillwallDarlingtonCentral
St Katherine'sNewcastle-upon-TyneWest City
PortsmouthCharles DickensSunderlandCentral
SouthamptonBargateLiverpoolAbercromby
BristolAshleyManchesterCentral
CabotPrestonCentral
PlymouthSutton
HarlowHare St & Town CentreBelfastShaftesbury
IpswichTownLondonderryThe Diamond
King's LynnCentral
NorwichMancroftNewport (Gwent)Stow Hill
PeterboroughCentralSwanseaCastle
ThurrockWest Thurrock

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; and[HL2611]

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    What were their estimates in calculating the annual cost to the Exchequer of the abolition of stamp duty on non-residential property purchases in disadvantaged areas, of—

    (a) the total current capital value of non-residential property in the 2000 disadvantaged areas;

    (b) the proportion of this total value which will be bought and sold each year; and

    (c) the proportion of the annual cost to the Exchequer represented by the abolition of stamp duty on purchases of existing non-residential properties, as opposed to development of new non-residential properties; and[2612]

    What the estimated cost to the Exchequer will be in the financial year 2004–05 of exempting the 2000 disadvantaged areas from stamp duty on the grant of new leases on non-residential property, at the rates proposed in the 2003 Budget.[HL2613]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Information on ward resident populations and rateable values is given in the following table.

The relief from stamp duty in disadvantaged areas has already benefited thousands of individuals and businesses, as well as the communities in which they are investing.

Estimates of the annual cost to the Exchequer of the abolition of stamp duty on non-residential property purchases in disadvantaged areas were based on previous yield transaction data. This did not involve specific estimates of the total current capital value of non-residential property or the rate of turnover. The estimate did not include a component for the development of new non-residential properties arising from the relief. As such transactions would not have gone ahead without the relief, there is no exchequer cost resulting from relief for such transactions.

The cost of exempting 2,000 disadvantaged areas from stamp duty on the grant of new leases on non-residential property is included in the overall estimate but is not separately identifiable.

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Resident population and rateable values in selected wards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Local AuthorityWardResident Population mid 1998Total Rateable Value 1 April 2003 (£ million)
CamdenHolborn6,600176.8
Kings Cross7,80018.2
Regent's Park9,60051.1
St Pancras5,40024.4
Somers Town7,30047.9
Hammersmith and FulhamWhite City and Shepherds Bush10,20027.6
HackneyMoorfields6,100100.7
IslingtonBunhill6,900119.5
Clerkenwell11,60060.2
LambethBishops10,8003.3
SouthwarkCathedral6,80070.0
Dockyard20,20015.4
Riverside10,50026.6
Tower HamletsMillwall18,10047.7
St Katherine's15,10086.7
PortsmouthCharles Dickens15,80051.0
SouthamptonBargate16,900100.9
BristolAshley13,6006.7
Cabot13,900103.6
PlymouthSutton11,60053.0
HarlowHare St and Town Centre3,60022.3
IpswichTown7,80052.1
King's LynnCentral2,9004.7
NorwichMancroft7,80078.2
PeterboroughCentral8,40048.0
ThurrockWest Thurrock8,700117.1
LeicesterWycliffe12,60028.0
NorthamptonCastle8,00032.3
DerbyBabington11,9003.3
Litchurch11,40051.6
BirminghamLadywood27,100231.6
DudleyBrierley Hill10,30050.9
CoventrySt Michaels16,00057.1
WolverhamptonSt Peters14,30053.3
HullMyton11,80058.4
LeedsCity and Holbeck21,300249.2
SheffieldCastle14,70021.1
Darnall98.5
Stoke-on-TrentShelton19,40041.9
DarlingtonCentral3,10023.8
Newcastle-upon-TyneWest City7,90068.5
SunderlandCentral12,70034.7
LiverpoolAbercromby12,90045.2
ManchesterCentral10,500294.4
PrestonCentral9,50069.6
BelfastShaftesburyNot availableNot available
LondonderryThe DiamondNot availableNot available
Newport (Gwent)Stow HillNot available22.8
SwanseaCastleNot available45.1

Stamp Duty Exemption

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Why they used local authority wards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but postcodes in

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    Scotland when selecting the 2,000 disadvantaged areas for stamp duty exemption.[HL2614]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The qualifying areas for the exemption were identified by reference to the most recent national indices of deprivation at the time the original legislation was introduced. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the indices refer to electoral wards or divisions. In Scotland the index uses postcode areas. The regulations use wards and postcode areas accordingly.

Competition Law: Definition of "Market"

Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they will consider that communications via the electronic and print media constitute a market for the purpose of the application of European Union and United Kingdom competition rules.[HL2650]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): The definition of "markets" for the purpose

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of applying competition law is a matter for the relevant competition authorities to determine on a case-by-case basis when considering whether a competition problem may exist. Markets are defined on the basis of economic evidence available at a given point in time.

Prescription-only Veterinary Medicines

Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether the Department of Trade and Industry will be consulting the British Veterinary Association and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association about the Competition Commission's report on the supply of prescription-only veterinary medicines before any further action is taken on the report.[HL2568]

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked the Office of Fair Trading to consult with interested parties about implementation of the Competition Commission's proposed remedies. These parties will include the British Veterinary Association and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association.



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