§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many village post offices and general stores he expects to benefit from business rates relief over the next 12 months. [35666]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordSome properties of these kinds already benefit from discretionary rate relief on hardship grounds, but numbers are not held centrally. We estimate that up to 30,000 properties would be likely to benefit from our proposed scheme of rate relief for village shops, post offices and some other small rural businesses. The scheme would require primary legislation.