§ Mr. Staintonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will adjust the rate support grant to Suffolk district council or make a cash grant to cover its responsibilities for financing the port health authority of Felixstowe dock, where cargo and passenger movements are on a national rather than local scale, in view of the fact that health inspectors' expenses of £111,000 per annum are not for the benefit exclusively of local ratepayers.
§ Mr. KingIn announcing his proposals for the rate support grant settlement for 1982–83 my right hon. Friend has made provision for expenditure of £3 million on port health services. This will be allocated to district councils in England as part of the grant related expenditure for environmental and port health services. If there are proposals for improvements in the treatment of this expenditure, I should be willing to discuss them in the usual way with the local authority associations.
207WThe reintroduction of a specific grant for port health services would be a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services.