Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has considered the potential merits of introducing a national 100 per cent council tax discount for households which include an individual with a terminal illness.

Councils have considerable flexibility to provide discretionary council tax discounts or exemptions where they consider this appropriate. This could include offering discounts for those who are terminally ill.

The government is committed to ensuring the council tax system is fair for taxpayers and local authorities and will continue to keep taxes and all elements of the local government finance system under review.