COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT

Early day motion 1210, tabled 26 March 2007 by Tony Baldry (Conservative). Signed by 26 members.

That this House welcomes the recognition by Sir Michael Lyons that the take up of council tax benefit by pensioners is appalling; notes with alarm that the number of pensioners failing to claim council tax benefit is increasing with only half receiving the entitlement and over £1.8 billion going unclaimed; further notes that the Lyons Report reinforces the proposals outlined in both the Council Tax (Entitlement) Bill and the Council Tax Benefit (Entitlement Information) Bill, which received all party support in 2005 and 2006, and that both these bills and the Lyons Report contain the view that the administrative barriers to claiming should be removed with more data sharing with a joined-up system between local authorities, the Pension Service and central Government; further believes that the onus should be on central Government to identify eligible pensioners, with the long-term aim of an automatic rebate for pensioners in receipt of pension credit; and calls on the Government to adopt the recommendations made by the Lyons Report, the Council Tax (Entitlement) Bill and the Council Tax Benefit (Entitlement Information) Bill instead of pursuing more well-meaning but uninspiring and ineffective publicity campaigns.

Signatures by party: Liberal Democrat 9, Labour 7, Conservative 6, DUP 3, Plaid Cymru 1.