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Mr. David Hunt : I continue to receive representations on a wide range of issues including the level of charge which some authorities have chosen to set.
27. Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 local authorities in England with the highest community charge.
Mr. David Hunt : The list is as follows :
|£
------------------
Haringey |573
Lambeth |548
Camden |534
Hackney |499
Islington |499
Brent |498
Bristol |490
Oxford |489
Basildon |478
Derby |458
29. Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received from young people about the community charge.
Mr. Chris Patten : I continue to receive representations from both young and old people on a wide range of issues related to the community charge.
30. Mr. Colin Shepherd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on the operation by local authorities of the standard charge in respect of empty properties.
Mr. Chope : I continue to receive representations on a wide range of issues related to the standard community charge including the use that local authorities make of their discretion to levy no charge or a lower charge in respect of certain types of empty property.
32. Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the expected receipts from the uniform business rate in Cornwall for 1990-91 ; and what contribution is to be made from the uniform business rate to Cornwall.
Mr. Chope : The provisional amount which local authorities in Cornwall are to pay into the national non-domestic rating pool in 1990-91 is £50,105,153.
The amount of redistributed business rates which will be paid to authorities in Cornwall for 1990-91 is £102,492,371. This money is paid in support of parish, district and county council services in the area and is nearly £293 per adult.
35. Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has as to the number of sports clubs and facilities that will benefit in real terms from lower rate bills as a result of the introduction of the uniform business rate and the non- domestic revaluation.
Mr. Chope : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 March 1990 to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Amess) and the hon. Member for Glasgow, Rutherglen (Mr. McAvoy) at column 483.
36. Mr. Jacques Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received in favour of a tax on capital values in place of the community charge.
Mr. Chope : I am not aware of any representations in favour of capital value rates.
41. Miss Widdecombe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many recent representations he has received in favour of a local income tax in place of the community charge.
Mr. Chope : We continue to receive many representations on all aspects of the community charge ; however, only a relatively small number suggest that the community charge should be replaced by a system of local income tax.
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48. Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the standard community charge on empty properties.
Mr. Chope : I have received and continue to receive many representations on all aspects of the standard community charge.
49. Mr. Marland : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about hardship caused by his decision not to make 1 April the starting date for empty property being liable for the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : While I have received a large number of representations about empty properties and the standard community charge, I have received very few about this particular aspect.
50. Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received from private tenants about the community charge and levels of rents.
Mr. Chope : I have received and continue to receive representations on a wide range of issues related to the community charge including from private tenants. My Department has recently produced a leaflet giving advice to people in rented accommodation on their rights following the abolition of domestic rates.
55. Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his plans to review standard spending assessments for 1991-92.
83. Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his plans to review standard spending assessments for 1991-92.
100. Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his plans to review standard spending assessments for 1991-92.
Mr. Chope : My right hon. Friend has made it clear both in the House on 18 January, and on many subsequent occasions, that any fresh evidence in support of a new methodology for calculating standard spending assessments will be considered with a view to making changes if that should prove necessary. Officials have already begun discussions with local authority representatives with a view to establishing a programme of work for examining any such fresh evidence.
65. Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for further changes to the poll tax system in 1990-91.
75. Mr. Rees : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for further changes to the poll tax system in 1990-91.
84. Mr. Stott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for further changes to the poll tax system in 1990-91.
78. Mr. Wall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received concerning the community charge.
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Mr. Chope : I have received and continue to receive a large number of representations on a wide range of issues concerning the community charge.89. Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the Basildon area on his charge- capping decision.
90. Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many Labour-controlled local authorities in England and Wales have planned to increase their expenditure above the rate of inflation in 1990- 91 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : Information showing the increase in demands and precepts over corresponding figures of income from rates and grant in 1989-90 for each local authority in England has today been placed in the Library of the House.
92. Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received from hoteliers and guest house proprietors about the uniform business rate.
Mr. Chope : My right hon. Friend has received a number of recent representations from hoteliers and guest house proprietors on this matter.
93. Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 local authorities with the highest levels of uncollected council house rents.
Mr. Chope : The 10 local authorities with the highest arrears as a percentage of their rent roll at the end of 1988-89 were as follows :
|Rent arrears |Arrears as a
|(£000s) |percentage of
|rent roll
---------------------------------------------------------
Brent |<1>13,713 |49.0
Lambeth |17,492 |35.7
Southwark |<1>26,820 |35.5
Hackney |12,357 |30.3
Islington |13,081 |28.9
Ealing |5,651 |26.2
Liverpool |15,292 |26.2
Haringey |7,200 |25.6
Waltham Forest |4,365 |20.6
Newham |5,373 |16.0
<1> DOE estimate of rent arrears.
103. Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received against the proposals for community charge capping.
Mr. Chope : The Department has received a number of letters against capping since my right hon. Friend's statement to the House on 3 April.
Sir Peter Emery : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in real and percentage terms, the actual community charge for each local authority with the assumed community charge made by Her Majesty's Government on 11 January.
64. Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 London boroughs with the highest overspend in terms of £ sterling per head over standard spending assessment.
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72. Mr. Janman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the top 10 local authorities in England with the highest overspending in terms of £ sterling per head over standard spending assessment.
91. Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 county councils with the highest overspend in terms of £ sterling over standard spending assessment.
94. Mr. Jessel : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 London boroughs with the highest community charge.
97. Mr. Tracey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the five boroughs in inner London with the highest community charge.
98. Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the top 10 local authorities in England with the highest percentage overspend over standard spending assessment.
Mr. Chris Patten : I am arranging for a summary of information relating to the demands, precepts and community charges set for each authority to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the alterations that he recently considered making to the community charge.
Mr. Chope : We continue to keep all aspects of local government finance policy under review.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will amend the relevant poll tax regulations to ensure that wardens of retirement people's homes living residentially during the week, but in their own homes at weekends, do not have to pay two lots of poll tax bills.
Mr. Chope : Individuals are subject to the personal community charge for the area where they have their main residence and cannot be subject to more than one personal charge. Individuals with a freehold or leasehold interest in a second residence may be subject to a standard charge only if that residence is not used as the main residence of another person. It is possible that wardens of retirement homes could be liable to a standard charge but where the nature of their employment and household circumstances causes this, the local authority has a discretion to set the multiplier at a zero or low multiplier.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what guidelines have been given to local councils on the charging of standard poll tax to those payers in the process of selling their second homes :
(2) if he will amend poll tax guidelines to local councils so as to ensure that those currently selling off property but living elsewhere are not subject to poll tax for the property which is in the process of being sold.
Mr. Chope : We have prescribed in the Community Charge (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989 that no standard charge is payable in respect of unoccupied property which is substantially unfurnished and has been so for less than three months. This would include properties which are in the process of being sold.
Column 249
There was a similar arrangement under the domestic rating system. Local authorities have discretion to extend the period of relief or to set a multiplier different from the one generally applied. My Department has written to local authorities explaining the scope and exercise of this discretion.Mr. Favell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the percentage in expenditure for which Stockport metropolitan borough council is budgeting this year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : [holding answer 23 April 1990] : Information comparing the demands of individual local authorities with corresponding information for 1989-90 has been placed in the Library of the House.
Local Government Associations
20. Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the Association of County Councils ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Chris Patten : I last met the leader of the Association of County Councils on 27 March. Representatives of the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and of the Association of District Councils were also present. We discussed the community charge.
82. Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the Association of District Councils ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Chope : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met the Association of District Councils on 27 March. The Association of County Councils and the Association of Metropolitan Authorities were also present. They discussed the community charge.
Rents
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to maintain rents at affordable levels in England and Wales.
Mr. Chope : In respect of England, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms. Primarolo). Rents in Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
39. Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied that local authority rent increases properly reflect Government guidelines.
Mr. Chope : It is for each local authority to set its own rents. The guidelines merely seek to ensure that housing revenue account subsidy is targeted to reflect the needs of authorities, and to encourage a more sensible pattern of rents.
54. Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he proposes to issue any new guidance on rent levels.
87. Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he proposes to issue any new guidance on rent levels.
Mr. Chope : We will not be issuing any further rent guidelines for 1990-91 but local authorities and their associations will be consulted in due course on rent guidelines and related matters for 1991-92.
Column 250
Sewerage
25. Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the level of investment planned by the water industry over the next 10 years in the sewerage network.
46. Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the level of investment planned by the water industry over the next 10 years in sewage treatment.
Mr. Trippier : Of the total investment of £26.3 billion allowed for in determining charges limits for the water industry in England and Wales some £5.3 billion was for investment at sewage treatment works, £5.7 billion for investment in the sewerage network and £1.2 billion for investment in sea and estuarial outfalls. Discussions with the water industry are now in hand to revise these investment programmes to take account of the Secretary of State's recent announcement that in future all significant discharges of sewage to sea should be treated and that dumping of sewage sludge at sea should be ended.
Rivers
28. Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of British rivers are of good or fair quality ; and what is the comparable figure in the rest of Europe.
Mr. Trippier : A review of river classification schemes across the European Community published in 1988 by the water research centre showed that 95 per cent. of river length in the United Kingdom was of good or fair quality compared with 75 per cent. in the European Community as a whole. The review also indicated that no other member state bettered our position.
31. Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress is being made by the National Rivers Authority in tackling the pollution of rivers.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The National Rivers Authority has already demonstrated clearly its commitment to effective regulation of water quality. A number of offenders have been successfully prosecuted, and many more have received formal warnings. The authority has embarked on a number of reviews of key policy areas, including the discharge consent system, and it will carry out a national survey of river water quality in 1990.
79. Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of river pollution to the North sea comes from (a) the river Rhine, (b) the river Elbe, (c) continental rivers as a whole and (d) British rivers as a whole.
60. Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of input of contaminants into the North sea from rivers comes from English rivers.
67. Mr. Fishburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of pollution in the North sea comes from British rivers.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Rivers are the most important source of North sea pollution, but their exact contribution varies according to the contaminant and year chosen for study.
Column 251
The most recent comprehensive information available comes from a study published this year by the Netherlands-based International Centre for Water Studies, and I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Library. This shows in broad terms that the combined effect of all United Kingdom rivers flowing into the North sea is to contribute about 20 per cent. of river-borne contaminants. The remaining 80 per cent. of river-borne contaminants come from continental rivers with the Rhine- Meuse contributing about 30 per cent. and the Elbe around 35 per cent.Housing
33. Mr. Allen McKay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the director of the Institute of Housing ; and what was discussed.
86. Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the director of the Institute of Housing ; and what was discussed.
Mr. Chope : I last met the director when I addressed the institute's presidential dinner on Thursday 1 March. My speech concentrated on housing management issues and the many new initiatives introduced by my Department to improve and enhance management practice. I encouraged the institute to play its part in promoting good management and in the productive working relationship it has with my Department.
37. Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on the supply of rented accommodation.
74. Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to increase the supply of rented accommodation.
Mr. Chope : The Government's aim is to ensure that decent housing is within reach of every family, and that enough subsidised rented accommodation is available for those who cannot afford to rent privately or to buy. The increases in public expenditure provision for housing association investment announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his autumn statement, together with the increased scope for housing associations to use private finance, are a major step towards achieving that aim.
38. Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what allocation of the housing investment programme for 1990-91 is being allowed for building new dwellings, and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : It is for local authorities to decide their own priorities in using the resources available to them from housing investment programme (HIP) allocations and usable capital receipts, although the Government have encouraged them to concentrate on the improvement of their own stock and assisting private owners with grants. The task of providing new subsidised homes for rent and sale is increasingly passing to housing associations, with local authorities fulfilling an enabling role.
45. Mr. Buckley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the figures for the housing investment programme allocation in 1979 and 1990, updated to 1990 prices ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 252
76. Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the figures for the housing investment programme allocation in 1979 and 1990, updated to 1990 prices, and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : The relevant figures for England are £5.43 billion and £2.16 billion respectively. However, since 1979 local authority spending has been enhanced significantly by resources released through the sale of council houses to their tenants.
66. Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average annual rate of decline of council house building between 1979 and 1989.
Mr. Chope : The figures for new house building in England in 1989 are contained in table 1.2(a) "Housing and Construction Statistics, Part 1" No. 40 ; those for 1979 are in table 6.1(a) of "Housing and Construction Statistics 1978-1988". Copies are in the Library.
71. Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of housing stock is estimated to be empty in (a) the local authority sector, (b) the housing association sector, (c) the private sector and (d) the Government sector.
Mr. Chope : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning on 27 February 1990 to the hon. Member for Hammersmith (Mr. Soley) at columns 180-81.
96. Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any new proposals to assist first-time home buyers.
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