§ Mr. ViggersTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the basis upon which service personnel and their families living in a group of properties, not having separate rateable values entered in the valuation list, will now be able to benefit under the Community Charge (England) (Reductions) Regulations 1991; and what steps he has taken to inform local authorities of this change.
§ Mr. KeyThe aim of the reduction scheme is to limit the increase in community charges over rates in 1989. The160W improvements to the scheme announced on 25 March will help people who live in properties where there was only one rateable value covering several residences. Under transitional relief a maximum of two personal community charges only could be compared to the rates. Under the community charge reduction scheme local authorities are now required to compare the rates with the aggregate community charge liability of all the eligible charge payers living in one or more properties covered by one rateable value. This change will particularly benefit service personnel living in properties which did not have separate rateable values. Details of the changes to the scheme were sent to authorities on 26 March and 28 March.
§ Mr. O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals to the West Yorkshire valuation and community charge tribunals were waiting to be heard on 22 May; how many appeals have been resolved since 1 April 1990; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. KeyThe available information is as follows:
Outstanding Appeals Appeals Cleared since 1 April 1990 (a) 1973 Rating Appeals as at 22 May 1991 339 6,163 (b) 1990 Rating Appeals at end of April 1991 23,610 324 (c) 1990 Transitional and Completion Notice Appeals as at 22 May 1991 2,086 146 (d) Community Charge Appeals at end of April 1991 59 181 Most of the 1990 rating appeals were not transferred from valuation offices to the tribunal until February and March this year. Some of these have already been listed for hearing; the 324 cases cleared are those agreed or withdrawn since 1 December 1990.
§ Mrs. GormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent action he has taken to remind local authorities of their duties(a) to collect all the community charges owed to them and (b) actively to pursue non-payers and late payers of the community charge; and if he will introduce legislation to prevent local authorities from passing on the shortfall per head in revenue, caused by those charge payers who do not pay in full, to charge payers who do pay in full.
§ Mr. KeyAll authorities are very well aware of their duty to collect the community charge from all those liable to pay it. In commenting on the latest community charge collection figures published on 29 May my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Local Government and Inner Cities made it clear that authorities were still under an obligation to collect any outstanding charges and that there would be no amnesty for non-payers. It is right than when setting community charges authorities should take account of their estimates of any amounts which will be unrecoverable, as they did when setting rate poundages under the former rating system.
§ Mr. NellistTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the departmental guidelines issued since February 1991 to local authorities on the poll tax, their date of issue and a brief summary of each of their contents.
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§ Mr. KeyMy Department has written to local authorities about the community charge on the following occasions since February:
11 March
Community Charge and Non-Domestic Rating: Statutory Instruments and Circular Letters—This contained a list of all statutory instruments laid in 1990 and 1991 and all circular letters issued by the Department since October 1990.19 March
Community Charges in 1991–92—This outlined the changes made to the community charge as announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget speech.26 March
Community Charges in 1991–92—This gave further details of the General Reduction of 140 and of changes to be made to the Community Charge Reduction Scheme.28 March
Community Charges in 1991–92—This gave further guidance on the effect of the General Reduction in charges and explained in more depth the changes to the Community Charge Reduction Scheme.25 April
The Personal Community Charge (Reduction) (England) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 1991—This explained the effect of the regulations amending the criteria by which chargepayers are eligible under the Reduction Scheme.7 May
The Community Charges and Non-Domestic Rating (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1991—This explained the effect of these regulations on the instalment arrangements for the payment of community charges.16 May
Community Charge Liability: British Service Personnel in the Gulf—This gave charging authorities guidance about the liability of British service personnel posted to the Gulf in the light of the High Court decision on Bradford City Council v. Anderton, and also gave details about the reimbursement scheme to be operated by the Ministry of Defence.20 May
You and the Community Charge: Reductions for 1991–92—This enclosed copies of the new leaflet explaining how the £140 reduction and the Community Charge Reduction Scheme will work in 1991–92.
§ Mrs. GormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information local authorities are required to provide to community charge payers, on the community charge bill, relating to the item called other adjustments.
§ Mr. KeyAuthorities are required to provide their charge payers with explanatory notes which form part of their community charge bill. These include a note on other adjustments which explains that the main adjustments taken account of in this figure are authorities' estimates of interest payable to or by the authority; changes in income due to movements on and off the community charges register; income from standard charges; and community charges not collected by the authority.
§ Mrs. GormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many individuals have been prosecuted162W for non-payment of the community charge; and what percentage of charge payers are estimated not to have paid their community charge in full.
§ Mr. KeyBy the end of March 1991 local authorities in England had issued 4.1 million summonses for nonpayment of the community charge and had obtained almost 3 million liability orders. Information is not available on the numbers of charge payers who have paid their charge in full; but we estimate that by the end of March 1991, 91 per cent. of charge payers had made some payment.
§ Mrs. GormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the factors which he takes into account in calculating the standard spending assessments and the total external support for Basildon district council and Southend-on-Sea borough council; and the weighting that was given to each factor.
§ Mr. KeyThe factors and weights used to calculate standard spending assessments (SSAs) which form the basis of grant distribution, are the same for all authorities providing the same range of services. They are set out in the "Revenue Support Grant Distribution Report (England)" as amended by the "Revenue Support Grant Distribution (Amendment) Report (England)" approved by the House of Commons on 29 January. Copies of both of these are in the Library together with the SSA handbook for 1991–92 which provides details of the service elements of SSA for every authority.
§ Mrs. GormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received any representations regarding the lay-out of the community charge bill issued by local authorities and the information it provides.
§ Mr. KeyMy Department received a number of responses from authorities and other organisations on the form of the community charge bill and its accompanying information following the issue of draft regulations on these matters last year.
§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he has given to local authorities about backdating claims for rebate on the poll tax.
§ Miss WiddecombeI have been asked to reply.
I refer the hon. Member to the "Housing Benefit and Community Charge Benefit Guidance Manual", especially paragraph B2.34, which was issued to local authorities in January this year. A copy of the guidance manual is in the Library. In addition, local authorities were informed in March this year about the special arrangements for claims for benefit affected by the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991.