HC Deb 14 April 1989 vol 150 cc757-60W
Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many severely mentally impaired adults he estimates will qualify to be exempt from the poll tax(a) in Nottingham and (b) in England and Wales.

Mr. Gummer

The Government have no plans to introduce a poll tax. We estimate that around 55,000 adults in England will qualify for exemption from the community charge on grounds of severe mental impairment. Figures are not available on a local basis.

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the poll tax bill for each person in Nottingham; when this estimate was made; and when he expects to update it.

Mr. Gummer

The Government have no plans to introduce a poll tax. I have made no estimates of future community charge levels. Illustrative figures were placed in the Library on 23 June 1988 showing community charges based on 1988–89 local authority budgets. Figures based on the 1989–90 rate support grant settlement were placed in the Library on 1 March. Illustrative 1989–90 figures based on expenditure returns will be provided in due course.

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had since 1 April with poll tax levying authorities.

Mr. Gummer

The Government have no plans to introduce a poll tax. Both Ministers and officials at this Department have frequent discussions with charging authorities. For example, since 1 April I have visited Wolverhampton and Dudley district councils and the London borough of Islington.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those European Economic Community member countries that have a community charge tax; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list information available to him on any countries which finance their local government from a poll tax, also expressing this as a percentage of world nations.

Mr. Gummer

I refer the hon. Members to annex K of the Green Paper "Paying for Local Government" (Cm.9714) which comments on international comparisons, and to the updated version of figure K3, which was published in the Official Report on 24 June 1988 at column744.

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of single pensioners will be adversely affected by the introduction of the community charge; and what percentage of pensioners will be adversely affected by the community charge(a) in Nottingham and (b) in England and Wales.

Mr. Gummer

Tables showing the impact of the community charge on pensioners in England were placed in the Library on 28 February 1988.

These figures based on an analysis of family expenditure survey data show that 75 per cent. of single pensioners, and 83 per cent. of single pensioner households, will pay less when the community charge is fully in place. Overall, 69 per cent. of pensioner households are expected to pay less.

I have no separate estimates for Nottingham.

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total number of staff now working in local authority units specifically to register people for poll tax(a) in Nottingham and (b) in England and Wales; and what is the total wage bill for each category.

Mr. Gummer

The Government have no plans to introduce a poll tax. As far as the community charge is concerned, the information sought by the hon. Member is not available centrally. A summary of the available information on community charge implementation, including staffing levels, was placed in the Library on 10 April.

Mr. Alex Carlile

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide an estimate of the amount of additional paper which will be required to provide for forms connected with the collection of the community charge, as compared with the old rating system; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gummer

[holding answer 12 April 1989]: No reliable estimates are available of the quantities of paper required to service the collection of domestic rates or of community charges. Since there will be twice the number of chargepayers as ratepayers, it would not be surprising if the volume increased.

I should imagine that the volume would be very much higher if we were to replace rates with the complexity of a local income tax, and higher still if that were combined with capital value rating, which I understand to be the Opposition's proposal for rates reform.