§ Mr. Maxwell-HyslopTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will use his powers under section 21(7) of the Local Government Finance Act 1982 to prescribe that fees charged to local authority by the Audit Commission shall not be increased by a percentage greater than the increase of the cost of living index over the same period.
§ Mr. ChopeMy right hon. Friend is considering the increased scale of audit fees which the Audit Commission proposes to introduce from 1 November and whether it would be necessary or desirable in the public interest for him to prescribe a scale of fees in place of the scale prescribed by the commission.