§ 29. Mr. LambieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has met representatives of the Chemical Industry Association to discuss the proposals on industrial rating contained in its recent representations to him; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LangI met representatives of the Chemical Industries Association in Glasgow on 13 January. We had a useful discussion on the proposals for reform of the industrial rating system in Scotland put forward by that association in its recent briefing paper "Scottish Industrial Rates: The Need for Change". The association's representatives accepted that radical change was not possible before the 1990 revaluation, but I was able to assure them that we are giving serious consideration to the prescription of decapitalisation rates north and south of the border for 1990, and to moving to a common approach on the treatment of plant and machinery as soon as possible after that. I also assured the association of our commitment to achieving harmonisation, and to moving to a common non-domestic rate in all areas.