§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing for each charging authority in England(a) the financial provision made for the administration of community charge registrations and collection preparations in 1989–90, and (b) the Government allocation aid grant for the same period.
§ Mr. GummerI have today laid in the Library a table setting out the resources the Government have made available to charging authorities towards their costs in preparing for the community charge. In addition, a further £55 million of expenditure will be supported through RSG in 1989–90.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidelines are to be issued to community charge registration officers with regard to the exemption of hospital patients from payment of the community charge.
§ Mr. GummerPreliminary advice was included in a practice note No. 2, "The Community Charge: Exemptions from the Personal Community Charge", published in June last year. More detailed advice will be included in a further practice note on exemptions, a draft of which is under discussion with the local authority associations.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of all written representations he has received in response to the draft community charge regulations.
§ Mr. GummerNo, since we do not have the permission of those making the representations to do so.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment under what circumstances a community charge registration officer may refuse exemption to a severely mentally impaired person who has been issued with the relevant certificate by a medical practitioner.
§ Mr. GummerI would not expect a community charge registration officer to question the clinical judgment of a medical practitioner that an individual is severely mentally impaired.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidelines are to be issued to community charge registration officers with regard to how they establish relevant factors. such as where each member of the household works, in establishing sole or main residence for the purposes of community charge registration.
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§ Mr. GummerCommunity charge practice note No. 9, published in November last year, contains guidance for registration officers on establishing a person's sole or main residence. Copies of all community charge practice notes are in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff including vacant posts, by grade, in the statistical divisions in his Department; if he will differentiate between staff in statistical posts and staff in administrative posts; and if he will give the staffing complements by grade, and differentiated between statistical and administrative posts, proposed for 1989–90.
§ Mr. RidleyThe numbers and grades of staff and complement of the statistical divisions1 of DOE(C) at 1 March 1989 are as follows:
Staff in post as at 1 March 1989 Present complement Chief Statistician 5 5 Statistician 20 19 Senior Assistant Statistician 4 6 Assistant Statistician 3 2 G7 3 2 SEO 4 5 HEO 16 15 EO 33 33 AO 44 46 AA 16 15 Secretary/typist 5 5 Total 153 153 1 The statistical divisions in DOE(C) comprise Housing Data Statistics, Construction Industry Statistics, Local Authority Statistics, Iand and General Statistics, and Environmental Protection Statistics. There are also statisticians employed throughout the Department in posts of a largely administrative nature; these number 13 at 1 March 1989.
Complements for 1989–90 have not yet been finalised.