Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of people who served time in prison for each year between 2010 and 2017 for not paying their council tax had (a) a full means assessment undertaken (b) their caring responsibilities taken into account by the court and (c) their mental health needs assessed prior to their committal.

The responsibility for sentencing administration rests with the Magistrates courts, which are overseen by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service. Magistrates courts should consider imprisonment for non-payment of council tax only if the failure to pay is due to the individual's wilful refusal or culpable neglect. Local council tax support schemes are available to those householders on low incomes who have difficulty in paying their council tax.