§ Mr. ROBERT PEARCEasked the President of the Local Government Board (1) what was the total expenditure otherwise than out of loans in England and Wales in the last financial year for which figures are available for Poor Law administration of all kinds, excluding old age pensions and for police and police stations, lunatic asylums, hospitals, maintenance of main roads, unemployment of workmen, and registration of voters, distinguishing the amounts paid out of national funds from the amounts defrayed out of rates; and (2) if he will give the total amount of expenditure otherwise than out of loans by local authorities in England and Wales for the last financial year for which figures are available for purposes other than those in the preceding question, including loan charges but excluding expenditure out of loans, and distinguishing outlay producing revenue such as tramways, water, electricity, and gas supplies from non-productive expenditure?
§ Mr. BURNSThe following Statement gives the information asked for. As regards the second question, I may also refer to the details for the year 1908–9, 345W which will be found on pages 10, 78, and 79 of the Summary of the Local Taxation Returns (England and Wales), 1908–9 (Parliamentary Paper, No. 251, of 1911), and to those for the years 1909–10 and 1910–11, which will be found on page 13 of the Statement, showing, for the year ended in March, 1911, the amount of the receipts, expenditure, and outstanding loans of the principal classes of local authorities (Command Paper, No. 5997):—
Year to which the particulars in cols. 2 and 6 relate. Items. Total Expenditure by Local Authorities me otherwise than out of Loans. Part of Expenditure in col. 3 which is estimated to have fallen on Rates. Ex Grants. Other Items of Receipt. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. £ £ £ £ 1909–10 1. Relief of the poor and matters wholly connected therewith, including maintenance, by Poor Law guardians, of lunatics in county and borough asylums, registered hospitals and licensed houses. 14,850,000 11,624,000 2,410,000 816,000 1908–9 2. Lunatic asylums and lunatics (so far as not covered by item 1). 1,507,000 926,000 245,000 336,000 1908–9 3. Police and police stations 6,592,000 2,984,000 2,922,000 686,000 1908–9 4. Hospitals (other than Poor Law infirmaries, and homes for inebriates). 1,917,000 1,885,000 — 32,000 1908–9 5. Main roads, as defined in the Highway Acts, maintained by county councils. 2,756,000 1,713,000 837,000 206,000 1909–10 6. Purposes of Unemployed Workmen Act, 1905. 240,000 59,000 148,000 33,000 1908–9 7. Registration of electors (other than the cost of revising barristers). (The payments made by the Treasury to revising barristers amounted to £25,463. One-half of this sum was charged on the Local Taxation Account.) 269,000 269,000 — Negligible 1908–9 8. Other purposes (except tramways, water, electricity, gas, and other reproductive undertakings). 63,955,000 42,732,000 14,709,000 40,112,000 1608–9 9. Reproductive undertakings, i.e., allotments and small holdings; baths, washhouses, and open bathing places; cemeteries; electricity supply, gas supply; harbours, docks, piers, canals, and quays; housing of the working classes; markets; slaughter-houses; tramways and light railways; and water supply. 33,598,000 The amounts entered in col. 6 were in part met out of moneys carried to the Local Taxation Account, in part out of the proceeds of Local Taxation Licence Duties, to which section 6 of the Finance Act, 1908, applies, and in part out of money voted annually.
The entries made in cols. 4, 5, and 6, must be regarded as estimates only, for the Grant under the Agricultural Rates Act, 1896, the "free balance" of the Exchequer Contribution Accounts of counties and county boroughs, and many other items of receipt (including rates), allocated in these columns to specific items of expenditure, are not so allocated in the accounts of local authorities.
No part of the administrative expenses of Government Departments is included.