Rating Reform (Hansard, 23 February 1989)

§ Mr. Cohen
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he will introduce regulations that prevent personal data contained within the community charge registers being used or disclosed for purposes not connected with the community charge by the community charge registration officer or charging authority; and whether he will make a statement;
(2) whether he will introduce regulations that prevent personal data being disclosed from community charge registers by the community charge registration officer or charging authority (a) to any Departments of State under the conditions specified in section 34(5)(a) of the Data Protection Act, if the disclosure is not for purposes connected with the community charge, (b) to the police, immigration and tax officials for the purposes specified in section 28 of the Data Protection Act, and (c) to the security services for the purposes specified in section 27 of the Data Protection Act, 1984; and whether he will make a statement;
(3) whether he will introduce regulations that prevent personal data being disclosed from community charge registers by the community charge registration officer or charging authority to public utilities; and whether he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Gummer
No. There is no need for such regulations. Community charges registration officers and charging authorities have no power to disclose data contained in registers to any third party other than those specified in the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and regulations to be made under it.

§ Mr. Strang
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has made any estimate of the average change in the disposable income of equestrian and agricultural workers which will result from the implementation of the poll tax in England and Wales.

§ Mr. Gummer
[holding answer 22 February 1989]There are no plans for the introduction of a poll tax. In respect of the community charge, no such estimates can usefully be made because of the widely differing circumstances of individuals.

§ Mr. Simon Burns
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates have been made to calculate how much it will cost Chelmsford borough council to introduce the community charge.

§ Mr. Gummer
The Government have made no estimates of the cost of introducing the community charge in Chelmsford borough council area. We commissioned Price Waterhouse to undertake an independent study of the total costs of preparation and collection for England and Wales and have allocated resources to authorities on the basis of those national forecasts.