§ Mr. Charles KennedyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he issues to community charge registration officers and other relevant local authority officials, with regard to the distribution of registration forms and related explanatory leaflets in languages other than English; whether similar provisions are intended in respect of the council tax; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Robin SquireThere is no statutory requirement for community charge registration forms in England, and we do not issue guidance about the language in which they should be written. There will be no registration for the council tax.
We leave the design of forms and local information material to local authorities, which are best placed to identify the needs of their own areas. Questions relating to the production of such material should therefore be addressed to them.
The Department of the Environment is producing a series of general information leaflets about the council tax. These are being translated into 11 ethnic minority languages, as well as Braille, large print and audio tape.
Numbers employed in local authorities in Northamptonshire At June of each year 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 Authority Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time Northamptonshire County 11,784 9,751 11,832 9,735 11,857 10,254 11,890 10,934 11,594 11,223 Corby 527 122 550 112 582 108 572 141 583 170 Daventry 268 48 268 43 275 53 287 54 298 59