§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will make it his policy to take steps to provide protection from double charging under the community charge system for an individual, who owns his 349W own home and who is required to live in accommodation provided for him by his employer; if he will undertake consultations for this purpose; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what guidance he has issued to local authorities on the liability to community charge after April 1990 of a teacher in an independent boarding school who owns his own home at a distance from the school and lives in school accommodation either (a) as a condition of his employment or (b) for convenience, as to whether an exemption from either personal community charge or standard community charge will apply in any such case, and as to whether a maximum limit will be prescribed for the standard community charge in any such case; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerThe Government have no plans to make any special provision for individuals in the circumstances described by my hon. Friend. Domestic property which is not used as a sole or main residence will give rise to a standard community charge.
In determining the level of the standard charge for their areas, local authorities already have a discretion to set this at a multiple of 0, 1/2, 1, 11/2 or 2 of the personal charge.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the illustrative community charge levels for each local authority in England for 1989–90.
§ Mr. GummerI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 25 April at column532.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on(a) the means of distribution being used to distribute the household community charge leaflet and (b) the cost of this distribution.
§ Mr. GummerI have written to the hon. Member.