§ Mr. Spriggsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate which of the local authorities which wrote asking him to receive delegations of councillors and officers and hon. Members to discuss the effect of the rate support grant 1980 and related public services were eventually received by him; and whether the evidence, where given, was instrumental in an upward movement of any rate support grants to those local authorities which actually discussed their cases with him.
§ Mr. KingEach year we receive many requests to see local authority deputations on rate support grant (RSG) distribution. By convention Ministers in this Department usually see only authorities which
Local authority wages and salaries* Water authority wages and salaries*† £000 Percentage increase over previous year £000 Percentage increase over previous year 1970–71 … … … 2,707,972 — N.A.‡ — 1971–72 … … … 3,217,562 18.8 N.A.‡ — 1972–73 … … … 3,794,642 17.9 N.A.‡ — 1973–74 … … … 4,386,394 15.6 N.A.‡ — 1974–75 … … … 5,709,000§ 30.2§ 148,648 — 1975–76 … … … 7,329,419 28.4 197,785 33.1 1976–77 … … … 8,402,777 14.6 233,987 18.3 1977–78 … … … 8,992,895 7.0 259,782 11.0 1978–79 … … … 9,970,000 10.9 305,902 17.8 1979–80 … … … N.A. — 366,101 19.7 * Including employers' superannuation and National Insurance contributions but excluding eachers' pensions increases which are met from the Exchequer. † Covers direct employees of regional water authorities. ‡The regional water authorities were set up in 1974. § As a result of reorganisation an estimated 90,000 employees were transferred from local authorities to regional water authorities, the National Health Service and passenger transport executives.