§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of single and married persons over and under pensionable age who are likely to qualify for a rebate of poll tax; and how many of these are likely to be worse off under the new arrangements than at present.
§ Mr. David HuntEstimates of numbers expected to receive community charge benefit are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security.
My Department placed in the Library detailed estimates of the impact of the new system on household finances on 15 December 1988.
§ Mr. Patrick ThompsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table illustrating the estimated levels of the community charge in England and Wales in the current financial year if the cost of education were to be borne entirely by the Exchequer.
§ Mr. David HuntIf the cost of education were to be funded by the Exchequer and in consequence an equal amount were deducted from the level of grant available to local authorities, the average community charge in England would be £274, as shown in the illustrative community charge levels placed in the Library on 19 July 1989. The level of community charge in each area would depend on the previous arrangements used to distribute the remaining Government grant and the proceeds of the uniform business rate.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what liability to poll tax young people over 18 years of age in recognised apprenticeship schemes will face; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what liability to poll tax those over 18 years of age who are placed with employment training and other training schemes will face; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. David HuntThe people to whom the hon. Member refers will be liable to pay the personal community charge at the address of their sole or main residence unless they are exempt under the terms of schedule 1 to the Local Government Finance Act 1988. Depending on their income, resources and personal circumstances they may be eligible for rebates of up to 80 per cent. of the charge; if they are full-time students as defined by the Personal Community Charge (Students) Regulations 1989 they would pay only 20 per cent. of the personal charge for the area.
§ Mr. CanavanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of(a) the maximum and (b) the minimum initial standard community charge for each of the London boroughs.
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§ Mr. David HuntI have made no estimate of the level of the community charge on introduction. Illustrative figures based on 1989–90 local government responsibilities and expenditure levels were placed in the Library on 19 July. The level of each class of standard community charge payable in each area will depend on the multiplier set by each charging authority.
§ Mr. NellistTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will update the answer to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East, 2 May,Official Report, column 50, listing all recent sources of legislation and official guidance on the operation of the community charge, and any further orders and regulations (a) laid before and agreed to by the House, (b) laid before, but not yet agreed to by the House or (c) yet to be laid before the House giving in each case an outline of the area of implementation affected.
§ 5. Mr. David Hunt[holding answer 29 July 1989]: The following are the official sources of information and guidance about the operation of the community charge.
1. Legislation
July 1988
Local Government Finance Act, 1988Housing and Local Government BillRegulations laid before Parliament
March 1989
Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement)Regulations 1989 (SI 1989/438)March 1989
Valuation and Community Charge Tribunals Regulations Collection 1989 (SI 1989/439)March 1989
Valuation and Community Charge Tribunals (Transfer of Jurisdiction) Regulations 1989 (SI 1989/440)March 1989
The Personal Community Charge (Students) Regulations 1989 (SI 1989/443)March 1989
The Personal Community Charge (Exemptions) Order 1989 UK Service Personnel (SI 1989/442)June 1989
The Community Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1989 (SI 1989/1057)July 1989
The Community Charge Benefits (General) Regulations 1989Regulation to be laid before Parliament
These will cover the following areas:
Exchange of information between Community Charges Registration Officers in Scotland and CCROs in England and WalesProperties occupied by ministers of religionForm of demand note and accompanying informationDiscountsCo-ownersCommunity Charge Practice Notes
The Government, in conjunction with the local authority associations, are publishing a series of community charge practice notes. These provide detailed advice on the operation of the community charge and are circulated to local authority 1200W practitioners and others with a professional interest in community charge. The following practice notes have been issued to date:May 1988
An Introduction to the Community ChargeJune 1988
ExemptionsAugust 1988
The RegisterAugust 1988
Data ProtectionAugust 1988
RebatesOctober 1988
Omission of Names from the ExtractOctober 1988
AppealsNovember 1988
The CanvassNovember 1988
Sole or Main ResidenceJanuary 1989
Data Protection No. 2February 1989
BillingMarch 1989
Standard ChargeApril 1989
Collective ChargeApril 1989
Joint and Several LiabilityMay 1989
UK Service PersonnelMay 1989
Diplomats and Visiting ForcesOther Publications
My Department is producing guidance for the general public on the community charge by means of a free booklet and series of supplementary free leaflets. Publications so far issued in this series are:-December 1988
You and the Community Charge:(Your Step by Step Guide)March 1989
You and the Community Charge:ExemptionsJune 1989
You and the Community Charge:AppealsJune 1989
You and the Community Charge:StudentsJune 1989
1201WYou and the Community Charge:Second HomesJune 1989
You and the Community Charge:RebatesCopies of these publications are available free of charge from Room P1/163, Department of the Environment, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 3EB.
§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish in theOfficial Report a table showing for each region the number of rated domestic premises in 1988–89, the estimated rate yield based on a charge of 1 per cent. of the capital value and the estimated cost of a rate-free deduction of, respectively, £10,000 per dwelling, £5,000 for each resident member as defined for electoral purposes, and £5,000 for each dependent resident.
Estimated yield from 1 per cent, capita value rate and costs for various deductions Domestic hereditaments (000's) Yield from 1 per cent, capital value rate Cost of £10,000 rate free per hered Cost of £5,000 rate free per adult Cost of £5,000 rate free per child Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5 £ million £ million £ million £ million Northern Region 1,233 420 123 379 114 North West Region 2,449 975 250 946 297 Yorkshire and Humberside 1,936 783 194 759 234 East Midlands Region 1,550 768 155 302 92 West Midlands Region 1,999 1,039 200 694 219 East Anglia Region 799 574 80 154 47 South East Region 4,078 3,624 408 811 244 South West Region 1,810 1,221 181 357 101 Greater London Region 2,792 2,459 279 1,162 331
§ Mr. SquireTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to announce a minimum threshold percentage of eligible residents registered for the community charge prior to exercising his powers of central control.
§ Mr. David HuntMy right hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer) explained in his answer of 25 July to my hon. Friend the Member for Derby, North (Mr. Knight) that where there is doubt as to whether community charge register data give a realistic estimate of an area's adult population, we propose to adopt an alternative for the purpose of calculating the relevant population to be used for distributing grant and business rates. We will be discussing with the local authority associations the criteria which might be used to identify doubtful cases.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate the detailed components used in calculating the expenditure needs of each local authority in England and Wales, and the method then used in establishing supposed overspending, in arriving at the indicative community charge figures given to the House on 19 July.
§ Mr. David HuntThe method used to calculate the overspending figures contained in the table showing illustrative 1989–90 community charges is detailed in the explanatory notes accompanying that table.
Overspending was measured by comparison with grant related expenditure (GRE) assessment. The components used in calculating GRE's are set out in the Department's publication "The Technical Handbook of Grant-Related Expenditure 1989–90" which is available in the Library.
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§ Mr. David Hunt[holding answer 27 July 1989]: The table provides the information requested. Column 1 shows the number of domestic hereditaments as at 1 April 1988. Column 2 shows the yield from a 1 per cent. capital value tax, where the capital value is estimated by multiplying the average price for each region by the number of domestic hereditament properties. The average house price in each region was taken from the survey of building society mortgages. The costs of the three types of rate deduction are given in the following three columns. They are calculated by taking 1 per cent. of the products of:
- (1) The number of hereditaments over £10,000.
- (2) The 18-year-old and over population in each area and £5,000.
- (3) The under 18-year-old population in each area and £5,000.
§ Mr. ClellandTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the assumed contributions, in cash terms, to local expenditure for each authority from(a) Government sources and (b) business rates in the tables contained in the document, "1989–90 Illustrative Capital Value Rates and Local Income Tax", published on 19 July.
§ Mr. David HuntI refer the hon. Member to the replies given to him and to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 25 July.
Since data are not available for each local authority on either the capital value of domestic properties or on the taxable income of residents, I cannot provide the information requested.
§ Mr. ClellandTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the total cost, in cash terms, of producing, printing and distributing the document, "1989–90 Illustrative Capital Value Rates and Local Income Tax" which was published on 19 July;
(2) what was the total cost, in cash terms, of producing, printing and distributing the 22-sheet document, "Department of the Environment 1989–90 Illustrative Community Charges."
§ Mr. David HuntI refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley) to the hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mr. Grocott) on 24 July.
The cost of providing sufficient copies for the Vote Office, the local authority associations and others is estimated to have been about £600. The 22-page document headed "Department of the Environment 1989–90 Illustrative Community Charges" included details of the 1203W impact of capital value rates combined with a local income tax. The document was distributed through the Department's normal channels.
§ Mr. ShersbyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to announce details of the1204W rebate of up to 80 per cent. of the community charge to be made available to persons on low incomes; and when information on how to apply for such rebates will be sent to local authorities.
§ Mr. David HuntI will write to my hon. Friend.