§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of(a) second homes entitled to a 50 per cent. council tax discount and (b) holiday homes for which a business rate is payable in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [4329]
§ Dr. Whitehead(a) We estimate that approximately 220,000 second homes (defined as furnished and no-one's main residence) in England were entitled to a 50 per cent. council tax discount as at October 2000.
(b) No estimate is available for the number of holiday homes in England for which a business rate is payable. This is because many holiday homes form part of a larger site, and in many cases it is the site as a whole—rather than individual properties—that is liable for business rates.
Information on council tax and business rate liability in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly of Wales.