House of Commons Hansard Debates for 27 Jun 1990

Mr. Portillo : The level of local income tax payable by a person on average male earnings would depend on the tax allowances available to that person.

Illustrative figures placed in the Library on 4 April showed that, on average, the bill payable in England by a person with a taxable income of £12,800 would be £725.

112. Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from county councils about their standard spending assessments.

Mr. Chope : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Burnley (Mr. Pike).

113. Sir Bernard Braine : to ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance he has issued to local authorities on whether councillors who are refusing to pay their community charge are entitled to vote on decisions which affect their council's policy towards the pursuit of community charge defaulters.

Mr. Portillo : It is a criminal offence for a councillor, except in the circumstances specified in statute, to speak or vote on a matter in which he or she has a pecuniary interest. Paragraph 8 of the national code of local government conduct, which was approved by both Houses of Parliament, reminds councillors of this. If a councillor is in arrears on any payment due to the council, this can constitute pecuniary interest in questions relating to the collection of such arrears. Paragraph 31 of the code also advised councillors that they should avoid placing themselves in a position that could lead the public to think that they are receiving preferential treatment, for instance, by being in substantial arrears to the council.

105. Mr. Yeo : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received regarding the community charge.

Mr. Portillo : I continue to receive a number of representations on a wide range of matters concerning the community charge.

106. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate how many people have refused to pay the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope : This information is not available centrally and there are very few cases of wilful refusal to pay.

107. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has recently calculated the cost to (a) a man on average male earnings and (b) a woman on average female earnings of a system of local government finance based on capital value rates with a local income tax element based on Kirklees council's 1990-91 budget.

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Mr. Chope : No. Figures were placed in the Library on 4 April showing possible tax rates with a system of either capital value rates or local income tax based on local authorities' reported 1990-91 levels of income. From these, illustrative bills showing the effect of combining the two taxes can be calculated by taking the appropriate proportion of each.

103. Mrs. Peacock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what would be the average capital value rates bill in England in 1990-91 on a property worth (a) £50,000, (b) £75,000 and (c) £100,000 in order to raise the same amount of revenue as with the community charge.

Mr. Chope : Figures placed in the Library on 4 April show illustrative levels of capital value based rates in 1990-91 were such a system to be used to raise the same amount nationally as the community charge. The implied average bills in England for properties worth (a) £50,000, (b) £75,000 and (c) £100,000 are £528, £792 and £1,056 respectively.

100. Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from local government organisations in favour of replacing the community charge with a roof tax.

Mr. Portillo : None.

98. Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what he estimates will be the effect on the community charge in 1991 of the pay settlement for local government staff.

Mr. Portillo : The effect of the local authority pay settlement on community charges will depend on the extent to which authorities feel obliged to reduce the numbers employed to accommodate the settlement.

It is important that local authorities should make every effort to keep their expenditure under control so that community charges are set at a reasonable level.

91. Mr. Janman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to meet local authority leaders to discuss the introduction of a roof tax in place of the community charge.

Mr. Portillo : No.

93. Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to amend the community charge legislation ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope : The Government have already announced that they intend to bring forward legislation to amend the law on the standard community charge as it relates to caravans.

48. Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what interested groups, including local authority organisations, he has invited to submit views on changes to the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.

94. Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what interested groups including local authority organisations he has invited to submit views on changes to the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope : A large number of views on the community charge have been received, some solicited and others unsolicited.

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40. Mr. Bidwell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many suggested alternatives he has received for amending the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope : The Department continues to receive a good many representations and suggestions on all aspects of local government finance.

62. Mr. Colin Shepherd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he can take against councils who refuse to use their powers to pursue community charge defaulters.

Mr. Portillo : Financial propriety is a matter for the local authority's auditor. Under section 20 of the Local Government Finance Act 1982 where a loss has been incurred or deficiency caused by the wilful misconduct of any person, the auditor shall in carrying out his audit certify that the amount of the loss or deficiency is due from that person and may recover that amount for the benefit of the authority. Where a loss has been incurred as a result of wilful misconduct, those responsible are liable to be surcharged for the amount involved. Where they are councillors, and the amount exceeds £2,000, they are automatically disqualified from being a councillor for five years.

84. Mr. Harry Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if Britons living abroad registering to vote in the United Kingdom will be liable to pay the poll tax in the local government area where they register.

Mr. Chope : A person is subject to the personal community charge if he or she has his or her sole or main residence in England, Wales or Scotland and is not exempt. Anyone living abroad may be subject to the standard charge if they have a relevant freehold or leasehold interest in a domestic property where no one is solely or mainly resident regardless of whether that person is or is not on the electoral register.

69. Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last examined the standard spending assessments allocated to local authorities for their capital programmes.

Mr. Chope : The basis of the capital financing standard spending assessment is set out in the revenue support grant distribution report (England) approved by the House on 18 January.

64. Mr. Rees : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish his alternative proposals for the operation of the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Buckley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish his alternative proposals for the operation of the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Portillo : We expect to complete our review of the operation of the community charge in the next few weeks.

41. Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department is considering any further modifications to the poll tax ; and if he will make a statement.

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Mr. Chope : We are reviewing the operation of the community charge to see whether any anomalies need to be addressed.

34. Mr. Charles Wardle : to ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people are registered to pay the community charge ; and how many ratepayers there were in the last year for which figures are available.

Mr. Chope : The latest information for England available to the Department shows that 35.98 million people were registered on 1 December 1989 as subject to a personal community charge, while on 1 April 1989 there were 18.92 million domestic hereditaments on the valuation list.

20. Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his review of the poll tax has taken into consideration capacity to earn in relation to ability to pay.

Mr. Portillo : Ability to pay is already taken into account by the provision of community charge benefit which is expected to give about one in four charge payers a reduction of up to 80 per cent. of the full community charge.

National taxes finance the largest share of local government spending and the top 10 per cent. of households by income pay about 15 times as much towards the cost of local government services as the bottom 10 per cent.

22. Mr. David Shaw : to ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress of his review of the community charge.

36. Mr. Andrew Smith : to ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress of the Government's review of the poll tax.

Mr. Portillo : We are continuing to review the operation of the community charge to see whether any anomalies need to be addressed.

Land Register

18. Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the amount of land currently on the Land Register ; and when he estimates that it will be closed down.

21. Sir Charles Morrison : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the amount of land currently on the Land Register.

67. Mr. Wells : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the amount of land currently on the public Land Register ; and when he expects to close it down.

82. Mr. Marland : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the amount of land currently on the Land Register.

109. Mr. Michael Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the amount of land currently on the Land Register.

118. Mr. Bevan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the amount of land currently on the Land Register.

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Mr. Michael Spicer : On 30 September 1989, 82,400 acres were on the register. This is 25 per cent. less than at the end of 1985. We are currently considering the role of the register and whether further measures might be appropriate to reduce the amount of public sector vacant land.

89. Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much of the land on the Land Register is also designated as derelict land ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Moynihan : Entries on the register do not include this information. However, replies to my Department's derelict land survey, the results of which will be published shortly, indicated that in April 1988 some 14,000 acres of derelict land were on the register. The total amount of land registered was some 88,000 acres.

Uniform Business Rate

19. Mr. Robert Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any proposals to extend the transitional arrangements governing the introduction of the uniform business rate for smaller businesses to 10 years ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope : The Local Government Finance Act 1988 empowers us to provide transitional arrangements for years beyond 1995. We shall certainly be prepared to use these powers to protect businesses facing large increases after the 1995 revaluation, if this proves to be necessary.

102. Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to replace the 100-day rule for liability to pay the uniform business rate for bed and breakfast operations.

Mr. Chope : We have received a considerable number of representations on this subject from all sides of the industry to which we are currently giving careful consideration. We have not yet reached a conclusion on what, if any, changes should be made.

Housing Finance

23. Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to meet the chairman of the Building Societies Association to discuss housing finance.

Mr. Chope : Ministers and officials from the Department of the Environment meet representatives of the Building Societies Association and of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, which represents a wide spectrum of mortgage lenders, including the vast majority of building societies, from time to time.

Disposal Notices

24. Mr. Dunn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many disposal notices he has issued under the 1980 Act during the last 12 months.

Mr. Michael Spicer : Four notices of proposed directions in relation to unused or underused public sector land and two directions, including one of those where a notice was issued within the period.

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Avon County Council

25. Mr. Sayeed : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what considerations concerning the effect on services he took into account in deciding the level of the community charge cap for Avon county council.

Mr. Portillo : Avon's final cap represents my right hon. Friend's view of what is achievable and appropriate in all the circumstances of the county council on the basis of the information before him. It is for Avon to decide what action to take to live within its cap.

Housing, Hackney

26. Ms. Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to visit Hackney to discuss housing with local councillors.

Mr. Chope : No. The Department has regular contacts with the council and will be discussing its housing needs with it as part of the forthcoming housing investment programme round.

Radioactive Waste

27. Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment under what circumstances disposal of radioactive material is permitted in local authority landfill sites.

Mr. Trippier : Radioactive waste may be disposed of only if an authorisation has been issued under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. Authorisations are issued after careful assessment of the environmental impact of the proposed disposal. They impose strict conditions and activity limits which are designed to ensure that any dose of radiation to the general public is below the maximum permissible as recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection.

Detailed information about disposal routes and practices for radioactive wastes, including disposals at local authority landfill sites, is contained in part II of the HMSO publication entitled "Radioactive Substances Act 1960--A guide to the administration of the Act", a copy of which is in the Library.

77. Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he plans to restrict further the discharge of radioactive liquids to the public sewerage system.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Discharges of radioactivity to the public sewerage system are already closely regulated under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 (RSA60) by authorisations issued by Her Majety's inspectorate of pollution. These authorisations impose strict conditions and activity limits, set at levels which ensure proper protection from such disposals for members of the public, sewerage workers and the environment. I am satisfied that RSA60 provides a fully satisfactory regime for regulating radioactive waste disposals and I have no plans for further changes other than those proposed in part V of the Environmental Protection Bill currently before Parliament.

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House Building, Hampshire

28. Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what communication he has had with Hampshire county council regarding house building in the county until the year 2001 ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Michael Spicer : My right hon. Friend wrote to the chairman of Hampshire county council's planning and transportation committee on 5 May. He welcomed the progress being made on the preparation of a draft countywide structure plan. He made clear his strong support for the work of the London and south-east regional planning conference and stressed the importance of the regional guidance for the south-east particularly in regard to the housing provision figures for the years 1991 to 2001 annexed to it. I understand that Hampshire county council will undertake formal public consultation on a draft plan later this year.

Private Rents

29. Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to take action against private landlords who have not reduced the rent inclusive of rates following the introduction of the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson) on 8 February, Official Report, Vol. 166, column 756.

81. Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received concerning private tenants whose landlords have not reduced their rent by any rates element.

Mr. Chope : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Morgan) on 23 May, Official Report, vol. 173, column 249.

Ozone Layer

30. Mr. Alan W. Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment and if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's negotiating position at the United Nations conference on the ozone layer in London on 27-29 June.

Mr. Trippier : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 25 June.

39. Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the London conference on the ozone layer.

Mr. Trippier : The second meeting of the parties to the Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer beings today in London. Some 100 countries are represented. Our aims are to achieve a significantly strengthened protocol and to persuade as many countries as possible to join it.

Right to Buy

31. Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has as to the number of local authority tenants who have bought their homes under the right to buy legislation.

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Mr. Chope : Some 950,000 tenants have bought their homes under the right to buy from local authorities in England since April 1979.

Cryptosporidiosis

32. Mr. Cran : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the report from the drinking water inspectorate on the outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in parts of North Humberside.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The drinking water inspectorate has received a report from Yorkshire Water Services Ltd. on the outbreak. It awaits further information from the company and a report from the incident control group which comprises representatives of the health authority, local authorities, public health laboratory service, the communicable disease surveillance centre and Yorkshire Water Services Ltd. after considering this information the inspectorate will report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

Council Rents

33. Mr. Eastham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest information on the average rate of rent increases for 1989-90 for council tenants.

Mr. Chope : The estimated average weekly rent for local authority dwellings in England at April 1989 is £20.70 and the provisional figure for April 1990 is £23.36, an increase of 12.9 per cent.

Association of County Councils

35. Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the Association of County Councils ; and whether the charge-capping of some local authorities was discussed.

Mr. Chris Patten : I last met representatives of the Association of County Councils on 21 May, together with representatives of other associations. Charge capping was not discussed.

Housing Corporation Approvals

37. Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new approvals will be made by the Housing Corporation in this financial year.

Mr. Chope : The Housing Corporation is currently discussing with housing associations which new schemes will receive approval this year, and will make an announcement in due course.

Local Government Efficiency

38. Miss Widdecombe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy towards encouraging more efficient local government.

Mr. Portillo : More efficient local government is to everyone's benefit. The potential savings from improved efficiency could be used to reduce charges or to deliver better services at the same charge. The community charge and the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering will each encourage greater efficiency.

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