§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list(a) for the 50 local authorities with the highest and (b) for the 50 local authorities with the lowest dependency on council tax benefit, the proportion of actual 1998–99 council tax that was funded by council tax benefit; and if he will make the information available to local authorities in electronic form. [69364]
§ Ms ArmstrongThe actual proportion of council tax in 1998–99 funded by council tax benefit will not be available until later this year when local authorities have finalised their financial accounts for 1998–99. However, I have placed in the Library of the House, two tables which show for the authorities requested, the proportion of council tax yield to be funded by council tax benefit which is consistent with the budgets and council taxes set by local authorities for 1998–99. The information is also consistent with data to be used in the Council Tax Benefit Subsidy Limitation Scheme for 1999–2000 and will be made available to local authorities on the Department's Internet site.
§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate for the most recent year for which figures are available(a) the total amount paid in business rates in South Gloucestershire and (b) the amount received by South Gloucestershire Council from central Government out of the total yield of business rates. [69475]
§ Ms ArmstrongThe authority calculated £44.7 million to be its provisional contribution to the rating pool for 1998–99 as a result of collecting business rates from the businesses in its area, and it will receive £55.4 million back from central Government as its share of the distributable amount of non-domestic rates. In 1999–2000, the latter figure will rise to £60.9 million; estimates of the former figure are not yet available.