HC Deb 20 June 1988 vol 135 cc456-7W
Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether community charge officers will be able to trace debtors and defaulters by asking for information concerning an individual's name and address from gas, water and electricity boards.

Mr. Howard

No. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 May at column305.

Mr. Cartwright

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of (i) the staffing implications and (ii) the administrative costs of his proposals announced on 17 November 1987 and 25 April to require 10 London boroughs to operate residual domestic rating for four years in addition to the community charge.

Mr. Howard

I have not yet completed consideration of the findings of the Price Waterhouse study of the implementation of the community charge.

Mr. Cartwright

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria he used in establishing the threshold above which 10 London boroughs will be required to operate residual domestic rating, announced in his reply to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 25 April,Official Report, at columns 61–62.

Mr. Howard

The basic criterion was the combined level of spending above assessed need on all local services, and therefore the implied level of community charges, based on 1987–88 budgets. We also had regard to the evidence from provisional expenditure returns for 1988–89 of reductions in aggregate overspending; to representations received and to assurances given about measures to be taken which would further reduce community charge levels. At the time of my announcement no representations had been received from the individual authorities to which part IV of the Local Government Finance Bill is now to apply.