§ Mr. Gordon BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is(a) the amount and (b) the proportion of net income after rebates, adjusted for family size, which households paid in domestic rates in 1987–88; and what estimates he has made of what these figures would be if the community charge were in operation in 1987–88, broken down into decile groups.
§ Mr. HowardI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for Warrington, North (Mr. Hoyle).
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent it will be open to local authorities after the break-up of a marriage or cohabitation to recover any arrears of the poll tax which have accrued during the period of the relationship from either of the partners; and to what extent this will depend on whether the partner from whom the authority seeks recovery had his or her own income during the period when the arrears accrued.
§ Mr. HowardIt will be open to local authorities to recover arrears from either partner. In deciding whether to proceed against either partner or both, I would expect them to take account of each partner's income and assets.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether a local authority wishing to hold a woman responsible for arrears of poll tax which accrued in the name of a man with whom she was living, but to whom she was not married, will have to establish whether the man and woman in question were living together as husband and wife.
§ Mr. HowardYes.