§ Mr. GoodmanTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what(a) instructions and (b) guidelines are issued by his Department to local authorities on the writing off of (i) Council Tax and (ii) Housing Benefit debt when the debt recovery costs are greater than the debt itself; and if he will make a statement. [160689]
§ Mr. RaynsfordLocal authorities are under a duty to collect all council tax revenues owing to them. "Council Tax Practice Note 9: Recovery and Enforcement", issued jointly by the former Department of the Environment and the Welsh Office in 1993, states that authorities should have provisions in their Standing Orders or Financial Regulations to enable amounts to be written off if they are irrecoverable or not economical to pursue.
The recovery of housing benefit debt is a matter for the Department for Works and Pensions.