§ Mr. Temple-Morrisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the level of domestic relief granted for 1979–80 to Wales and to England ; what was the total cost of each ; what would be saved were Wales to be granted the same domestic rate relief as England ; and what proportion that saving would be of the needs and resources element granted to Wales for 1979–80.
§ Mr. King: Domestic rate relief for England in 1979–80 was set at 18.5p in the pound and amounted in total to £641 million. The equivalent figures for Wales were 36p and £46 million. If domestic rate relief in Wales were at the same level as in England there would have been a saving of £22 million, which was 4.11 per cent. of Wales' needs and resources element grant.
§ Mr. Temple-Morrisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment why the domestic rate relief granted to Wales is different from that granted to England.
§ Mr. King: The differential in domestic rate relief between England and Wales was introduced in 1974–75 to protect Welsh domestic ratepayers against exceptional increases in rates arising from changes in grants, and from large increases in charges for water and sewerage services following a reorganisation of the water industry.