HC Deb 10 May 1990 vol 172 cc185-7W
Mr. Conway

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what proportion of expenditure by Shrewsbury and Atcham and Shropshire county council will be raised by the uniform business rate; and what were the Government's original estimates if councils had kept to spending guidelines;

(2) what proportion of expenditure by Shrewsbury and Atcham and Shrophire county council will be raised by the community charge for the area; and what were the Government's original estimates if councils had kept to spending guidelines.

Mr. Chope

Business rates formed 36 per cent. and community charges 41 per cent. of the income required to finance Shrewsbury and Atcham district council's demand and its share (23 per cent.) of Shropshire county council's aggregate precepts. Had the authorities spent at the level of their standard spending assessments, the proportions would have been 38 per cent. and 37 per cent. respectively. Charge yield is gross of community charge benefits and transitional relief grant.

Mr. Ian Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discretion is given to local authorities to vary the level of community charge in those areas where the cost of some local services is borne directly by local residents.

Mr. Chope

[holding answer 23 April 1990]: Authorities have no discretion to vary the level of community charge in those areas where the cost of some local services is borne directly by local residents, but they can vary the level of charge so that their special expenses are borne only by those charge payers of the area to which the expenses relate. An authority may treat the following as its special expenses: —the expenses of meeting a levy or special levy issued to it; —the expenses incurred by it in performing in a part of its area a function performed elsewhere in its area by a body with power to issue a levy or special levy to it, provided that it has also resolved to treat the expenses of meeting that levy or special levy as its "special expenses"; —expenditure which it incurs in performing in a part of its area a function performed elsewhere in its area by the sub-Treasurer of the Inner Temple, the under-treasurer of the Middle Temple, a parish or community council or the chairman of a parish meeting; —expenditure relating to a property held in trust for part of its area.

Mr. Blunkett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish details of(a) the amount of staff time and (b) the total cost of recent exercises by his Department attempting to exemplify systems of local government finance favoured by the opposition parties.

Mr. Portillo

[holding answer 8 May 1990]: When hon. Members table questions asking for exemplifications of different systems of local government finance, these are provided when the costs of doing so are not disproportionate bearing in mind the normal guidelines for preparing answers to parliamentary questions.

Mr. Blunkett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of local authority revenue expenditure in 1990–91 will be met by (i) central Government grant, (ii) national non-domestic rate, and (iii) poll tax expressed both in £ million and percentage terms.

Mr. Portillo

[holding answer 8 May 1990]: The figures for England are:

£ million per cent.
Government grants 12,700 35
National non-domestic rate 10,400 29
Community charges 12,700 35

The above table understates central Government support, as it excludes community charge rebates, and other grants outside aggregate Exchequer finance. If these amounts are included within Government grants the figures are:

£ million per cent.
Government grants 19,700 48
National non-domestic rate 10,700 26
Community charges 10,400 26

Sir Richard Body

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether a seaman is exempt from the community charge if his period of service on board a ship is continuous for eight months or amounts to a total of eight months in a year.

Mr. Portillo

In the first instance, this is a matter for the community charges registration officer for the area in which the seaman lives. It is open to any charge payer to appeal to his local valuation and community charge tribunal against a decision by his registration officer.

Mr. Adley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those English local authorities which have offered single household payment arrangements to householders for payment of the community charge; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

My Department does not hold this information, but I understand that many local authorities are offering this arrangement.