HC Deb 18 July 1988 vol 137 cc467-9W
Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he will estimate the approximate expenditure per head for each of the local authority functions or responsibilities that is consistent with a standard level of service that arises from a community charge of £202 for each community charge payer;

(2) whether he will estimate the performance criteria for each of the major local authority functions or responsibilities that allowed him to arrive at a standard level of service that arises from a community charge of £202 for each community charge payer.

Mr. Howard

The standard level of service associated with the estimated community charge for spending at need of £202 in 1988–89 is the grant related expenditure assessment for each local authority in 1988–89. Details of the construction of these assessments are given in the DOE publication "Grant Related Expenditure 1988–89—How the expenditure needs of local authorities are assessed for block grant." The actual assessments for individual services for each local authority are given in the related DOE publication, "The Technical Handbook of Grant Related Expenditure 1988–89." Copies of these publications are available in the Library.

Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the difference in cost as expressed in the Price Waterhouse report between operating the existing rating system for five years and implementing and operating the community charge for five years.

Mr. Howard

At constant prices the collection costs for rates for five years would be about £1 billion and the cost of collecting the community charge would be between £1.8 and £2.1 billion. The increase in collection costs needs to be viewed against the fact that every 1 per cent. reduction in local government expenditure secured from the discipline of the new arrangements would yield savings of £500 million a year.

Mr. Rooker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he will make in respect of poll tax liability of single members of the armed forces living on a military base but remaining on the electoral register at the parental home.

Mr. Howard

Members of the United Kingdom armed forces will pay the personal community charge to the local authority in whose area they have their sole or main residence, with the exception of those who have their sole or main residence in buildings designated under paragraph 11 of schedule 1 to the Local Government Finance Bill. In that case, they will instead make a payment to the Government, which will pay contributions in aid of community charges to the local authorities concerned.