HC Deb 08 November 1989 vol 159 cc707-10W
18. Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to prevent the circulation by councils to community charge payers of misleading information on(a) on the level of charge and (b) the sums by which it is calculated; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Hunt

The code of practice issued under the Local Government Act 1986 already requires publicity issued by local authorities to be accurate and balanced. In addition I propose to lay regulations before the House under the Local Government Finance Act 1988 prescribing the precise form of bills to be sent to charge payers next year.

79. Mr. Nellist

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the proposed system for transitional relief for the poll tax.

Mr. Chope

The Government have issued two proposals papers on 11 October and 20 October, copies of which have been placed in the Library. Discussions are now taking place with the local authority associations following which a further consolidated paper will be issued. The paper will set out the detailed arrangements for the operation of the scheme.

66. Mr. Franks

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning his recent statement relating to the community charge.

74. Mr. Barry Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning his recent announcement relating to the community charge.

Mr. Chope

I have received representations from individual local authorities and other bodies. The Department has also held a number of discussions with the local authority associations.

39. Mr. Home Robertson

To ask the Secretary of St ate for the Environment if he will make a statement on all those degenerative mental conditions which can now be assessed for poll tax exemption.

Mr. Chope

The revised exemption for people who are severely mentally impaired will not refer to specific conditions. Any person who is entitled to a qualifying benefit—which will now include attendance allowance and constant attendance allowance—and who has a certificate from a registered medical practitioner stating that his intelligence and social functioning are severely impaired, whatever the cause, will be exempt from the community charge.

33. Mr. Darling

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the likely administrative costs of the poll tax transitional relief scheme in 1990–91.

Mr. Chope

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 18 October at column155.

29. Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the causes for the relative levels of base community charge in areas of greater social needs as against areas without such problems.

Mr. David Hunt

The proposals for Standard Spending Assessments which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment announced on 6 November take account of substantial research which has been discussed with the local authority associations over the last year.

30. Mr. Sumberg

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what costings have been undertaken by his Department as to the financial and manpower implications of implementing a two-tier system of local government finance, comprising a local income tax and a property tax.

Mr. David Hunt

A two-tier system of local government finance could, we estimate, cost up to twice as much to administer as the community charge.

27. Mr. Illsley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any intention to revise the indicators used in the calculation of revenue support grant in those local authorities whose amount of grant is adversely affected by the introduction of the community charge.

Mr. Chris Patten

I announced my proposals for the calculation of revenue support grant in my statement on 6 November.