§ Miss Maynardasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to mitigate the effects of the Manpower Services Commission cutbacks in support for schemes jointly funded by the Manpower Services Commission and the urban programme.
§ Mr. Flanneryasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, when revenue schemes funded through the urban programme reach the end of their approval periods and become time-expired, he will allow their inclusion in main revenue programmes, in appropriate cases, as spending additions outside the grant-related expenditure assessment and rate support grant penalty.
§ Mr. KingNo. Local authorities should plan to assimilate this expenditure into their main programmes and to take it into account when preparing their budgets.
§ Mr. Allen McKayasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to change the system so that urban programme expenditure is a separate category in grant-related expenditure allocated specifically to programme authorities, such as Sheffield, and not included within particular services as at present.
§ Mr. KingAuthorities' grant-related expenditure is assessed on the basis of principles applicable to all authorities. The spending needs of partnership and programme authorities are reflected in these assessments. The fact that the Government provide additional financial support through the urban programme is not itself an argument for creating a separate GRE category for these authorities alone.
§ Mr. Flanneryasked the Secretary of State for the Environment why urban programme expenditure is regarded as part of total expenditure which is compared with the grant-related expenditure and expenditure target for the purpose of determining liability to grant penalties.
§ Mr. KingA Government objective is to secure a reduction in the level of current expenditure by local government. Current expenditure on urban programme 95W projects should be subject to that overriding constraint. For 1981–82 we are proposing to discount increases in urban programme expenditure by partnership and programme authorities in order to calculate grant abatement. My right hon. Friend is considering the case for a similar exemption for 1982–83.
§ Mr. Allen McKayasked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what criteria urban programme money is allocated between programme and partnership authorities, the urban development corporations and other authorities.
§ Mr. KingI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Keighley (Mr. Cryer) on 12 May.—[Vol. 23, c.271.]