HC Deb 23 May 1990 vol 173 cc239-44W
23. Mr. Patrick Thompson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has had any recent representations seeking replacement of the community charge with a tax on property values.

Mr. Portillo

As far as I am aware no one has made a representation to me in favour of a roof tax based on capital or site values.

26. Mr. Favell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many suggestions he has received for alternatives to the community charge for the raising of local government finance.

Mr. Chope

I receive a large number of suggestions on local government finance. There is no intention, however, to replace the community charge as the fairest means of securing a contribution from local residents towards the cost of local services.

31. Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average level of community charge in inner London in boroughs that were(a) Conservative controlled and (b) Labour-controlled before 3 May.

Mr. Chope

The figures are as follows: Conservative-controlled, £209; Labour-controlled, £445. They are based on charges at 1 April 1990.

34. Mr. Terry Davis

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the metropolitan districts if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth; and if he will make a statement.

41. Mr. Eastham

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the London boroughs if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth; and if he will make a statement.

44. Mr. Chris Smith

To ask the Secretary of State For the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the London boroughs if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth; and if he will make a statement.

52. Ms. Mowlam

To ask the Secretary of State for t he Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the London boroughs if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth; and if he will make a statement.

57. Mr. Caborn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the metropolitan districts if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth; and if he will make a statement.

61. Mr. Patchett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the metropolitan districts if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Harry Barnes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the metropolitan districts if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the average community charge for all the metropolitan districts if the percentage of their expenditure met from external funding was the same as Wandsworth; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

The community charge everywhere in England would be £278 if councils budgeted in accordance with their standard spending assessment after disregarding the effect of the safety net and other special reliefs, low rateable value grant and inner London education grant. For every additional £1 per adult spent the community charge per adult is increased by £1. For every £1 per adult saved the community charge per adult is reduced by £1. Any grant or support system based upon the spending decisions rather than the needs of individual authorities would penalise the prudent and reward the extravagant.

81. Mr. John Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State For the Environment what steps he has taken to invite interested groups and local authorities to submit views on the changes desirable to the community charge; and if he will make a statement.

39. Mr. Bill Michie

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to invite interested groups and local authorities to submit views on the changes desirable to the community charge; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

Interested groups and local authorities do not, in my experience, need formal invitations to submit views on the community charge. I have received a large number of comments and suggestions on the subject. Constructive comment is always welcome.

42. Mr. Pawsey

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate what changes are likely to take place in the standard spending assessment as it relates to Warwickshire.

Mr. Chope

My right hon. Friend has said that he will consider any fresh evidence on standard spending assessments (SSAs) which is put before him. Officials are also involved in discussions with local authority representatives. It is too early to say whether this work will result in changes to SSAs.

47. Mr. Robert Hicks

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of representations that he has received from Cornwall and Devon about the community charge; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

The information requested by my hon. Friend is not available. However, I continue to receive representations from members of the public in Cornwall and Devon about the community charge.

49. Mr. Andy Stewart

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the average capital value rates bill on a property worth(a) £50,000, (b) £80,000 and (c) £100,000 in Dagenham in 1990–91 assuming such a system had to raise the same amount of revenue as the community charge.

Mr. Chope

Figures 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 Barking and Dagenham for properties worth(a) £50,000, (b) £80,000 and (c) £100,000 are £546, £874 and £1,092 respectively.

51. Mr. Nellist

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide details of the review into the poll tax being undertaken by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

66. Mr. Beith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further measures he is considering in respect of the poll tax.

84. Mr. Macdonald

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the proposals for changes to the poll tax currently under review.

95. Mr. Andrew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on proposals for changes to the poll tax currently under review.

Mr. Beith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to reduce the impact of the poll tax on lower income families during the current year.

Mr. Portillo

We are looking to see what improvements, if any, should be made to the operation of the community charge. If and when any such improvements are identified they will be announced.

56. Mr. Grocott

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on changes to the poll tax in 1991–92.

Mr. Portillo

I receive a large number of suggestions on local government finance. However, the community charge is the fairest means of securing a contribution from local residents towards the cost of local services.

60. Mr. Allen McKay

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to meet representatives of local authority organisations to discuss the poll tax; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

My right hon. Friend met representatives of the local authority associations on 21 May to discuss the community charge.

62. Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on changes to the poll tax in 1991–92.

Mr. Portillo

I have received a wide variety of suggestions including many designed to reduce the level of charge which some authorities are levying.

Mr. Andrew MacKay

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the implementation of the community charge.

Mr. Chope

The vast majority of local authorities in England have been working very hard to ensure that the new system is working efficiently in 1990–91. The registration process was successfully completed on time with a total figure in accordance with the Government's estimate of the adult population. All authorities have now sent out some bills and are beginning to collect the community charge. Almost all authorities sent out their bills net of transitional relief and community charge benefit.

73. Dr. Michael Clark

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what a person on average male earnings would pay in local income tax in 1990–91 in order to raise the same amount of revenue as the community charge in Yeovil.

94. Mr. Summerson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what a person on average male earnings would pay in local income tax in 1990–91 in order to raise the same amount of revenue as the community charge in England.

Mr. Portillo

The level of local income tax payable by a person on average male earnings would depend on the precise way in which such a system were introduced and on the tax allowances which were available.

Illustrative figures exemplifying possible local income tax rates and the bill payable with a taxable income of £12,800 were placed in the Library on 4 April.

For South Somerset this showed a bill of £955 and an England average bill of £949.

74. Mr. Wilshire

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the average capital value rates bill on a property worth (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000 in Spelthorne in 1990–91 assuming such a system had to raise the same amount of revenue as the community charge.

Mr. Chope

Figures 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 Spelthorne for properties worth(a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000 are £789 and £986 respectively.

101. Dr. Twinn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average level of community charge, discounting the safety net, in London in boroughs that were(a) Conservative controlled and (b) Labour controlled before 3 May.

Mr. Chope

The following are the figures: Conservative-controlled, £267; Labour-controlled, £478. They are based on charges at 1 April 1990.

109. Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the average capital value rates bill on a property worth (i) £50,000, (ii) £80,000 and (iii) £100,000 in(a) the metropolitan areas and (b) Dover in 1990–91, assuming such a system had to raise the same amount of revenue as the community charge.

Mr. Chope

Figures 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 average bills in(a) the metropolitan areas for properties worth (i) £50,000, (ii) £80,000 and (iii) £100,000 are £543, £868 and £1,086 respectively and in (b) Dover £436, £697 and £871 respectively.

111. Mr. Barron

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on services being cut by the charge-capped local authorities.

Mr. Portillo

Local authorities which did not accept the caps which my right hon. Friend proposed and which put forward alternative figures have provided him with information about the implications of the proposed caps. My right hon. Friend is carefully considering all the information available to him before taking his decisions on the final caps of these authorities.

Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance the Government are giving to local authorities in England on keeping the poll tax register up to date; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

Practice note No. 3, "The Community Charges Register", which was produced jointly by the Government and the local authority associations, contains guidance on the maintenance of the register and subsequent canvasses. Copies have already been placed in the Library of the House. We have prepared more detailed guidance to local authorities in a new practice note, "Maintaining the Community Charges Register" which we propose to issue as soon as possible.

Sir Ian Gilmour

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish figures showing average local authority rents and average local authority rates in each local authority area in 1989–90 and average local authority rents and the new community charge in the same areas in 1990–91.

Mr. Chris Patten

[holding answer 17 May 1990]: I am arranging for tables to be placed in the Library of the House showing, for each authority, (a) the average weekly rent in 1989–90, (b) the percentage increase in rent in 1990–91 over 1989–90 as reported to the Department on subsidy claim forms, where available, (c) the average community charge at 1 April 1990 and (d) the average rate bill per household in 1989–90. Information on the level of rents in 1990–91 is not yet available.

25. Mr. Canavan

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make an official visit to Italy for the world cup; and if he will make a statement.

88. Mr. Ashton

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the visit to Italy by the Minister for Sport to discuss crowd control with the organisers of the world cup.

Mr. Moynihan

I visited Rome, Cagliari, Milan and Genoa between 7 and 10 May and held productive discussions with the Italian authorities about safety and security arrangements in connection with England's participation in the World Cup finals. We were able to reach agreement on a range of important issues including the commitment of the Italian Government to prosecute English supporters who break Italian law and to deport those whose behaviour was undesirable.

Other measures agreed include arrangements at the port of Genoa, restrictions on the sale of alcohol arid sporting weapons, ticket sales, ground security, segregation of rival supporters, and police arrangements during the tournament.