§ 43. Sir W. Jenkinsasked the Minister of Health whether he will take steps to make a special grant-in-aid to local authorities in distressed areas where the rates exceed 5s. in the pound for public assistance; and will he give the names of the authorities who have rates above and below 5s. in the pound on public assistance only for the years 1936, 1937, and 1938?
§ Mr. ElliotThe hon. Member will be aware that the distribution of the block grant has recently been revised to the benefit of the more necessitous areas. A suggestion that the public assistance rate should be equalised over the whole country was debated and rejected by this House on the 1st February last. As regards the last part of the question, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate the answer in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the answer:
§ Names of administrative counties and county boroughs in England and Wales in which the estimated requirements for public assistance, as shown in the rate 1898 demand notes issued by rating authorities, exceeded an amount equivalent to a rate of 5s. in the pound during one or more of the financial years 1936–37, 1937–38 and 1938–39.
| In each of the three years. | In two of the three years. | In one of the three years. |
| Administrative counties. | County boroughs. | Administrative counties. |
| Durham | Sheffield | Cumberland |
| Carmarthen | (1936–37, | (1938–39) |
| Glamorgan | 1937–38) | Norfolk |
| Monmouth | Wigan | (1936–37) |
| (I937–38, | Brecknock | |
| 1938–39) | (1938–39) | |
| Montgomery | ||
| (1938–39) | ||
| Pembroke | ||
| (1938–39) | ||
| County boroughs. | County boroughs. | |
| Barnsley | Salford | |
| Bootle | (1936–37) | |
| East Ham | Walsall | |
| Gateshead | (1936–57) | |
| Kingston-upon-Hull | ||
| Lincoln | ||
| Norwich | ||
| Rotherham | ||
| St. Helens | ||
| South Shields | ||
| Stoke-on-Trent | ||
| Sunderland | ||
| West Ham | ||
| Merthyr Tydfil |
§ In the remaining 118 administrative counties and county boroughs the corresponding requirements did not exceed the equivalent of a rate of 5s. in the pound in any of the years 1936–37, 1937–38 and 1938–39.
§ In the compilation of this list no account has been taken of the block grants under the Local Government Act, 1929, which are applicable in aid of local government services generally and cannot be apportioned to individual services.
§ 52. Mr. Bateyasked the Minister of Health the number of injured persons in England and Wales who are receiving public assistance in addition to either full or partial compensation?
§ Mr. ElliotI have recently asked public assistance authorities to supply certain information regarding outdoor relief and workmen's compensation, and when I receive this information I will communicate with the hon. Member.