To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of unpaid council tax in the East Riding of Yorkshire in each year since 1997. [105280]

Central Government do not currently collect information on the level of council tax arrears owed to English local authorities. Figures are, however, collected by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, which it publishes annually in its Revenue Collection Statistics series. Those that are available for the East Riding of Yorkshire in each year since 1997 are tabled as follows.

East Riding of Yorkshire
£000
Financial year	In-year council tax arrears as at 31 March	Previous years' council tax arrears as at 31 March	Total council tax arrears as at 31 March
1996–97	1—	1—	1—
1997–98	4,210	2,080	6,290
1998–99	2,718	2,461	5,179
1999–2000	2,766	2,896	5,662
2000–01	3,361	1,741	4,832
1Estimates for 1996–97 are not available

Following discussions with local government, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will, however, be collecting information from English billing authorities on the level of council tax arrears on the QRC4 return for each financial year from 2002–03.