§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of people who will be required to pay standard community charge in respect of second homes in each local authority in England.
§ Mr. Ian TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether there are any circumstances under which those residing on islands would qualify for a reduction in their community charge bills; and whether such residents qualified for a reduction under the old domestic rating system.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 23 April 1990]: The qualifying conditions for a reduction in community charges, either through community charge benefit, student status or transitional relief apply equally to residents on islands as to residents on the mainland. Under the old domestic rating system, the same principles in respect of rebates and reliefs applied.
§ Mr. StrangTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the most recent estimate of the total expenditure on the collection of the poll tax(a) in Scotland in the year 1989–90 and (b) in (i) Scotland, (ii) England and (iii) Wales in the year 1990–91.
123W
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 23 April 1990]: The Government's latest estimate for collecting the community charge in England in 1990–91 is £400 million. The cost of community charge collection in Scotland and Wales are matters for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales respectively.
§ Sir John FarrTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to fix the maximum standard community charge at nil for empty dwellings in England and Wales on agricultural or forestry land.
§ Mr. David Hunt[holding answer 23 April 1990]: We have prescribed nine classes of property in respect of which no standard charge is payable. We have also given wide discretion to local authorities to specify additional classes of property for special treatment. Local authorities could, if they saw fit, specify a class of property relating to empty agricultural dwellings for which a lower multiplier would be applied. However, such a discretion may be exercised only before the start of the financial year in which it is intended to operate.
§ Sir John FarrTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to change the arrangements whereby local authorities may fix a standard community charge on self-catering holiday cottages, chalets and the like, with an impact above the level of current rates on farm income from this source.
§ Mr. David Hunt[holding answer 23 April 1990]: A standard charge will be payable in respect of self-catering accommodation only if the property is to be treated as domestic property, does not give rise to business rates and if no person has his or her sole or main residence there. In such circumstances, unless the local authority had chosen to specify such a class of property for special treatment, the property would be subject to the standard charge in the same way as other qualifying properties. A property will be subject to business rates if it is available for letting commercially for short periods of 140 days or more per year to individuals whose sole or main residence is elsewhere.