§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the level of grant paid by MAFF towards (a) capital arterial land drainage and flood alleviation works and (b) where appropriate, capital sea defence works in each of the years since 1978, stating the level of such grants for each local land drainage district, the mean level for water authorities in England and Wales, grants paid to each internal drainage board in England, and the mean level paid to internal drainage boards in England and Wales; and
How the level of grant-aid paid to drainage authorities for capital arterial land drainage and flood alleviation works is derived.
§ Lord BelsteadThe rates of grant payable by MAFF under Section 90 of the Land Drainage Act 1976 towards the cost of capital arterial land drainage and flood alleviation works undertaken by the various local land drainage districts of water authorities in England in each of the years since 1978 are set out below. Capital sea defence works attract a 15 percentage point supplement to these rates.
The rate for each local land drainage district is calculated from a formula that takes account. on the one hand, of the amount of grant aidable capital work the district undertakes during the year. and the administrative and maintenance expenditure incurred by the district, and, on the other hand, the district's resources, as represented by the penny rate product of the county councils on which the district precepts.
The formula contains a constant factor, common to the calculations for all districts. that for each year's series of calculations can be fixed at such a level that the average of the rates for each district does not exceed a specified level. Until the current year this was 55 per cent., exclusive of sea defence supplement, and for 1984–85 is 50 per cent.
The rates for individual local land drainage districts are subject to a lower limit of 10 per cent. and an upper limit of, until the current year, 80 per cent., and for 1984–85, 75 per cent. Where sea defence supplement is payable the upper limits were, respectively, 85 per cent, and 80 per cent.
Internal drainage boards in England and Wales attract a fixed rate of grant under Section 91 of the Land Drainage Act 1976 for arterial land drainage and flood alleviation works of, up to and including 1983–84, 50 per cent., and for 1984–85 45 per cent. Sea defence capital works attract a supplement of 25 percentage points.
617WA618WA
ARTERIAL GRANT RATES APPLICABLE TO WATER AUTHORITIES (ENGLAND) Authority 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 % % % % % % % ANGLIAN Essex 64 65 67 65 63 64 62 Great Ouse 71 69 69 69 70 67 60 Lincolnshire 80 80 80 80 80 80 75 Norfolk and Suffolk 75 76 72 72 75 73 63 Welland and Nene 69 74 73 74 75 73 66 NORTHUMBRIAN 15 13 11 12 11 13 10 NORTH WEST 37 35 35 37 36 36 31 SEVERN TRENT Severn 39 39 39 35 36 35 30 Trent 42 39 39 37 37 34 26 SOUTHERN Hampshire 21 20 19 22 19 21 18 Isle of Wight 59 50 47 37 34 38 28 Kent 76 78 78 74 65 69 62 Sussex 80 71 70 70 67 67 57 SOUTH WEST East 60 57 56 61 66 64 52 West 31 29 29 30 29 28 24 THAMES Lee 47 43 41 42 43 41 30 Thames 47 41 40 42 42 39 29 WELSH Dee and Clwyd 71 73 73 72 65 62 66 Wye 75 69 71 71 71 72 66 WESSEX Avon and Dorset 35 31 30 34 30 32 25 Bristol Avon 52 47 45 47 47 39 29 Somerset 80 80 80 80 80 80 75 YORKSHIRE 38 33 32 33 33 34 31