§ Mrs. BallardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make it his policy to ensure that rateable businesses which temporarily cease to pay non-domestic rates due to the inability to trade for reasons of natural disasters are not treated as new accounts, which do not receive transitional relief, once they restart trading. [2824]
§ Mr. RaynsfordProperties removed from the rating list because they have been rendered incapable of occupation, for whatever reason, will necessarily require refurbishment or reconstruction, possibly to a higher standard than was the case before. We have no proposals to change the rule that such properties on re-entering the list should be denied transitional relief.