§ Mr. DewarTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish tables relating to Scotland of community charge levels and reductions, and so on, comparable to those provided for England in the answers of 17 April to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field),Official Report, column 184–85.
§ Mr. LangThe available average charge figures, which exclude the community water charge, are given below:
£ (a) Before Community Charges (General Reduction) Act (i) Average charge (gross) 393 (ii) Average charge less community charge reduction scheme 377 (b) After Community Charges (General Reduction) Act and revision to community charge reduction scheme (i) Average charge (gross) 253 (ii) Average charge less community charge reduction scheme 241 Information about average charges after the award of community charge benefit is not yet available. Figures for average charges make no allowance for reduction due to capping.
Detailed information on reductions in payments is not readily available, but as I indicated in a reply I gave to the hon. Member on 15 April, at column 163, at least 2.25 million persons in Scotland are expected to benefit to the full extent of the £140 reduction.
§ Mr. DewarTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide comparable but extended figures for Scotland to those put in the Library by the Secretary of State for the Environment on 4 April 1990 (deposit 5906) showing, for each local authority area and giving the assumptions made about equalisation, what level of (i) capital value rates, (ii) council tax and (iii) local income tax would be required in order to raise the same amount of92W revenue as with (a) the 1991–92 community charge, both before and after community charge reduction grant, and (b) the 1991–92 community charge, both before and after community charge reduction grant, but on the basis that the community charge was fully operational without any transitional or related elements.
§ Mr. LangIllustrative figures on household bills under the proposed council tax were issued by the Government on 23 April. On local income tax, I refer to the reply which my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Maxton) on 7 May at columns415–17. If the hon. Member can supply precise details of any alternative proposal which he wishes to put forward I would be happy to consider what assistance can be given in exemplifying it.