91. Mr. TREVELYAN THOMSONasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the approxmate amount received in rural districts per head of their population from the national taxes in relief of local rates last year and the corresponding figure for urban districts, excluding in both cases any sums from the Unemployed Grants Committee or other payments in relief of temporary unemployment; and will he say what he estimates will be the sums so contributed this year after taking into account the additional £2,750,000 from the Treasury and the £1,250,000 to £1,500,000 from the Road Fund promised to rural districts by the Minister of Agriculture?
§ Lord E. PERCYMy right hon. Friend the Minister of Health has been asked to reply to this question. A large part of the grants from national taxes in relief of local rates in England and Wales is paid to county councils and other authorities which act for areas comprising both rural districts and urban districts and do not keep separate accounts for the two classes of districts. My right hon. Friend regrets, therefore, that he is unable to give the particulars desired by the hon. Member.
Mr. THOMSONWill the noble Lord undertake to get information on this point, in view of the fact that urban ratepayers are being badly treated by the Government, as they are getting no relief from taxation compared with rural ratepayers?
§ Lord E. PERCYI shall be glad to discuss the question with the hon. Member some time, but I think he will see it is absolutely impossible to set up a system of statistics which would give the precise information he desires.
§ Mr. MARDY JONESIs it not the fact that the arrangement with regard to the rates in agricultural districts is meant to assist agriculture in its present state of depression and, if that can be done for agriculture, why not for other industries?
§ Lord E. PERCYI am afraid that raises a large question of policy which I cannot discuss now.