Clause 1 - Mandatory rate relief onformer agricultural premises
Rating (Agricultural Premises and Rural Shops) Bill
10:45 am
Mr Damian Green (Ashford, Conservative)
I have a degree of sympathy with that part of the case put by the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome that attempts to secure greater clarity and therefore greater perceived fairness in the Bill's definitions. We can all have fun at the Government's expense with the definitional problem of what is and what is not rural. Apparently, north Somerset is not rural—I agree that that is absurd. It is also absurd that the rural group of Labour MPs has 168 members; it would be interesting to know how many of that group represent seats that their own Government do not regard as rural.