§ 5. John Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce his decision on financial allocations under the urban programme; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Mr. Alexander W. Lyon)My right hon. Friend hopes to make known by the end of the year which projects have been approved for grant aid under current phases of the urban programme.
§ Dr. CunninghamI thank my hon. Friend for that reply. Is he aware that West Cumbria was given a miserable allocation under the last phase of the urban programme by a previous administration? Is he aware, further, that as a special development area with associated educational priority areas and a community development project, it has special problems of urban deprivation? Will he look 1503 closely this time at projects submitted to him for aid? Does he agree that in making his decisions and allocations, a clearer indication should be given to people of the reasons underlying those decisions?
§ Mr. LyonI am aware of my hon. Friend's criticism of the allocation. He has made it known to us. Like the importunate widow, his criticism is falling on sympathetic ears. None the less, in the present allocation we have received 1,300 proposals costing £21 million under Phase 11, and we have only £4 million to pay out. Under Phase 12, we have 240 applications costing £55 million, and under that phase we have only £3 million to pay out. Someone will have to go begging.
§ Mr. LaneIn view of the proved value of small-scale urban aid projects, how far does the hon. Gentleman believe that he will be successful, as we were on the whole, in protecting the programme from the general stringency in public expenditure?
§ Mr. LyonThat difficulty does not arise with us on this allocation. We know how much we have to dispense. There is no question of a cut in this year's allocation and, so far as I am aware, in any future allocation.