Written question asked by Lord Bates (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord McKenzie of Luton (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 February 2010.

Ports: Business Rates

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the backdating of business rates for port-side operators.

Answer: The Government have listened to the concerns of businesses with significant and unexpected backdated bills, including some within ports. It has legislated to enable such bills to be repaid over an unprecedented eight years rather than in a single instalment, helping affected businesses to manage the impact on their cash flows during the downturn by reducing the amount they are required to pay now by 87.5%. As at 8 October 8 2009, local authorities reported that ratepayers occupying 221 properties within ports had fully discharged their backdated liability and ratepayers occupying a further 200 business properties within ports had been granted a schedule of payments.

Secondary information