§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will extend the categories of persons receiving transitional relief for community charge to include the registered disabled.
§ Mr. ChopeRegistered disabled people are not excluded from transitional relief and some may be eligible for extra help. All charge payers, including disabled people, may be eligible for relief where the assumed community charge for the area exceeds the assumed rates bill for 1989–90 by more than £156 a year. In addition, for disabled people who did not previously pay rates or who were not the partner of someone paying rates, extra relief may be available on any amount of assumed community charge that exceeds £156 a year.
§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps his Department is taking to monitor capital and revenue spending on sport, recreation and leisure services in local authorities following the introduction of the new capital control system for local authorities.
§ Mr. ChopeInformation on local authority spending on sport, recreation and leisure is collected as part of regular statistical returns by authorities. Relevant budget information on revenue spending has now been submitted by most authorities. We plan to collect information on capital expenditure which separately identifies 1990–91 spending on sport and recreation when local authorities report their outturn expenditure after the end of the financial year.
§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the estimated cost of allowing transitional relief for community charge to all persons who are registered disabled.
§ Mr. ChopeDisabled people who were formerly ratepayers qualify for transitional relief on the same basis as other charge payers. Extra help is available for disabled, and elderly, people who were not formerly ratepayers, nor the spouse of a former ratepayer. No estimate is available for the cost of extending the extra help to all persons who are registered disabled.
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§ Dr. Kim HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations have taken place on the proposed changes to the community charge in 1991–92; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChopeThe Government have not brought forward any proposals for changes to the community charge.
§ Mr. Allen McKayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to increase Government assistance to local authorities to reduce the community charge bill; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChopeI refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities on 17 May,Official Report, column 508.
§ Mr. FlanneryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many suggested alternatives he has received for amending the community charge; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met representatives of the local authority organisations to discuss possible changes to the community charge; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChopeMy right hon. Friend met representatives of the main local authority associations on 21 May, when these matters were discussed. Since then there have been a number of informal meetings with association chairmen.
§ Mr. CanavanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he Will make a statement about proposed changes in the poll tax legislation.
§ Mr. ChopeThe Government have already announced that they intend to bring forward legislation to amend the law on the standard community charge as it relates to caravans.
§ Mr. John EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to extend universal community charge-capping powers over all local authorities in England and Wales.
§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the capital value rates bill payable on a property in Ealing worth(a) £50,000, (b)
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Average Charge £ Revenue Support Grant £ million Safety Net £ million Special Grants1 £ million Specific Grants £ million Bradford 276 157.8 9.8 8.1 64.6 Craven 256 5.0 1.6 0.4 1.5 Easington 278 13.3 6.7 1.9 4.8 East Lindsey 277 17.5 0.0 0.0 7.8 Merton 280 42.9 0.0 0.0 17.4 Richmondshire 276 5.0 0.6 0.0 2.2 Rochester upon Medway 249 22.9 –2.5 0.0 14.0 Scarborough 276 11.4 4.0 0.6 6.8 South Herefordshire 279 5.7 –0.6 0.0 2 South Kesteven 279 13.6 0.0 0.0 4.7 Teesdale 245 3.6 0.8 0.5 1.9 £80,000 and (c) £100,000 in the current year assuming a rate to raise the same amount of money as with the community charge.
§ Mr. ChopeFigures placed in the Library on 4 April show illustrative levels of capital value based rates in 1990–91 were such a system to be used to raise the same amount nationally as the community charge. The implied bills in Ealing for properties worth(a) £50,000, (b) £80,000 and (c) £100,000 are £567, £907 and £1,134 respectively.
§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of local authorities which received standard spending grant and other grants from central funds which were 50 per cent. or more greater per capita than that secured by Rotherham.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 18 June 1990]: Twenty-four authorities are expected to receive revenue support grants and other revenue grants from central funds in 1990–91 which were 50 per cent. or more greater per capita than that secured by Rotherham. The authorities are as follows:
- Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
- Bradford
- Knowsley
- Birmingham
- Liverpool
- Manchester
- City of London
- Lewisham
- Greenwich
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Wandsworth
- Southwark
- Camden
- Lambeth
- Westminster
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Islington
- Hackney
- Tower Hamlets
- Waltham Forest
- Ealing
- Haringey
- Brent
- Newham
§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the community charge levied, the standard spending grant given and the total of other grants from central funds for all local authorities which have fixed personal community charges of below £280.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 18 June 1990]: The information for 1990–91 is as follows:
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Average Charge £ Revenue Support Grant £ million Safety Net £ million Special Grants1 £ million Specific Grants £ million Wandsworth 150 118.1 24.0 11.0 39.9 Westminster 195 116.9 -10.1 7.2 33.5 York 264 11.9 4.0 1.4 2 1 Inner London Education grant and Low Rateable Values grant. 2 Budget returns are not yet available for south Herefordshire and York.
§ Mr. WareingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many ratepayers were summoned for non-payment of rates in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and to March 1990.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 22 June 1990]: Figures published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounting on the number of summonses issued by local authorities in England for non-payment of rates are as follows. These figures do not contain returns from every authority and I have therefore indicated the response rate in each year.
Year Number of summonses Response rate (per cent.) 1984–85 1,107,000 96 1985–86 1,147,000 95 1986–87 1,189,349 93 1987–88 1,112,970 85 1988–89 1,102,148 84 Figures for 1989–90 are not yet available.
§ Mr. WareingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many cases have been brought by local authorities to date through the magistrates courts against their charge payers under the Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989.
§ Mr. WareingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many local authorities are employing(a) their own bailiffs, (b) certificated bailiffs and (c) non-certificated bailiffs to enforce the Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will make it mandatory for local authorities to use only certificated bailiffs to enforce community charge debt through magistrates courts under the Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 22 June 1990]: The rules governing enforcement are clearly set out in the Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989. The number and type of bailiffs employed by a local authority is entirely a matter for the authority. My Department's detailed practice note for local authorities on enforcement advised that an authority considering using private sector bailiffs should take up references and ensure that the firm and its employees are reputable and qualified.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment for what periods of time a merchant seaman46W must be resident in each of the local authorities in England and Wales before being made eligible for community charge; what guidelines are issued to local authorities; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 22 June 1990]:It is initially the responsibility of the individual community charges registration officer to decide whether a person is solely or mainly resident in his area and therefore subject to a community charge. My Department issued guidelines suggesting that merchant seamen be treated in a way consistent with their royal naval counterparts. These informal, non-statutory, guidelines suggest that a home-owning seaman might be deregistered if he is away on board ship for a period in excess of six continuous months, while a single seaman with no permanent address will not be registered for the charge unless he spends periods on shore in excess of 61 days. If a person feels aggrieved by a decision on their sole or main residence then they can appeal to his or her local valuation and community charge tribunal.