§ Mr. Kilfedderasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give full details of the steps he is taking to ensure that the action of tenants of public authority dwellings in withholding rents in support of the Republican Civil Disobedience Campaign will not result in the law-abiding tenants having to pay higher rents and rates now or in the future.
§ Mr. ChannonI refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the Question by him on 5th May.—[Vol. 836, c. 244.]
§ Mr. Pounderasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken by way of legal process to recover arrears of rent and rates, due to local authorities in Northern Ireland, from persons who are currently withholding such payments and who are not in receipt of any form of State benefit.
§ Mr. David HowellWhile ordinary legal processes are available for the recovery of rent and rates from those not in receipt of social security benefits, there may be obvious difficulties, in the present circumstances, in bringing such processes to a successful conclusion. Careful consideration is being given to finding a solution to this problem.
§ Mr. Pounderasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps is he taking to recover arrears of rent and rates payable to local authorities in Northern Ireland by the 22,000 who are currently withholding such payments.
§ Mr. David HowellThe system of allocation of social security benefits under Section 1 of the Payments for Debt (Emergency Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland), 1971, is recovering a substantial proportion of the arrears of rent with rates due to local authorities in Northern Ireland.