§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to exclude local authorities' grants to charities and voluntary organisations from charge-capping calculation arrangements.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesLocal authorities in Wales should keep their budget requirements for 1993–94, including provision for grants to charities and voluntary organisations, in line with my right hon. Friend's expenditure plans. My right hon. Friend will announce his proposals for the 1993–94 local government revenue settlement in due course.
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§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to tell local authorities in Wales their allocations of money for collecting the council tax for the next financial year.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe cost of council tax administration is one of the categories of expenditure taken into account in determining local authorities' standard spending assessments. My right hon. Friend's proposals for the 1993–94 local government revenue settlement will be announced in due course.
§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing for each collecting local authority in Wales the latest figures available of uncollected community charge and the percentage of the total community charge that this figure represents.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe information requested is shown in the table:
Arrears of community charges at 31 March 1992 Amount1 (£000) As a percentage of the total debit2 Alyn and Deeside 1,866 10 Colwyn 1,148 8 Delyn 983 6 Glyndwr 890 8 Rhuddlan 1,069 7 Wrexham Maelor 2,711 10 Carmarthen 467 5 Ceredigion 801 7 Dinefwr 393 6 Llanelli 978 7 Preseli Pembrokeshire 439 4 South Pembrokeshire 521 7 Blaenau Gwent 1,395 11 Islwyn 1,046 9 Monmouth 1,229 7 Newport 3,734 12 Torfaen 1,115 6 Aberconwy 596 5 Arfon 1,117 11 Dwyfor 230 3 Meirionnydd 353 4 Ynys Mon 1,113 7 Cynon Valley 1,072 11 Merthyr Tydfil 547 6 Ogwr 1,130 5 Rhondda 498 5 Rhymney Valley 1,822 10 Taff Ely 1,676 9 Brecknock 279 3 Montgomeryshire 325 4 Radnorshire 113 2 Cardiff 6,560 10 Vale of Glamorgan 1,131 5 Port Talbot 704 7 Lliw Valley 449 4 Neath 804 6 Swansea 3,057 7 Total Wales 44,361 8 1 The arrears shown include both 1990–91 and 1991–92 charges. 2 The total debit is the amount actually billed to chargepayers, net of deductions, in respect of 1990–91 and 1991–92 charges.
§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing for each Welsh district council the amount of unapplied capital receipts from(a) housing sales and (b) other capital sales.
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§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe information requested is given in the table:
Usable capital receipts at 31 March 1992 Housing £000 Other £000 Alyn and Deeside 24 0 Colwyn 585 42 Delyn 0 0 Glyndwr 863 160 Rhuddlan 469 16 Wrexham Maelor 41 21 Carmarthen 609 0 Ceredigion 0 137 Dinefwr 0 746 Llanelli 0 0 Preseli Pembrokeshire 1,122 243 South Pembrokeshire 1,264 327 Blaenau Gwent 488 641 Islwyn 0 0 Monmouth 826 46 Newport 6,309 1,433 Torfaen 0 0 Aberconwy 678 431 Arfon 230 116 Dwyfor 71 0 Meirionnydd 0 0 Ynys Mon 82 84 Cynon Valley 0 0 Merthyr Tydfil 1 169 Ogwr 672 2,086 Rhondda 0 0 Rhymney Valley 802 76 Taff Ely 469 0 Brecknock 692 200 Montgomeryshire 1,348 22 Radnorshire 343 59 Cardiff 749 0 Vale of Glamorgan 6,436 0 Lliw Valley 939 467 Neath 548 210 Port Talbot 656 553 Swansea 420 1,758 Total 27,736 10,043
§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing for each Welsh county the total amount of unapplied capital receipts.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe information requested is given in the table.
Usable capital receipts at 31 March 1992 £000s Clwyd 0 Dyfed 267 Gwent 7,080 Gwynedd 333 Mid Glamorgan 414 Powys 27 South Glamorgan 1,551 West Glamorgan 236 Total 9,908
§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing for each collecting local authority in Wales how much was bid by that authority for Government funds to cover the set-up costs of the council tax and how much his Department allocated to each authority in 1992–93.
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§ Mr. Gwilym JonesWelsh charging authorities did not bid for funds to cover council tax preparation costs. The Government commissioned the consultants CSL Group Ltd to estimate the costs to local authorities in England and Wales of preparing for the council tax. CSL estimated that Welsh authorities would spend £9.2 million–£7.98 million on revenue costs and £1.24 million on capital costs. My right hon. Friend accepted CSL's conclusions for Wales in full and has made £5.985 million special grant available to Welsh charging authorities to cover 75 per cent. of the revenue costs. The remaining 25 per cent. of the estimated revenue cost is supported through revenue support grant. My right hon. Friend has also issued supplementary credit approvals totalling £1.24 million to cover capital costs.
Details of the special grant are set out in the Special Grant Report (Wales) 1992 which received the approval of the House on 24 June 1992. Special grant and supplementary credit approval allocations for each charging authority in Wales are as follows:
Council tax preparation costs 1992–93: allocations to charging (district) councils Special grant £ Supplementary credit approvals £000 Alyn and Deeside 146,626 30 Colwyn 122,360 25 Delyn 134,515 28 Glyndwr 91,011 19 Rhuddlan 133,456 28 Wrexham Maelor 233,138 48 Carmarthen 118,574 25 Ceredigion 144,829 30 Dinefwr 82,613 17 Llanelli 157,876 33 Preseli Pembrokeshire 152,842 32 South Pembrokeshire 96,950 20 Blaenau Gwent 159,840 33 Islwyn 133,882 28 Monmouth 161,964 34 Newport 274,682 57 Torfaen 184,770 38 Aberconwy 121,682 25 Arfon 118,074 24 Dwyfor 71,289 15 Meirionnydd 87,750 18 Ynys Mon 156,168 32 Cynon Valley 135,366 28 Merthyr Tydfil 122,073 25 Ogwr 264,744 55 Rhondda 163,052 34 Rhymney Valley 203,908 42 Taff Ely 188,813 39 Brecknock 89,027 18 Montgomeryshire 112,828 23 Radnor 53,689 11 Cardiff 580,797 120 Vale of Glamorgan 234,950 49 Port Talbot 104,260 22 Lliw Valley 129,254 27 Neath 134,317 28 Swansea 383,031 79 Total 5,985,000 1,240
§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing for each collecting local authority in Wales the amount of uncollected domestic rates in 1989–90 and the percentage of the total rate that this figure represented.
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§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe information requested is not collected centrally. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the CIPFA publication "Rate Collection Statistics 1989–90 Actuals" which provides figures for combined domestic and non-domestic rate arrears.
§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the outstanding amount of money uncollected on the poll tax.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesLocal authorities in Wales reported that, at 31 March 1992, arrears of community charges for the financial years 1990–91 and 1991–92 totalled £44 million that is equivalent to about £20 for each chargepayer.