§ 24. Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assumptions he has made with regard to those domestic rates being paid by second home owners in Wales, in preference to personal community charge; and upon what basis such non-domestic rate income will be distributed between district councils in Wales.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerI have made no such assumptions. Domestic rates will not be payable by second-home owners from April 1990, whether in preference to personal community charge or otherwise. Standard community charges will be payable on domestic properties that do not constitute any person's sole or main residence; the income from these charges will accrue to the local authorities in the areas where the properties are situated—it will not be distributed between district councils in Wales.
Income from non-domestic properties will be pooled and redistributed between district and county councils as an amount per head of population in each receiving authority's area.