Rating (Empty Properties) Bill

I can do no more than express my wish that the Minister will address the hon. Gentleman’s useful intervention during his winding-up speech. The Minister needs to reflect more on rural communities. It can take a good deal of time for a small industrial unit in a rural area to be re-let, even with the owner’s most assiduous efforts. It can often take a great deal of time for a new business venture to spot an opportunity in a rural location. Changing the tax regime will not alter that situation, but simply take more money out the system and perhaps threaten the viability of the business owner who wishes to make a change. The measure could affect the situation facing post offices. I deeply regret the fact that the Government are going ahead with plans to close 2,500 post offices. As the House will know, sub-postmasters and postmistresses are small business people who own their premises. If they will be subject to compulsory closure, they will no doubt receive a compensatory payment, as would be only appropriate, but it might well be for them to find an alternative use for the property, whether by letting it or selling it on. Will former sub-postmasters and postmistresses be expected to pay the new taxation while their premises remain vacant, even though the Government will have enforced the closure of the business? I hope that the Minister will address the circumstances of post offices because that is a significant issue. The Bill rightly contains an exemption for charities and community sports clubs. However, the ownership of community facilities by community companies is becoming more prevalent. Perhaps that trend is more common in Scotland than in England and Wales, but it is none the less increasing. I hope that the Minister will be able to reassure me that premises owned by community companies will be exempt from the change, given that, as I would hope that hon. Members on both sides of the House would agree, such community involvement in the ownership of facilities should be encouraged. Substantial risks for community companies could be inherent in the new regime, so the situation must be addressed. Will the Minister clarify one other point that has been raised with me? It relates to unoccupied buy-to-let properties. There may be differences of opinion about the buy-to-let market among Members of different parties, but in my constituency it causes great problems with the sort of property that first-time buyers might seek to acquire. What is the position of unoccupied buy-to-let property under the Bill? I have heard stories about buy-to-let; indeed, in my constituency, there is a case of a buy-to-let property speculator buying a number of flats in one development and not letting them, but instead sitting on them in order to take advantage of the capital appreciation. A point has been made about the impact on pension funds, and that is a significant issue that needs to be addressed. My noble Friend Lord Oakeshott has calculated that the measure would take some £150 million a year out of pension funds, and the impact on the overall capital value of pension funds would therefore be worth some £3 billion. I do not think that that is scaremongering. The Minister may regard it as a price worth paying, but I should certainly be interested to hear his justification on that point. I understand and have some sympathy with the Government’s overall objectives, but a great number of questions concerning the Bill remain to be answered. I hope that they will be dealt with satisfactorily as the Bill completes its further stages.