§ 32. Mr. Grimondasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the grants which are to be available this year for sewerage works in the Highlands.
§ Mr. MaclayAll expenditure on sewerage work in the Highlands will attract Exchequer Equalisation Grant at the appropriate rate for the authority concerned. Grant under the Rural Water Supplies and Sewerage Acts is also payable where this is justified by the financial circumstances of the authority.
§ Mr. GrimondCan the Secretary of State be more specific, because this is causing great anxiety among Highland authorities and his statements are not enlightening and also, in some ways, not very useful? This is, in fact, holding up water schemes in the Highlands because authorities do not know what grant they will get, and in most cases grants are inadequate.
§ Mr. MaclayIt is difficult to give by way of Question and Answer the relationship between the Exchequer Equalisation Grant and Rural Water Supplies and Sewerage Act grants, but if the hon. Member is interested, I will write to him.
§ Mr. T. FraserSurely the Secretary of State is misleading when he says that grants under the Exchequer Equalisation Grant are made available for sewerage schemes or for any other specific schemes? They have nothing to do with services carried out by individual authorities. Grants for sewerage are paid under the Rural Water Supplies and Sewerage Act.
§ Mr. MaclayNo, Sir, because expenditure on sewerage work is one of the elements that attracts Exchequer Equalisation Grant.