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Rating (Empty Properties) Bill

I am grateful to the Minister for that intervention. I am trying to make a more general point: there should be some degree of balance in the proposals so that the measure is revenue-neutral rather than a means for Ministers to take an extra £1 billion a year from the business community. The impact of the measure is the most important aspect of the debate. It was rightly asked—not least in the context of Stoke-on-Trent—whether the Bill would really promote regeneration. The hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Joan Walley) characterised it as a one-size-fits-all measure that might not be appropriate to parts of the country that are most in need of regeneration. There are arguments about empty property relief, especially in relation to pension funds and other property owners. As my noble Friend Lord Oakeshott pointed out in another place, for offices and retail premises full relief would apply only for three months. However, even the most assiduous landlord working as hard as possible would usually take longer than three months to let their premises. When the Minister for Local Government responds, perhaps he could say where that three-month time period came from. I hope that it will not be disputed that even the most responsible property owner could take more than three months to re-let their property. If the Minister has not considered that matter, perhaps he could reflect on it and table amendments at a future stage. It would not seem right if even landlords who sought to re-let their properly as quickly as possible were caught with an additional tax burden. If the previous tenant in a shopping centre went bust, it might take some weeks to recover the property, because of the legal process that have to be gone through. In that case, three months would be far too short. It might be six months or longer before even the most assiduous landlord was able to make sure that their property was re-let.