Council Tax Benefit (Hansard, 3 February 1999)

§ Mr. Healey
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those(a) local authorities, (b) local authority organisations, (c) local authority interest groups and (d) other organisations which have made representations in support of proposals to limit the payment of council tax benefit subsidy in 1999–2000. [68634]

§ Ms Armstrong
We have not received any representations supporting our proposals to limit the payment of council tax benefit subsidy in 1999–2000.

§ Mr. Healey
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those(a) local authorities, (b) local authority associations, 630W (c) local authority interest groups and (d) other organisations which have made representations (i) opposing and (ii) seeking postponement of proposals to limit the payment of council tax benefit subsidy in 1999–2000. [68633]

§ Ms Armstrong
I have today placed in the library a list of those(a) local authorities, (b) local authority organisations, (c) local authority interest groups and (d) other organisations which have made representations (i) opposing or (ii) seeking postponement of the proposals to limit the payment of council tax benefit subsidy in 1999–2000.

§ Mr. Healey
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the aggregate amount of council tax subsidy to be withdrawn from local authorities in each of the years(a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01 and (c) 2001–02 as a consequence of the proposal to limit council tax benefit subsidy; and what plans he has to return the withdrawn sums to local authorities in aggregate. [68632]

§ Mr. Chaytor
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the annual amount of council tax benefits subsidy to be withdrawn from local councils in the next financial year. [68733]

§ Ms Armstrong
Only local authorities exceeding the guideline will have to make a contribution to the costs of council tax benefit. We have not made any estimate of this. It is up to local authorities to decide what council tax to set and they will have to consider the impact of the Council Tax Benefit Subsidy Limitation scheme when making these decisions.