Local Government Finance

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Environment – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 27 February 1991.

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Photo of Mr Dave Nellist Mr Dave Nellist , Coventry South East 12:00, 27 February 1991

Will the review consider the powers of poll tax officers, such as is illustrated by the case of a 58-year-old lady to whom I spoke in Coventry last night? She has always paid her 20 per cent. poll tax by direct debit from a bank. After two lots of open-heart surgery, she moved last December from income support to invalidity benefit and received a £3 a week rise to £55 a week. She found that the poll tax office in Coventry had the power to phone the Midland bank and instruct it to pay £98 to the poll tax office out of her meagre savings. That is the first time that I have heard of poll tax officers having the power to instruct clearing banks to make such payments. Will the Secretary of State's review rule out such powers?