§ Mr. AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how the introduction of the community charge and unified business rate will affect owner-occupiers of commercially rated properties such as small hotels and guest houses.
§ Mr. HowardThose for whom a hotel is their main residence will be liable for a community charge and eligible for rebates in the usual way. Hotels and guest houses which are not predominantly used as main residences will be subject to non-domestic rates like other business premises. Where a part of a hotel is used as a main residence, non-domestic rates will be payable only in respect of the remaining part.
§ Dr. CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in theOfficial Report figures on the scale of inter-regional transfers through resource equalisation mechanisms for all years 1980–81 to 1987–88, on the same basis as figure 12 on page 31 of Cmnd. 9714.
§ Mr. Ridley[holding answer 17 November 1987]: The information requested is as follows:
energy surveys of all the main Defence sites. These are identifying opportunities for improving energy efficiency including lighting installations. On the Government's Civil Estate a recently formed panel of departmental energy managers is considering to what extent energy surveys would be worthwhile for the Civil Estate.