Community Charge (Hansard, 18 November 1991)

§ Mr. Marlow
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by what amount income support for a single person will be reduced, pursuant upon the introduction of the council tax, based on today's rate of payments made to compensate for 20 per cent. community charge payments, assuming no increase in the cost of living.

§ Mr. Fraser
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether it is his intention on enactment of the Local Government Finance Bill to take into account in the re-rating of social security benefits the abolition of the obligation to pay a minimum of 20 per cent. of the community charge.

§ Miss Widdecombe
I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Gentleman to paragraph 3.8 of the Government's consultation document "A New Tax For Local Government", which is in the Library.
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§ Mr. Meacher
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the proportion of his Department's spend to be transferred to local authorities when his policy of community care is implemented.

§ Miss Widdecombe
We shall transfer to local authorities, via the Department of Health, the expenditure which would otherwise have been incurred by this Department on the care element of income support for people who enter residential care and nursing homes after 31 March 1993.

§ Mr. Flynn
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett), on 12 November,Official Report, column 477, what is the estimated cost for 1991–92 of the adjustments made to income-related benefit levels in April 1989 in respect of the 20 per cent. poll tax contribution, excluding the first 50p of the adjustments for single persons and the first £1 for couples.

§ Miss Widdecombe
The full cost of the adjustment made to income-related benefit levels is estimated to be £580 million at 1991–92 benefit levels. Reducing the personal allowances for all the income-related benefits by 50p for single people and £1 for couples would save an estimated £210 million.
Source: Modelled using data drawn from the 1986–7–8 Family Expenditure Surveys at 1991–92 prices and benefit levels.