Poll Tax (Hansard, 4 December 1991)

§ 32. Mr. Douglas
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the level of poll tax payments outstanding since its introduction; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Key
Up to 30 September 1991 local authorities in England had collected £9.7 billion in community charges for the financial year 1990–91 leaving £500 million of the income they budgeted to receive for 1990–91 yet to be collected. An additional £400 million of community charges bills have been issued against which authorities had already made provision for non-payment.

§ 36. Mr. Haynes
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to abolish the poll tax 20 per cent. contribution rule for 1992–93; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Key
I do not propose to make any change in the existing basis of liability or the benefit arrangements for the remaining period of the community charge.

§ Mr. Nellist
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will call for a report from each local authority as to the position on 31 March 1991 and 30 September 1991, as to how many liability orders for poll tax recovery have been passed to bailiffs; of these, how many liability orders were enforced by(a) payment agreements and (b) distraints exercised; and of these how many bailiff visits were unsuccessful because the poll tax non-payer had moved away.

§ Mr. Key
No.

§ Mr. Nellist
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will call for a report from each local authority, as at 31 March 1991 and 30 September 1991, as to how many attachment-of-earnings orders are in place to recover poll tax arrears.

§ Mr. Key
No.

§ Mr. Nellist
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will call for a report from each local authority to show how many summonses for poll tax non-payment for 1990–91 were issued at 31 March 1991 and 30 September 1991, and of those between 31 March 1991 and 30 September 1991, how many were also for 1991–92 non-payment.

§ Mr. Key
No. The Home Office collects statistics by individual magistrates court which are not analagous to local authority areas. These show that in 1990–91 the courts issued over 4.7 million summonses to authorities and so far in 1991–92 nearly 3.3 million have been issued. However, these figures relate to the date on which the summonses were granted and not to the year of the charge.

§ Mr. Nellist
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will call for a report from local authorities to show, at 31 March 1991 and 30 September 1991, what percentage of information requests sent to poll tax non-payers served with a liability order were returned.
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§ Mr. Key
No.

§ Mr. Nellist
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidelines he issues for the use by local authorities of bailiffs for poll tax enforcement.

§ Mr. Key
My Department issued a practice note to all charging authorities advising them to check the reputation, qualifications and expertise of private firms of bailiffs and to issue guidelines to them on procedures. The Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation have incorporated and expanded this advice in a revised practice note.