§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will give additional weighting to the parameter of sparsity of population in the rate support grant settlement for 1980–81, in view of 286W the increasing travelling costs which are adversely affecting all the public services in rural countries;
(2) if he will ensure that in the 1980–81 rate support grant settlement, substantial weighting is given to the proportion of the population whose children are entitled to free school meals in a local authority area, as a factor indicative of the needs of the area.
§ Mr. KingI refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend gave to my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Hexham (Mr. Rippon), on 24 October 1979—[Vol. 972, c.197.]