Community Charge (Hansard, 19 May 1989)

§ Mr. Battle
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the factual errors in his Department's leaflet "The Community Charge—How It Will Work for You".

§ Mr. Gummer
There is none.

§ Mr. Battle
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will explain the provisions for exemption of prisoners as set out in his Department's leaflet "The Community Charge—How It Will Work for You."

§ Mr. Gummer
The Department's leaflet gives an accurate summary of the circumstances in which persons in detention are exempt from liability to the community charge, the full provisions of which are set out in paragraph 1 of schedule 1 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

§ Mr. Battle
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the cost of(a) production and (b) distribution of his Department's leaflet "The Community Charge—How It Will Work for You."

§ Mr. Gummer
My Department has produced 23 million copies of the leaflet "The Community Charge—How It Will Work for You" at a total cost of £367,887.
The estimated cost for distributing this leaflet to all households in England is under £600,000.

§ Mr. Greg Knight
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of widows he estimates will gain under the community charge.

§ Mr. Gummer
I have no estimate of the proportion of widows who would pay less under the community charge than with rates. I would expect many to be gainers since 83 per cent. of single pensioner households and 75 per cent. of other single adult households are expected to gain.
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§ Mr. McLoughlin
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is yet able to publish the community charge payable this year(a) on average in England and Wales and (b) in Derbyshire.

§ Mr. Gummer
Illustrative 1989–90 community charges will be published once data needed from local authorities has been received and analysed.

§ Mr. Rooker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now expects to publish illustrative poll tax figures for English local authorities based on 1989–90 budgets.

§ Mr. Gummer
The Government have no plans to introduce a poll tax. Illustrative 1989–90 community charges will be published once data needed from local authorities has been received and analysed.

§ Mr. Evennett
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of single-parent families he estimates will gain under the community charge.

§ Mr. Gummer
I expect nearly 80 per cent. of single families to pay less with the community charge than they would with rates.

§ Mr. Butler
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the wealth distribution effects on lower income groups of the changeover from domestic rates to community charge.

§ Mr. Gummer
Figures placed in the Library on 15 December 1988 confirm that many of the poorest households would be better off under the community charge than under the rates. Community charges on average would be less than domestic rates for all income bands up to £200 per week; and households with a net weekly income of under £50 would, on average, pay over 20 per cent. less with community charge than with domestic rates.