HC Deb 30 November 1988 vol 142 cc255-6W
Mrs. Ray Michie

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assumptions he made, in calculating his estimates of community charge levels which local authorities might reasonably levy, in respect of each local authority in Scotland about provision to be made in 1989–90 for(a) inflation over 1988–89 budgets, (b) increased borrowing by authorities to finance capital expenditure under section 94 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, (c) full year commitments of expenditure incurred for only part of the year 1988–89, (d)

Residents with main diagnosis of schizophrenic psychoses at end of 1987 by health board and expressed as percentage of psychiatric and all hospital beds
Health Board of Residence Total Number of Residents Per cent. of psychiatric beds Per cent. of all beds
Argyll and Clyde 283 16.5 6.6
Ayrshire and Arran 132 14.3 4.5
Borders 37 11.5 3.9
Dumfries and Galloway 129 20.6 8.6
Fife 138 9.1 4.2
Forth Valley 273 14.2 8.0
Grampian 296 13.0 5.4
Greater Glasgow 866 18.3 6.9
Highland 135 15.2 6.2

loss of rate income in previous years due to revaluation appeals, (e) new services or expansion of existing services to meet demands created by demographic change, (f) any increased level of bad debt, (g) any proportion of the adult population which would avoid payment of the community charge and (h) the size of the adult population liable for payment of the community charge.

Mr. Lang

The information requested is as follows:

  1. (i) 6 per cent.;
  2. (ii) full account of the best available estimates of such borrowing less the reduction in borrowing which will result from the capitalisation of housing improvement and related specific grants;
  3. (iii) none. The estimates specifically excluded increases in the volume of expenditure;
  4. (iv) local authority's latest estimates of non-domestic rate income were used in the calculations;
  5. (v) £35 million;
  6. (vi) and (vii) It was assumed that losses in collection and exemptions (net of the additional income from standard charges) for community charges would together be at the same level as losses and reliefs for non-domestic rates;
  7. (viii) 3,905,177 before exemptions or 3,806,571 taking account of exemptions and standard charges.

Forward to