§ 29. Mr. BRIDGEMANasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give figures to show the amount of saving in the local rates which has been effected by the Road Improvement Fund and the Old Age Pensions Act; and how much in the pound that saving represents for the agricultural ratepayer annually?
§ The CHANCELLOR Of the EXCHEQUER (Mr. Lloyd George)The total Grants in England and Wales towards works within Administrative Counties actually made by the Road Board or awaiting further details for completion amount to £852,000, which may be taken to represent the saving to local rates effected by the Road Improvement Fund during the last two years. With regard to the effect of the Old Age Pensions Acts I understand that the annual saving to the poor rate in England and Wales amounts to something over £1,000,000. Taking the country as a whole the saving to local rates effected by the Road Improvement Fund and the Old Age Pensions Acts amounts to about 2½d. in the £. I would however, remind the hon. Member that the great bulk of the moneys granted by the Road Board has been given towards road improvements in rural areas, and that the saving to the poor rate by the removal of the pauper disqualification has been much larger in rural unions than in urban areas. The amount actually saved to the agricultural ratepayer varies, of course from district to district, but the saving to this class of ratepayer through the Old Age Pensions Acts alone has been found to amount to as much as 6d. in the £.