HL Deb 23 July 1974 vol 353 cc1551-2

2.46 p.m.

LORD WOLVERTON

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will seriously consider a return to the percentage grant system in place of the present rate support grant system having regard to the present unevenness in the incidence of rates.

LORD GARNSWORTHY

My Lords, this is no doubt one of the issues which the Committee of Inquiry into local government finance will be studying.

LORD WOLVERTON

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that reply, may I say that I am glad that this will be one of the matters which the Committee will be urgently considering. I appreciate what Her Majesty's Government were able to do yesterday in the short term, but it is a most pressing question for the long term as to how this very vexatious problem will be solved. I hope that the Committee will report at an early date and that it will give the matter its serious consideration. Undoubtedly education is taking the lion's share of local authority spending. If we reverted to the system which I suggested, more money could be given to that service.

LORD GARNSWORTHY

My Lords, anyone who has had anything to do with local government finance must realise that the issues involved here are enormously complex, not to say incomprehensible to most people. There are no magic solutions. I sympathise with the impatience of ratepayers, but I do not think they would be satisfied if the Committee came up with ill-considered recommendations due to lack of time. It is much more important that the Committee should arrive at the right answers rather than attempt to achieve those answers too quickly.

LORD WADE

My Lords, is the noble Lord able to give us any indication as to when the Inquiry will be completed?

LORD GARNSWORTHY

My Lords. I understand they will be asked to report at latest by the end of 1975.

LORD LEATHERLAND

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that there is really no need for such a long delay in settling this matter? Is he further aware that various organisations, political and professional, have put forward various schemes, and that it merely remains for the Government to make up their mind which of those schemes they suggest? If I may be helpful to my noble friend, may I ask him to look at the paper I placed before the Rating and Valuation Conference ten years ago, where he will find a complete and ideal solution to this problem.

LORD GARNSWORTHY

My Lords, I shall be glad to look at my noble friend's paper.