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Electoral Commission Committee

Polling Stations: Disabled

Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission what steps are being taken to ensure that returning officers take effective steps to provide people with disabilities with access to polling stations; and if he will make a statement. [205707]

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that its guidance for returning officers covers access to polling stations for those with disabilities. This includes a checklist of issues to consider when choosing buildings for use as polling stations. The polling station handbook for use by presiding officers and poll clerks on election day also contains advice on accessibility.

The Representation of the People Act 1983 places an obligation on councils, so far as it is reasonable and practicable, to designate as polling places only places that are accessible to disabled people and to give all electors within their area reasonable facilities for voting.

Following Electoral Commission recommendations, section 16 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 required that councils consult the returning officer as part of their review of polling places. Councils must seek the views of people who have particular expertise in relation to access to premises or facilities for people with disabilities when carrying out reviews, and were required to carry out such a review during 2007.

Leader of the House

Departmental Official Hospitality

Mrs. May: To ask the Leader of the House how many receptions she has hosted and funded in her capacity as Leader of the House in the last 12 months; which individuals and organisations (a) were invited to and (b) attended each reception; and what the cost was of each reception. [203850]

Helen Goodman: In due course, Government Departments will publish annual lists providing information relating to official receptions hosted by Ministers in the previous financial year. The data published by the Cabinet Office will include information for the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons.

Wales

Council Tax: Valuation

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment the Valuation Office Agency has made of evidence of (a) errors and (b) incorrect banding in relation to the 2005 council tax revaluation in Wales. [205444]

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Mr. Paul Murphy: The Valuation Office Agency is satisfied that the bandings undertaken when council tax revaluation in Wales was introduced in 2005 were made competently. During the period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2007 (the first two years of the 2005 council tax lists coming into force) one third fewer challenges were received than in the same period of the 1993 lists, and just 1.55 per cent. of bandings were changed as a result of these challenges.

Departmental Public Participation

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultants have been contracted by his Department to conduct public participation activities in the last three years; and how much expenditure his Department has incurred on each such contract to date. [206207]

Mr. Paul Murphy: None.

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Communities and Local Government

Council Tax: Unpaid Taxes

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much council tax was uncollected in cash terms (a) in England and (b) in each Government office region in each year since 1996-97. [202644]

John Healey: Details of the amount of council tax uncollected in cash terms in England and in each Government office region in each year since 1996-97 are shown in thousands in the following tables. The data relate to the non-collection of council tax within the year to which it relates. The table also shows the amount of uncollected council tax as a proportion of the total amount of council tax local authorities expected to collect if every taxpayer paid the full amount for which they are liable after discounts and benefit.

	1996-97		1997-98		1998-99		1999-2000		2000-01		2001-02
	£000	%	£000	%	£000	%	£000	%	£000	%	£000	%
North East	22,757	5.5	23,354	5.2	25,685	5.2	26,227	5.0	27,948	5.0	27,280	4.6
North West	58,692	4.8	56,924	4.3	60,508	4.2	65,870	4.3	70,201	4.3	73,710	4.2
Yorkshire and the Humber	41,183	5.1	44,068	5.0	46,431	4.8	50,802	4.9	51,831	4.7	50,507	4.3
East Midlands	31,908	4.5	29,756	3.8	31,976	3.7	33,711	3.6	37,604	3.7	41,171	3.7
West Midlands	36,594	4.2	37,392	4.0	45,014	4.3	47,816	4.2	47,910	4.0	49,445	3.8
East of England	33,495	3.3	34,918	3.2	36,257	3.0	40,671	3.1	41,703	2.9	40,195	2.6
London	116,602	8.8	116,546	8.2	121,743	7.9	132,875	7.9	132,233	7.2	126,506	6.3
South East	45,715	2.9	48,585	2.9	55,397	2.9	62,963	3.0	64,801	2.8	66,370	2.7
South West	36,962	4.0	36,550	3.7	39,741	3.5	40,136	3.3	43,247	3.3	42,644	3.0
England	423,908	4.8	428,093	4.5	462,752	4.4	501,071	4.4	517,478	4.2	517,828	3.9

	2002-03		2003-04		2004-05		2005-06		2006-07
	£000	%	£000	%	£000	%	£000	%	£000	%
North East	28,299	4.3	28,215	4.0	30,442	4.0	28,197	3.5	28,773	3.4
North West	77,930	4.2	81,844	4.0	76,996	3.7	84,148	3.7	91,566	3.8
Yorkshire and the Humber	49,813	3.9	51,711	3.6	53,948	3.5	56,831	3.5	63,128	3.7
East Midlands	40,918	3.3	43,847	3.3	43,207	3.0	42,376	2.8	40,447	2.6
West Midlands	52,159	3.6	50,364	3.2	50,002	3.0	53,645	3.1	57,801	3.1
East of England	43,921	2.5	49,732	2.5	52,106	2.4	52,576	2.3	51,735	2.2
London	127,462	6.0	149,103	5.9	151,211	5.6	144,288	5.1	146,765	4.9
South East	65,384	2.4	80,210	2.6	82,956	2.5	82,518	2.3	84,509	2.3
South West	44,812	2.8	46,756	2.6	49,622	2.5	47,259	2.3	48,521	2.2
England	530,698	3.6	581,782	3.5	590,490	3.4	591,838	3.2	613,245	3.1

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