§ 68. Mr. Haynesasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set up an independent inquiry into the effectiveness of grant-related expenditure assessments.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThere is no case for an inquiry into the effectiveness of the grant-related expenditure assessments. GREs are reviewed annually and a development programme is drawn up in consultation with the local authority associations. As a result of the work this year, I hope to introduce a number of improvements to the way in which we allocate GREs, in the forthcoming RSG Settlement for 1985–86. I am satisfied that the GRE system represents a vast improvement on the pre-1981–82 system of need assessments.