Lord Chelwoodasked Her Majesty's Government:
What estimate they have made of the number of people in England and Wales likely to:
- (a) fail to register for the community charge;
- (b)fail to pay the charge though registered,
taking into account experience in Scotland and the survey of costs of administering the community charge compiled in May by the Association of District Councils.
The Earl of CaithnessWe have no evidence to suggest that Community Charges Registration Officers will not be able to compile complete registers. Experience in Scotland is that registration is proceeding without difficulty. We expect charge payers to respect the law and have no estimates of the numbers of people who will seek to evade their liabilities.