§ 10. Mr. John EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will pay an official visit to St. Helens metropolitan borough council to discuss the all ages social index.
§ Mr. Robin SquireMy right hon. and learned Friend has no immediate plans to visit St. Helens. However, we are aware of, and have carefully considered, all the concerns of St. Helens about the revenue support grant settlement for 1993–94. As the hon. Gentleman knows, I met a delegation from St. Helens on 7 January when these were discussed.
§ Mr. EvansIs the Minister aware that most people would condemn the refusal of the Secretary of State to come to St. Helens, probably because he would have difficulty explaining to St. Helens councillors why authorities such as Kensington, Chelsea, Richmond upon Thames and Westminster are more impoverished than St. Helens? Is not it time that the Government accepted that as long as unemployment, particularly long-term employment, is excluded from the register, most fair-minded people will continue to regard the social index as corrupt?
§ Mr. SquireI am sorry to hear those comments from the hon. Gentleman. I am particularly sorry that he chose not to mention the London Labour authorities occupying higher positions in the league than those Conservative councils that he mentioned. The truth is that the SSA is applied nationally, as he knows. He is entitled to suggest that a particular element, or more than one element, should be treated differently and we shall be looking at that. In particular, we have made it clear that because of the significant changes that will occur in 1994–95 following the 1991 census figures, we will have a close look at the structure of SSA including unemployment. However, the hon. Gentleman must specify the elements that he would seek to delete in addition to that; otherwise he will simply be reducing grants for mainly Labour areas.