Local Government Finance

HC Deb 17 April 1991 vol 189 cc193-5W

21. Mr. Dunnachie

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a further statement on the future of the poll tax.

Mr. Allan Stewart

I refer to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber (Sir R. Johnston).

25. Mr. Home Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the cost of implementing the Government's new proposals for local government finance.

Mr. Allan Stewart

A consultation paper on the Government's proposed new local taxation system will be issued shortly. Until the proposals have been finalised, it will not be possible to estimate the costs of implementation.

38. Mr. McAllion

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will next meet COSLA to discuss local government finance.

Mr. Allan Stewart

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend earlier today to the hon. Members for East Kilbride (Mr. Ingram) and for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth (Mr. Hogg).

Mr. Dewar

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in theOfficial Report a table showing for each year from 1967–68 to 1991–92 the aggregate grant percentage for rate/revenue support grant.

Mr. Lang

The percentages for 1975–76 to 1991–92 of rate/revenue support grant to actual relevant expenditure are shown in the table. Figures for earlier years are not readily available.

	RSG as a percentage of relevant expenditure
1975–76	52.2
1976–77	61.0
1977–78	60.4
1978–79	57.4
1979–80	51.6
1980–81	49.6
1981–82	53.7
1982–83	55.7
1983–84	55.0
1984–85	51.0
1985–86	48.4
1986–87	47.2
1987–88	47.1
1988–89	46.7
1989–90	48.1
1990–91	48.3
1991–92	48.0

1. Total relevant expenditure figures include loan and leasing charges.

2. Rate/revenue support grant figures represent the original amounts of RSG awarded.

3. No account has been taken of specific grants payable to local authorities.

34. Mr. Darling

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the estimated cost of collecting local authority taxes in(a) 1991–92, (b) 1992–93 and (c) 1993–94; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Allan Stewart

Based on local authorities' own budget estimates for 1991–92, the cost of collecting the community charge and non-domestic rates will be £47.4 million. The comparable information for 1992–93 and 1993–94 will not be available until local authorities have submitted their budget estimates for those years.

Full account has been taken in successive aggregate external finance settlements of the costs incurred by local authorities in collecting both the community charge and non-domestic rates.

32. Mr. Wallace

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of expenditure by Scottish local authorities in connection with the administration of the community charge for 1991–92.

Mr. Allan Stewart

Based on local authorities' own budget estimates, the cost of community charge registration and collection in 1991–92 will be £61.6 million.

31. Mr. Macdonald

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what further progress the Government have made in their review of the poll tax.

Mr. Allan Stewart

My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment, Scotland and Wales will be issuing a consultation paper shortly on the Government's proposals to introduce a new local tax to replace the community charge.

27. Mr. Foulkes

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the cost of the latest changes in local government funding in Scotland.

Mr. Allan Stewart

The Scottish share of the cost of the step change in the level of central Government funding for local authorities announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 19 March is around £490 million gross. The net cost, after taking into account changes to the community charge reduction scheme and community charge benefit will be about £380 million.

28. Sir David Steel

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the average level of poll tax is expected to be in the coming year.

Mr. Lang

Following the passage of the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991, the average personal community charge in Scotland for this year is £253 and the average combined personal and water charge is £282.

29. Sir Hector Monro

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with local authorities about the financing of local government.

Mr. Lang

My hon. Friend the Minister for Industry and Local Government and I met representatives of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on 8 April to discuss a range of local government finance issues.