HC Deb 22 June 1989 vol 155 cc199-201W
Mr. Madden

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the full set of community charge practice notes; to whom the public should apply for these notes; and when applications should be made.

Mr. Gummer

Community charge practice notes are published jointly by the Government and local authority associations. Nineteen notes have been issued so far and copies are available in the Library of the House. The notes are detailed, technical manuals intended for the use of local authority practitioners rather than the general public. A separate series of explanatory booklets are available to the public free of charge from Community Charge Leaflets Section PO Box 622, Bristol B599 1TR.

Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidelines he has issued on the evidence which is acceptable for poll tax purposes, that an individual is entitled to severe disablement allowance or to invalidity pension; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gummer

The Government have no plans to introduce a poll tax.

Detailed guidance on the evidence required to satisfy an exemption from the community charge on grounds of severe mental impairment is contained in community charge practice note No. 19, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have indicated to his Department that their costs in implementing the community charge are likely to be(a) less and (b) more than the amount granted for the purpose by Her Majesty's Government.

Mr. Gummer

The information we have on the revenue costs to authorities of implementation suggest that about 15 per cent. of them will be spending less than has been provided in the 1989–90 rate support grant settlement; most of the remainder intend to spend more.

Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the proportion of total community charge implementation costs Her Majesty's Government have provided.

Mr. Gummer

The actual costs of implementation will not be known until next year but the figures contained in authorities' budget returns suggest that Government provision will support about half of authorities' estimated revenue expenditure on preparation. Similar figures for capital are not available. It was never the intention that resources received by individual authorities would necessarily meet in full the estimated costs of their own preferred plans. This would give no incentive to efficient implementation. We believe the resources we have made available—£110 million in the 1989–90 rate support grant settlement and capital allocations totalling £160 million—are sufficient to support reasonable levels of local authority expenditure in preparation.

Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received that his Department arrange for a survey to be made of the costs actually incurred by all local authorities on implementation of the community charge; whether he will undertake such a survey; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gummer

We have received no such representations and have no plans to carry out such a survey. The usual financial returns from authorities to the Department will provide this information.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to exempt from the provisions of the poll tax those who are mainly or wholly dependent on moneys provided to victims of Nazi persecutions.

Mr. Gummer

The Government have no plans to introduce a poll tax.

Individuals are exempt from the community charge if their circumstances conform to one of the categories set out in schedule 1 to the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many newspapers printed his recently circulated articles on the community charge.

Mr. Gummer

I refer the hon. Member to the answer which my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State gave the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East (Mr. Nellist) on 23 May at column488.

Mr. Terry Davis

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many requests for community charge practice notes have been refused.

Mr. Gummer

[holding answer 12 June 1989]: Community charge practice notes (which are produced jointly by the Government and the local authority association) contain guidance on technical details of the new system for the local authority staff who will be operating it. Copies of each note are provided free to all local authorities and others with a specific need for the information, and are placed in the Library of the House. Copies of the notes have not been made generally available to other bodies or the public. We have prepared a range of leaflets for that purpose.

Mr. Strang

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether itinerant workers under the community charge will have to pay a personal charge at their permanent address and a collective charge if they are living in a designated dwelling at or near their workplace levied by their landlord.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

[holding answer 21 June 1989]: A person registered for the personal community charge at his or her sole or main residence who stays in a property designated for the collective community charge will pay contributions towards the collective charge payable by the landlord or owner of the property.