§ Baroness Blatch rose to move, That the draft regulations laid before the House on 6th March be approved [14th Report from the Joint Committee].
§ The noble Baroness said: My Lords, these draft regulations put into effect a promise which was given in another place during the passage of the Local Government and Housing Bill in 1989, to allow local authorities to levy fees in respect of registration schemes for houses in multiple occupation. The purpose of doing so would be to encourage local authorities to operate registration schemes by removing a financial disincentive to their doing so. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the draft regulations laid before the House on 6th March be approved [14th Report from the Joint Committee].—(Baroness Blatch.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.
§ Mercury Communications Ltd. (Rateable
§ Values)—(Scotland) Order 1991
§ Caravan Sites and Pitches (Rateable
§ Values) (Scotland) Order 1991
1244§ Industrial and Freight Transport
§ (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1991
§ British Railways Board (Rateable
§ Values) (Scotland) Order 1991
§ Glasgow Underground (Rateable Values)
§ (Scotland) Order 1991
§ Lochaber Power Company (Rateable
§ Values) (Scotland) Order 1991
§ Scottish Nuclear Limited (Rateable
§ Values) (Scotland) (No. 2) Order 1991
§ Scottish Power plc (Rateable Values)
§ (Scotland) (No. 2) Order 1991
§ Mines and Quarries (Rateable Values)
§ (Scotland) Order 1991
§ British Alcan Primary and Recycling
§ Ltd. (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order
§ 1991
§ British Gas plc (Rateable Values)
§ (Scotland) Order 1991
§ British Telecommunications plc (Rateable
§ Values) (Scotland) Order 1991
§ Water Undertakings (Rateable Values)
§ (Scotland) Order 1991
§ Electricity Generators (Rateable Values)
§ (Scotland) (No. 2) Order 1991
§ Scottish Hydro-Electric plc (Rateable
§ Values) (Scotland) (No. 2) Order 1991
§ Baroness Blatch rose to move, That the draft orders laid before the House be approved [14th Report from the Joint Committee].
§ The noble Baroness said: My Lords, the 15 draft orders standing in my name on the Order Paper all relate to matters of valuation and rating in Scotland. They conveniently divide into three groups and, with your Lordships' permission, I shall deal with them in the following way.
§ I shall deal first with the order relating to industrial derating. The draft Industrial and Freight Transport (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1991 and the draft Mines and Quarries (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1991 would set the level of industrial derating to apply in Scotland next year at 30 per cent. That is a reduction of five percentage points from the current level and is consistent with the Government's intention of phasing out industrial derating in parallel with the moves towards a national rate in Scotland at the level of the national non-domestic rate in England.
1245§ My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has announced a further reduction in non-domestic rates next year of £100 million, and this allows a further reduction in the level of industrial derating of 30 per cent.
§ There are 12 draft orders relating to the rateable values for 1991–92 of the so-called formula valued industries. These are mainly public utilities which are not valued for rating by the regional assessors in the usual way but for which the rateable values are prescribed. The draft orders before the House today simply revise the rateable values prescribed for this year to take account both of the new level of industrial derating and also of material changes affecting the value of each industry's property holdings.
§ The final order relates to the valuation of caravans and caravan pitches. Following the simultaneous revaluations in Scotland and in England and Wales, which took effect from 1st April 1990, it became clear that harmonisation had not been achieved in the valuation of caravan sites and caravan pitches with rateable values being significantly higher in Scotland than in England and Wales. In the interests of achieving harmonisation the draft order would increase the derating previously enjoyed by only certain caravans from 40 per cent. to 60 per cent. and also extend this derating to all caravans and their pitches. That would be with retrospective effect from 1st April 1990. I should explain that we see this as being only an interim measure, pending full harmonisation at the next revaluations in 1995.
§ The orders in the main merely update for 1991–92 existing provisions which apply in respect of this financial year. The exception is the order relating to caravans where we have acted swiftly to correct a lack of harmonisation in the valuation of these subjects. I commend the orders to the House. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the draft orders laid before the House be approved [14th Report from the Joint Committee].—(Baroness Blatch.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.