§ Ms Oona KingTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (1) pursuant to his answer of 16 April 2002,Official Report, column 888W, if he will place in the Library the information received from the Rent Service in support of its estimate of the likely increase in the number of localities following the Court of Appeal judgment on local reference rents in Stockport; [53014]
80W(2) pursuant to his answer of 16 April 2002, Official Report, column 888W, what organisations he consulted on the impact on the number of localities of the Court of Appeal judgment on local reference rents in Stockport; and if he will publish details of that advice.[53015]
§ Malcolm WicksWe did not request a formal report from the Rent Service and none was provided. The likely increase in the number of localities was an informal estimate for England provided by the Rent Service at that time in the light of the Court of Appeal judgment.
We did not consult any organisations about the impact on the number of localities following the Court of Appeal judgment. There was no need for such consultation because it was clear that had we not put new legislation in place, the increase in the number of localities following the Court of Appeal judgment would have proved unworkable for the Rent Service. Such an increase would have run counter to our policy that local reference rents should reflect the generality of the market and thus be based on broad geographical areas.
§ Ms Oona KingTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many localities the Rent Service has used to determine local reference rents in each year since their introduction. [53016]
§ Malcolm WicksI refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire on 24 April 2002,Official Report, column 340W.