HC Deb 15 March 1990 vol 169 cc315-6W
Mr. Blunkett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in theOfficial Report recalculations of the tables in annex J of Cmnd. 9714 "Paying for Local Government" on the basis of the poll tax levels set by local authorities for 1990–91.

Mr. David Hunt

I do not yet have full information on levels of community charge set by local authorities.

Sir John Stanley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he took to inform right hon. And hon. Members of the availability of the Community Charge Transitional Relief Report (England) laid before the House on 15 February, and of the levels of the assumed community charges to be used in the transitional relief scheme in 1990–91 by the local authorities in their constituencies.

Mr. David Hunt

[holding answer 14 March 1990] : Illustrative figures of the assumed charge for the purposes of transitional relief were announced on 11 January by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in his answer that day to my hon. Friend the Member for Spelthorne (Mr. Wilshire), Official Report, Vol. 164, columns 682–83. These were confirmed in the report laid before the House on 15 February to which reference was made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in his answer that day to my hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, Central (Mr. Lord).

Sir John Stanley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he is considering raising levels of the assumed community charges to be used in the transitional relief scheme in 1990–91 above those set out in the Community Charge Transitional Relief Report (England);

(2) whether he will make the assumed community charge in 1990–91 for each charging authority to be used in the transitional relief scheme the same as the assumed average community charge of £278 per head rather than the assumed community charge set out in the Community Charge Transitional Relief Report (England) where the latter is lower.

Mr. David Hunt

[holding answer 14 March 1990] : I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 8 March, Official Report, Vol. 168, column 798.