§ Queen's Recommendation having been signified—
§
Motion made, and Question proposed,
That, for the purposes of any Act of the present Session to make further provision, in relation to England and Wales, with respect to the payment of grants to local authorities, rating and valuation, and the classification of highways, to extend the powers of the Countryside Commission to give financial assistance, and to provide for the establishment of Commissions for the investigation of administrative action taken by or on behalf of local and other authorities, it is expedient to authorise—
§
(1) the payment out of money provided by Parliament of—
(a) grants to local authorities, for the year 1974–75 and each subsequent year, of an amount equal to so much of the aggregate amount available for grants as remains after the deduction of
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and for the purposes of this paragraph "the amount available for grants", in relation to any year, means the aggregate amount which the Secretary of State estimates is to be available for the payment out of money provided by Parliament of grants, other than housing subsidies and the grants mentioned in paragraphs (d) and (e) below, to local authorities for that year;(b) grants to county councils and the Greater London Council, for the year 1975–76 and each subsequent year, in respect of the estimated expenditure in connection with transport matters of those councils and of district councils, London borough councils and the Common Council of the City of London;
(c) grants to county councils, for the year 1974–75 and each subsequent year, in respect of their estimated expenditure in connection with National Parks;
(d) grants, for the year 1974–75 and each subsequent year, to any rating authority granting rate rebates in that year of an amount equal to 90 per cent. of the aggregate amount of the rebates granted by the authority under the statutory rate rebate scheme or, if a local rate rebate scheme is in force, of the rebates which the authority would have granted, had the statutory rate rebate scheme been in force; and
(e) grants to each local education authority, for the year 1974–75 and each subsequent year, of an amount equal to 90 per cent. of the aggregate amount paid in that year by the authority in pursuance of awards bestowed under section 1(1) of the Education Act 1962 and by way of grants under section 2(3) of that Act;
§ (2) the payment out of money provided by Parliament of any other expenses incurred under the said Act of the present Session by any Minister; and
§ (3) any increase attributable to the provisions of the said Act in the sums payable out of such money under any other Act.—[Mr. Graham Page.]
§ Mr. Arthur Blenkinsop (South Shields)The Money Resolution seems to me to be drafted extremely tightly and in such a way as possibly to prevent reasonable discussion of a number of points in Committee. May we be told whether it will be in order, under the drafting of the resolution, to move amendments, for example, to increase the grant paid for students from 90 per cent. 161 to 100 per cent., which is a perfectly reasonable matter to raise in Committee? The terms of the resolution appear to rule out the possibility of moving such amendments.
§ The Minister for Local Government and Development (Mr. Graham Page)The Money Resolution follows the Bill and is restricted to the 90 per cent. written into the Bill in the cases mentioned by the hon. Member for South Shields (Mr. Blenkinson). The resolution, in the normal way, is drawn to cover what is stated 162 in the Bill. It allows for a flexible figure and amendments in the case of the grant about which the hon. Member was concerned and with which I failed to deal in closing the debate on the Bill. We have in mind a grant of 75 per cent. towards the expenditure on the Countryside Commission. That is not mentioned in the Bill and, therefore amendments on it can be put down. As to the 90 per cent., the resolution is drawn to accord with those figures.
§ Question put and agreed to.