§ Mr. DoddsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what mechanisms he has established to monitor the impact of the phasing out of industrial de-rating in Northern Ireland. [152230]
§ Mr. PearsonThe policy document in relation to the "Rating of Vacant Property and the Removal of Industrial De-rating", published in April 2003, included Equality Impact and Regulatory Impact Assessments. Both these types of assessment require that the policy be monitored and evaluated after a suitable period of time has elapsed to allow the policy to 'bed down', and three years from its introduction is considered appropriate for evaluation. Monitoring and evaluation, following HM 953W Treasury "Green Book" guidance, would seek to measure outcomes during and after implementation in terms of revenue generated and the main impacts against what would have happened in the absence of the policy.