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Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property

Answer

The Department does not own any properties.

Since May 2010 the central Government estate was far larger than required and taxpayers were paying to maintain, run and rent properties which were under-occupied while other parts of the freehold estate remained vacant.

The Government Property Unit has been supporting Departments to rationalise rapidly the Government's estate including by taking a whole of Government view of property. Since May 2010 over £1.25 billion has been raised by selling surplus freehold properties. Through the exiting of property across the central civil estate, we have also delivered cumulative, gross run rate savings of over £454 million per annum.

Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end, the Government looks to explore all disposal options, including commercially sub-letting all or part of the space. Surplus property is listed on gov.uk.

Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end but cannot yet be sold or sub-let commercially, the Space for Growth scheme, run by the Government Property Unit, invites small and medium-sized businesses, charities and social enterprises to utilise this space for free, boosting economic growth. Over 1,500 workstation spaces are now available in 57 different locations around England.

I have approached the chief executives of the Department's executive agencies (Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office, Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency) and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.

Information for non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Letter from John Alty, dated 13 March 2014:

I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 12th March 2014 , to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year. (191800)

The Intellectual Property Office an Executive Agency and Trading Fund of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has no vacant property. As such no business rates are being paid for vacant properties.

Letter from Ann Lewis, dated 13 March 2014:

I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 13 March 2014, UIN 191800 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Companies House does not have any empty properties and, therefore, has not needed to make an estimate of this kind.

Letter from Ed Lester, 13 March 2014:

I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 12 March 2014 which asked the following:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

Please see the table for the requested information.

I hope that you find this helpful.

Building	Building name	Empty building relief received (£)	Section 44a (S44a) (temporary vacant relief) received (£)
Plymouth	Drakes Hill	—	8,020
Plymouth	Eagle House	—	3,526
Nottingham	Chalfont Drive	115,955	—
Harrow	Lyon House	—	59,401
Gloucester	Twyver House	—	2,080
Peterborough	Touthill Close	—	19,951
Telford	Stafford Park	7,840	—
Peterborough	Touthill Close	20,277	—
Gloucester	Twyver House	—	1,820
Birkenhead	Rosebrae Court	—	48,472
Gloucester	Twyver House	—	1,326
Total		144,073	144,595
Total amount	£288,667	—	—
Notes: 1. Empty building rates relief received: Empty rates relief was received on vacant buildings that became vacant and due to be sold or we vacated due to lease expired. 2. S44a (temporary vacant rates relief) received: Section 44a was awarded for vacate space that we either being refurbished or a tenant had vacated and was then reoccupied a short time after.

Letter from Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB, dated 13 March 2014:

As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

Ordnance Survey has had no vacant properties recorded on e-PIMS for the current financial year.

Should you have any further questions, please let me know.

I hope this information is helpful.

Letter from Richard Judge, dated 14 March 2014:

The Secretary of State for Business, innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2013/3169); asking what estimate has been made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by the Department and any executive agencies in the current financial year.

The information supplied relates only to the Insolvency Service.

The Insolvency Service has no vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database.

Letter from John Hirst, dated 14 March 2014:

I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 12 March 2014, UIN 191800 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The Met Office owns no vacant properties. There is one vacant property leased by the Met Office recorded on the e-PIMS database. Business rates payable on the premises in 2013-14 are £21,666. The lease on this property expires at the end of 2014 and the premises will be handed back to the landlord at that point.

I hope this helps.

Letter from Peter Mason, dated 14 March 2014:

I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO), an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 12 March 2014, asking for estimated the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS

database owned by the Department and any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of the Department in the current financial year.

The National Measurement Office (NMO) has no vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database and accordingly the estimate of empty property business rates for NMO is nil for the current financial year.

Letter from Barbara Spicer, dated 17 March 2014:

Thank you for your question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year (191800).

Please be advised that the vacant properties for Skills Funding Agency, recorded on e-PIMS, are the following:

Birmingham (NTI Building), Brighton, Ipswich, Fareham, Coventry (Cheylesmore House North 2 floors).

The business rates paid for these empty premises in 2013/14 were the following:

Birmingham = £178,980

Brighton =£44,745

Ipswich = £60,378

Fareham = £89,019

Coventry = £180,412

I hope this satisfactorily addresses your question. If you have any follow up queries, please let me know.

Letter from David Parker:

Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, to ask what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

The UK Space Agency is an Executive Agency of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and it does not own any properties.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

191800; 577 cc590-3W

Session

2013-14

Subjects

Databases Empty property Business rates

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk