§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department assisted the Data Protection Registrar with his investigation into possible unauthorised disclosure of poll tax data by the London borough of Wandsworth; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PortilloI am not aware that the Data Protection Registrar has asked for any such assistance.
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§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by how much the total amount to be raised by local government through the community charge in the current financial year exceeds the amount which would have been raised had the last year's income from domestic rates been increased in line with inflation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Portillo[holding answer 8 May 1990]: English local authorities have budgeted to raise £12.7 billion from the community charge in 1990–91. This is 30 per cent. higher than the amount they raised from domestic rates in 1989–90 and £2.2 billion more than if they had increased income by the March 1990 RPI.
The local authorities have budgeted to raise £35.8 billion from community charge, grant and business rates. This is £2.5 billion more than the equivalent figure for 1989–90 adjusted for changes in function and increased by the March 1990 RPI.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his estimates of the costs to local authorities in 1991–92 of implementing legislation on(a) community care and (b) environmental protection.
§ Mr. Portillo[holding answer 8 May 1990]: Estimates of the costs to local authorities and others of implementing the National Health Service and Community Care Bill and the Environmental Protection Bill are contained in the explanatory and financial memoranda to those Bills.
§ Mr. BennTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the statutory provisions permitting the preparation and publication of standard spending assessments for the community charge.
§ Mr. Chris Patten[holding answer 8 May 1990]: Standard spending assessments are calculated according to the revenue support grant distribution report (England) made under section 80 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and approved by the House on 18 January 1990. The Community Charges and Non-domestic Rating (Demand Notices) (England) Regulations 1990 (1990, No. 156) require standard spending assessments to appear on community charge demand notices.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what factors influenced his decision not to charge-cap the City of London.
§ Mr. Portillo[holding answer 8 May 1990]: My right hon. Friend did not designate the City of London for charge capping because its budget was not in his opinion excessive.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance is given to local authorities on the exercise of discretion on the levying of the community charge.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 8 May 1990]: It has been the long-established and sensible practice of local authorities to exercise discretion not to seek to collect very small amounts where the cost of collection would exceed the amounts concerned. The introduction of the community charge does not alter this, a fact mentioned in community charge practice note No. 24 which is about to be issued.
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§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his written answer of 3 May to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East, if he will list which grants fall(a) inside and (b) outside aggregate Exchequer finance.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 8 May 1990]: The grants falling within AEF for 1990–91 are listed. National non-domestic rate payments are also with AEF. All other grants to local authorities are outside AEF.
Grants within AEF
- Revenue support grant
- Low rateable value areas grant
- Inner London education grant
- Police grant1
- Magistrates' courts grant1
- Probation services grant
- Commonwealth immigrants grant
- Urban programme1
- Civil defence
- Sheltered employment
- In-service teacher training
- Education support
- Housing benefit administration
- Social services training
- AIDS and HIV
- Careers service strengthening grant
- National parks supplementary grant
- Education of travellers' children
- 1Excluding the loan charges element.
§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his written answer of 3 May to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East1, if he will provide similar calculations which exclude from the Government grant total (a) community charge rebate figures, (b) grants outside of AEF and (c) the figures in (a) and (b) combined2; if he will give reasons for including grants outside AEF and community charge rebates within his calculations.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 8 May 1990]: The figures requested are (a) Government grants 35 per cent., (b) business rates 29 per cent., (c) community charges 35 per cent. The figure for community charges is gross of community charge rebates and transitional relief grant. Figures do not add to 100 per cent. due to rounding.
The figures given in my answer to the hon. Member on 3 May 1990 at columns 617–18 included as central Government grants grants outside AEF and community charge rebates because these are part of direct and indirect support from central Government to community charge payers and help them to meet local authority spending.
§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his written answer of 3 May to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East, if he will list the equivalent percentage details for each district council area in Derbyshire.