HC Deb 16 June 1988 vol 135 cc245-6W
Mr. Tony Banks

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has yet received the report from Price Waterhouse on the costs to local authorities associated with(a) the setting up and (b) administration of the poll tax.

Mr. Howard

Yes.

Mr. Stern

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by what date he expects the majority of revaluations for the unified business rate to be completed and notified to ratepayers.

Mr. Howard

Drafts of the new valuation lists which will come into force on 1 April 1990 are required to be deposited for public inspection no later than 31 December 1989. We hope to have sample information on which to base decisions on the transitional arrangements for business rates by the autumn of this year.

Mr. Blunkett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give revised figures to exemplify the effect in 1987–88 on the overall illustrative community charge levels of applying to them the decision to grant student status to student nurses, in particular in the London boroughs of Camden, Lambeth and Southwark.

Mr. Howard

[holding answer 14 June 1988]: It is not possible, at this stage, to estimate the effect on the community charge in particular areas of treating student nurses (of which there are at present about 60,000) as students for the purposes of the community charge. We intend that the cost to individual local authority areas of all exemptions from the charge, and student reliefs, will be allowed for in ensuring that each area can levy the same personal community charge if it spends in accordance with the Government's assessment of need. To do this we shall need to know the number of exempt individuals and students (including, if appropriate, student nurses) living in each area. This information is not available at present.