§ Mr. DewarTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many single pensioners are now eligible for payment of the poll tax who had(a) no liability for rates in 1987–88, (b) no liability for rates in 1988–89 and (c) liability for 20 per cent. rates in 1989–90.
§ Mr. Rifkind[holding answer 22 February 1990]: Information on the number of single pensioners in 601W Scotland who are now liable for the community charge but who had no liability for rates in 1987–88 or 1988–89 is not available. 'This is because a number of pensioners had no liability to pay domestic rates, not as a result of the housing benefit they received, but, for example, because they lived in another person's house and made no payment towards the rates of that property. These pensioners were not entitled to housing benefit and therefore they would not have been identified by the housing benefit management information system. Our latest estimate for 1989–90 is that about 150,000 single pensioners in Scotland are receiving the maximum community charge rebate of 80 per cent.