The Government have tabled new clauses 29 to 37 to replace clause 58, which was a placeholder clause on age assessments. Colleagues have already made the point about lack of scrutiny. Having received these new clauses so late in the day, we have not had a chance to see proper …
..."New clause 11, which replaces clause 61, significantly expands the jurisdiction of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission. On the face of it, this is a highly draconian measure that has been introduced at a very late stage in the Bill’s passage through Parliament, limiting the scrutiny. The new clause will …
..."I will also speak to clause 63, because the two clauses seem to be interconnected.
We think that these provisions are unnecessary and should be removed from the Bill. The Government’s proposals in both clauses are unnecessary. The Bill requires the tribunal procedure committee to give the tribunal the power …
..."I will come on to that topic, but those powers already exist, and I do not think that further regulation of this type—forcing the tribunals committee to supply this information—is the correct way of going about this.
..."My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. Throughout this Bill, some crumbs of legal aid have been provided in different circumstances, yet the Bill makes it difficult for lawyers to assist those people for whom legal aid is provided, and now they seem to be penalised for not being able …
..."Am I right that the Government will vote against the clause?
..."This might seem innocuous but my concern is that it may be a power grab by the Secretary of State because the clause contains some quite strong measures on what the Secretary of State can do in relation to other parts of legislation. Can the Minister reassure me that my …
..."Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of business rates on small businesses.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Business rates are an important source of funding for key local services such as adult social care and children’s services.
Small businesses may be eligible for Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR). Properties with a rateable value of £12,000 or less will pay no business rates under SBRR. For properties with a rateable value above £12,000 and less than £15,000, the SBRR will taper from 100% relief to 0%. Under SBRR, over 700,000 businesses pay no business rates.
Small businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector may also be eligible for the three month extension to the business rates holiday provided at Budget 2020.
The fundamental review of business rates is considering all parts of the business rates system, including support for small businesses.