§ Lady Saltoun of Abernethyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is the case that when Army units are posted from their base to a different region for a very short time, such as to act as the Queen's Guard at Balmoral for about two months from August until October every summer, they and their families have to register for community charge in that region and then re-register when they return to base.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (The Earl of Arran)Service personnel on short detachments away from their main unit will not be required to amend their community charge registration. A change in registration is only necessary if the detachment exceeds 61 days for single personnel or six months for married personnel. In the case of those serving as the Queen's Guard at Balmoral, single personnel will require re-registration with the relevant local authority as it is anticipated that the detachment will last for approximately ten weeks. The unit community charge liaison officer is responsible for amending the relevant charging authorities' community charge registers on behalf of all those concerned.