§ [Queen's Recommendation Signified]
§ Considered in Committee under Standing Order No. 84 (Money Committees).
§ [Sir ROBERT GRIMSTON in the Chair]
§ 9.50 p.m.
§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (Mr. F. V. Corfield)I beg to move,
That, for the purposes of any Act of the present Session to extend the powers of local authorities to defray expenses incurred by their members or by other members of their committees or sub-committees, and to contribute to other local authorities and to bodies having activities connected with local government; to authorise certain expenditure by local authorities for the benefit of their areas or inhabitants but not otherwise authorised; and to make further provision with respect to the financial affairs of local authorities, it is expedient to authorise the payment out of moneys provided by Parliament of any increase attributable to the provisions of the Act in the sums payable out of moneys so provided under any other enactment.The Bill makes no provision for direct Exchequer expenditure or for specific grants to local authorities, but it provides new powers for local authorities. Clauses 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 could give rise to some very small additional expenditure, and this would rank for rate-deficiency grant for those local authorities entitled to receive it. In addition, the increase in the total amount of rate-deficiency grant payable to local authorities in England and Wales could possibly have a very small effect on the total calculation of the Exchequer Equalisation Grant in Scotland. I understand that if there were any move at all it would be upwards in both parts of the country. This is because the provision for calculating the Scottish grant ensures that Scottish 341 authorities shall be treated no less favourably than those in England and Wales.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Resolution to be reported.
§ Report to be received Tomorrow.