HC Deb 11 January 1988 vol 125 cc76-7W
Mr. Fraser

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received seeking exemption from the community charge for hostels provided for political refugees; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Howard

We have received no representations seeking exemptions. We have, however, received representations that the community charge register could be used to track down political refugees. We have, therefore, decided to take steps to protect the confidentiality of people at risk, to enable them to register for the community charge without making public their names and addresses.

Mr. Rooker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment why, pursuant to his answer of 11 December,Official Report, columns 275–76, a considerable amount of effort is involved in producing the information requested in respect of the poll tax.

Mr. Howard

Estimates of gainers and losers are made using a complex computer-based tax benefit model. This is constructed to produce results which are net of rebates since this is the better measure of the impact of our proposals on households. To produce figures which are gross of rebates would require parts of the computer model and the associated data handling routines to be rewritten and tested for consistency.

Mr. Rooker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if information relating to an adult's date of birth will be used in any personal identification system for the purposes of the poll tax.

Mr. Howard

The Local Government Finance Bill provides that each registration officer shall compile and maintain a register of the persons in his area who are subject to the community charge. The Bill does not provide for any personal identification system based on dates of birth. It will be for charging authorities to decide how they wish to identify individual accounts.

Mr. Rooker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Billericay (Mrs. Gorman) on 2 December,Official Report, column 619, he will state under what specific powers poll tax registration officers will be required to omit from the community charge register the names and addresses of people who are in fear of physical injury.

Mr. Howard

In making regulations under paragraph 14(1)(a) of schedule 1 to the Local Government Finance Bill, my right hon. Friend will provide that the extract of prescribed information taken from the community charge register should exclude the names and, where appropriate, the addresses of people living in danger of physical injury.

Mr. Rooker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make available consultation papers and draft regulations on poll tax rebates in advance of the Committee stage of the Local Government Finance Bill.

Mr. Scott

I have been asked to reply.

Discussions with the local authority associations on the details of the rebate scheme have already started, and we hope to send the associations draft regulations covering a substantial part of the provisions needed for the community charge rebate scheme before the end of this month.

A precise timetable for the discussion of particular provisions within the Local Government Finance Bill in Committee has not been fixed, but it is unlikely that the rebate provisions will be considered before then.