At the autumn statement, we announced a £1 billion package of business rates support to help shops and local firms. This included a £1,000 discount for two years for smaller shops, pubs and restaurants. Based on local authority reports of the amount of relief awarded, we estimate that 272,300 properties will benefit in England, including 7,740 in Lancashire.

The support package also included a 50% discount for businesses taking on long-term empty shops, the doubling of small business rate relief for another year, a 2% cap on RPI increases for 2014-15, allowing businesses to spread their business rates payments over 12 months, and allowing ratepayers that take on a second property to keep their small business rate relief for an extra year.

The Localism Act has also made it easier for small firms to claim small business rate relief.

At the autumn statement we announced a £1 billion package of business rates support to help shops and local firms. This included a £1,000 discount for two years for shops, pubs and restaurants with a rateable value of below £50,000. We do not hold figures for numbers benefitting from that measure in the Kemptown constituency. However, based on local authority reports of the amount of relief awarded in the Brighton and East Sussex areas, we estimate that 2,270 properties will benefit in Brighton and Hove, 890 in Wealdon, 810 in Lewes, 750 in Rother, and 720 in Eastbourne. We do not yet have an estimate for Hastings.

The support package also included a 50% discount for businesses taking on long-term empty shops, the doubling of small business rate relief for another year, a 2% cap on RPI increases for 2014-15, and allowing businesses to spread their rate payments over 12 months.

The National Planning Policy Framework supports local authorities in ensuring the vitality of their town centres. The Framework enables local authorities to require an impact assessment of large retail, leisure and office development outside of town centres, which are not in accordance with an up-to-date local plan. The framework is clear that where an application is

likely to have a significant adverse impact on investment in town centres or their vitality and viability, then it should be refused.

The Government has just announced a range of powerful new measures to provide the tools for the public and private sectors to transform their town centres for their local communities in England. These include the biggest business rates support package for over 20 years, banning CCTV for parking and

allowing residents and firms to review parking policies, a freeze on parking penalty charges, a review of business improvement districts, consultations on new permitted development rights, further planning simplification, a call for evidence on red tape, and support for the digital high streets. The devolved Administrations have developed their own approaches to town centres and as part of the autumn statement will receive their share of the business rates package funding according to the Barnett formula.

This is on top of a range of other measure we have taken to help high streets: £2.3 million to support the Portas pilots, £10 million from the High Street Innovation Fund to support 100 towns with the highest empty property rates and those affected by the riots, a £500,000 loan fund for new business improvement districts and funding and support to over 330 more town teams across the country.

Business rates are a tax on the rental value of non-domestic property. Any factor contributing to the rental value of non-domestic property is included in the assessment of the rateable value. This includes the availability of car parking either within the property or in the immediate locality. In this context, supermarkets with car parking spaces are likely to have a higher rateable value than ones without—and therefore will pay higher business rates.

We have cut small business rates and given councils a financial incentive to support high streets. Changes to planning rules mean that it is now easier to change the use of buildings. Consultation closed earlier this month on further relaxations of planning rules to make it easier to bring empty and underused buildings back to life, revitalising high streets and providing much-needed homes. We have also confirmed our intention to amend the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations to make it easier to bring vacant shops and other town centre units back into use without becoming liable for the levy. These changes will help town centre landlords make better use of their empty properties, get more start-up businesses set up in the high street, and see a third of a million small businesses paying no rates at all.

In addition, Government has provided communities across the country with a multi-million pound package of support so they can try new ideas to drive their local economy. Beyond the Portas Pilots and Town Team Partners, who shared over £5.6 million, Government has invested £10 million through the High Street Innovation Fund in the 100 areas with the highest empty property rates and those affected by the riots, and £1 million of High Street Renewal Awards. This is alongside more than £115 million of Government funding to boost enterprise and initiate business start ups.

Government has also committed £235 million of direct funding, to help local authorities, housing associations and community groups tackle the most problematic empty properties, which would not otherwise come back into use. The last funding round had a particular emphasis on refurbishing former commercial and high street properties.

We are working with an industry-led taskforce to explore distressed commercial property and its causes. This is due to publish its report soon. Finally, we established the Future High Streets Forum which is advising the Government how better use could be made of existing buildings, including with pop up shops.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Our commitment to hold business rate rises to the annual retail prices index cap means there has been no real terms increase in business rates since 1990. In addition, we have also postponed the revaluation of business premises from 2015 to 2017 to provide certainty and stability; doubled the level of small business rate relief for a further year (the whole of 2013-14); made it easier to claim small business rate relief; and given authorities powers to provide their own business rates discounts, as they see fit.

No such assessment has been made by the Department for Communities and Local Government.