HC Deb 02 April 1990 vol 170 cc475-7W
Mr. Jack

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate for each district council in Lancashire the levels of local income tax that would result in order to maintain the revenue raised by the community charge in 1990–91.

Mr. Chope

The information requested is not available.

Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Government, in deciding to replace rates by the poll tax, took into account the administrative cost; and if he will publish in theOfficial Report the latest estimate of the cost of administering the poll tax and rates as a percentage of the revenue yield to one place of decimals.

Mr. Chope

Administrative costs were taken into account in introducing the new arrangements. The latest estimate of the cost of administering the community charge and the national non-domestic rates as a percentage of the revenue yield is 1.9 per cent.

Mr. Gould

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, in calculating Brighton's standard spending assessment, what account was taken of(a) community charge collection costs, (b) inflation and (c) the population increase between 1989–90 and 1990–91.

Mr. Chris Patten

The standard spending assessment (SSA) for Brighton was calculated in the same way as that for all other authorities. The method of calculation is set out in section 3 of the Revenue Support Grant Distribution Report (England), which has been approved by the House. Community charge collection costs are included in the all other services block, the calculation of which is described in part VI of annex A to the report. SSAs are scaled to the control totals shown in annex B to the report (net total standard spending). These, together with specific grants, amount to total standard spending of £32.8 billion, an increase of 11 per cent. over the equivalent figure for 1989–90. Population assumptions were based on the most recent estimates from the Registrar General for England and Wales.

Mr. Gould

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Dagenham of 22 February on the difference between Brighton council's grant-related expenditure for 1989–90 and its standard spending assessment for 1990–91, whether he will publish a table in theOfficial Report giving this figure for all councils.

Mr. Chris Patten

I have today placed a table in the Library showing the information requested.

Mr. Gould

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the reasons for the net reduction in real terms in Government grant paid to Brighton council.

Mr. Chris Patten

External finance to local authorities in 1990–91 is designed to enable authorities to set a community charge of about £278 (subject to the safety net) if they spend at the level of their standard spending assessments (SSAs). This is as true for Brighton as it is for all other local authorities. Previous levels of grant are not one of the factors used in calculating SSAs, and there is no reason why grant calculated under the new system should bear any specific relationship to grant under the old. What is important is the level of expenditure which will enable an authority to provide a standard level of service. It is worth noting, however, that under the new system (which is based on population rather than rateable values) Brighton has to bear a smaller percentage of the county precept, and to that extent its grant requirement is less.

Mr. Gould

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what would Brighton's grant-related expenditure for 1989–90 have been had it been calculated on his Department's present criteria.

Mr. Chris Patten

It is not possible to calculate the figure requested. Many of the necessary factors are either not available in the form required, or do not exist.