§ 9. Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what decisions he has made on the combined standard spending assessments for the new unitary authority on the Isle of Wight.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. Robert B. Jones)We shall announce our proposals for standard spending assessments for 1995–96 shortly after the Budget.
§ Mr. FieldMay I congratulate my hon. Friend on his promotion and thank him on behalf of the Select Committee on the Environment for all his hard work and enthusiasm when he was its Chairman? I understand that he will be replying to my Adjournment debate on SSAs on Monday evening, but, in the meantime, will he confirm to my constituents that he is well aware of my concerns about the level of the SSA for the Isle of Wight's new unitary authority and especially of the problems caused by severance by sea?
§ Mr. JonesOne of my vivid memories of the Select Committee on the Environment is the fact that my hon. 270 Friend took every opportunity to advance the cause of his constituents, in connection not only with standard spending assessments but with everything else. In expressing my gratitude for his kind remarks, I confirm that we shall discuss those issues next Monday. I look forward to it.