§ 59. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will now consider increasing the Government grant for the improvement of derelict areas.
§ Mr. Graham PageIf the hon. Member is referring to grants for the clearance of derelict land the answer is "No". These grants are already at the very high rates of 85 per cent. in development areas and 75 per cent. in other priority areas. Rate support grant may reduce the local authority share of reclamation costs to as little as 5 per cent. in the development areas or 15 per cent. in the intermediate and derelict land clearance areas. Local authorities are making excellent use of these generous grants.