§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if people currently eligible for rate relief under the Rating (Disabled Persons) Act 1978 will be eligible for equivalent rebates under the poll tax when it is introduced in England.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardRelief under the Rating (Disabled Persons) Act 1978, which is designed to avoid imposing higher rates on disabled people if they have to make alterations to their home, will no longer be required when domestic rates are abolished and the community charge introduced. Disabled people on lower incomes will be entitled to community charge benefit, which will reduce their bill: they will receive higher amounts of benefit than other people on a similar income whose personal circumstances are otherwise the same.