I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time.

In Committee, some concern was expressed about clause 2, and I am happy to inform the House of our decision that the Caldey community should become liable for community charge as from 1 April 1991, and that it should also become liable to non-domestic rates as from the same date.

We have also succeeded in devising a good scheme to provide transitional relief for the community. I believe that, on the whole, the islanders will find the total package quite acceptable. Therefore, I have pleasure in commending the Bill to the House.

I thank the Minister for his courteous response, as always, to the substantial point that we made in Committee about the imposition of poll tax before the Bill could be passed. I do not imagine that the islanders of Caldey will be desperately pleased at having the poll tax imposed on them in any shape or form, but at least we have saved them from being taxed before the relevant legislation could be enacted, for the Minister has now confirmed that the poll tax will not take effect there before next year.

The Minister said that the Government have devised "a good scheme" to provide the equivalent of transitional relief. We have already made the point that some difficulty arises because there is no previous rating base from which to work. However, the Minister seems to have confirmed his promise to do something about transitional relief, so perhaps he will give us an idea of what it will be.

The scheme that we intend to establish will require the islanders, each year in a four-year transitional period, to pay a fixed percentage of that year's community charge for standard spending—or CCSS. That percentage, which I propose to set at 80 per cent. in 1991–92, will increase over the four-year period so that the islanders will move smoothly into a regime of full charges in 1995–96—the same year that full charges will be payable in the rest of Wales as the general transitional relief scheme comes to an end.

The effect of my proposals into 1991–92 is that, as the Welsh CCSS for next year is £228, the islanders will each pay 80 per cent. of that figure, or £182–and so will in effect receive relief of £46 per head. If the charge actually set is lower than the CCSS, then the islanders will each pay only 80 per cent. of that lower charge. However, if the relevant authorities' spend is such that the charge set exceeds £228, each islander will pay 80 per cent. of the CCSS plus the amount by which the charge set exceeds the CCSS. Therefore, Dyfed county council and South Pembrokeshire district council will want to set their budgets in such a way as to enable the islanders to gain maximum benefit from the scheme that I have described.

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I wonder if you could confirm that the Caldey Island Bill which has just been given a Third Reading was a Bill to extend the franchise, and some hon. Members were here to vote on it, but it is a matter of regret that the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Bennett)—the area concerned—was apparently unable to make the Lobby in time.

As the hon. Member is aware, hon. Members' attendance in the House has nothing whatsoever to do with the Chair.