§ Mr. SillarsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he has given any advice to levying authorities about the legislative basis upon which they can make deductions from benefits if an individual fails to pay his or her poll tax;
(2) what guidance has been sought by, and what advice he has given to, Strathclyde regional council on deduction of unpaid poll tax from those on welfare benefits.
§ Mr. Peter LloydWhen community charges are introduced in Scotland, the Government's intention is to provide that, where a person on income support has failed to pay his community charge, and where the local authority has obtained a court order in respect of an amount of personal community charge that he is owing, the local authority may ask this Department to recover the amount specified in the order by deductions from his income support payments. The regulations that will provide for this are being prepared and will be laid before Parliament shortly. Advice will then be issued to local authorities, including Strathclyde regional council, on both the interpretation of the legislation and the operational aspects of the regulations.