HC Deb 20 February 1990 vol 167 cc664-6W
Mr. Rooker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to provide information on the distributional impact of the poll tax on various household sizes in the same manner that such information was made available during the passage of legislation.

Mr. Chope

I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities to my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, North (Mr Thompson) on 15 February.

Mr. Channon

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what criteria he proposes to use in deciding which local authorities to charge cap;

(2) whether he will make it his policy to charge cap those local authorities who propose to levy a community charge that, taking account of any adjustment that may need to be made because of the transitional safety net, is over 15 per cent. higher than what would be needed if authorities spent in line with the standard spending assessment.

Mr. Chris Patten

I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Bristol, North-West (Mr. Stern) on 17 January.

Mr. Channon

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to announce his decisions as to which local authorities he proposes to charge cap.

Mr. Chris Patten

It would not be right for me to speculate on the timetable of any capping scheme we might need to operate for 1990–91.

Mr. Allan Stewart

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the economic consequences of the introduction of a roof tax; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

[holding answer 19 February 1990]: The principal disadvantages of such a tax include its unfair and arbitrary impact on homeowners and tenants, its discouragement of home improvements and the lack of any clear link between the spending of a local authority and the size of an individual's tax bill.

Mr. Madden

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning the current community charge publicity campaign that reference to the community charge rather than poll tax will result in confusion among potential rebate applicants; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

[holding answer 16 February 1990]: I have received no such representations.

Mr. Bermingham

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the criteria for capping that will be applied to local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bradford, North (Mr. Wall) on 24 January.

Mr. Paul Channon

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the level of community charge proposed by the finance committee of Southend council, he will make it his policy to charge cap the council.

Mr. Chris Patten

Selection of authorities for capping has to be on the basis of general principles and it would not be right for me to speculate on whether Southend-on-Sea borough council or any other authority would be capped if I needed to use my capping powers for 1990–91. But I have made it clear that if authorities do insist on budgeting excessively I shall not hesitate to cap them.

Mr. Beith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to bring forward regulations to enable let holiday cottages to be subject to business rate rather than standard community charge before the owners become liable to pay standard community charge.

Mr. Chope

Section 66(2B) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, inserted by the Standard Community Charge and Non-Domestic Rating (Definition of Domestic Property) Order 1990 S.I. No. 162, laid before Parliament on 9 February, provides broadly that a building is not domestic property if in the forthcoming year it will be available for letting commercially, as self-catering accommodation, for short periods totalling 140 days or more. In such cases business rates will be payable.

Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish in theOfficial Report a table showing for each local government housing authority the number of council houses at the latest available date and in 1978, together with the number of adults and children resident therein.

Mr. Chope

Information for April of each year has been reported since 1979 by local authorities in their annual housing investment programme returns (HIP1). The number of dwellings owned by the authority and situated in its own area appears in column B11 of "HIP1 All Items Print (1979)" and for 1989 in column A11 of "HIP1 All Items Print (1989)". In 1989 they also reported any stock owned by the authority but situated ouside its area and this appears in column A16 of "HIP1 All Items Print (1989)". Copies of both documents are in the Library. The numbers and ages of residents in local authority dwellings are not held centrally.

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