§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether he is reconsidering the level of rate support grant to be paid to Cardiff city council for the 1987–88 financial year;
(2) whether he will restore to Cardiff city council the £2.3 million which was due to that council until the moment of his rate support grant statement on 7 July;
(3) in what circumstances the undertaking, made to the House in his statement of 8 December on the rate support grant in Wales, to consider amended figures that local authorities might submit in respect of the 1987–88 financial year and to amend their actual grant as a consequence will apply; and in what circumstances it will not apply.
§ Mr. GristMy right hon. Friend's decisions on the grant entitlement of all Welsh local authorities for 1987–88, based on the information known to him and using amount of total expenditure determined in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of and schedule 1 to the Rate Support Grants Act 1988, are set out in the Welsh Rate Support Grant Supplementary (No. 2) Report 1987–88, laid before the House on 8 December. It remains open to all authorities to make further representations as to the total expenditure figures used in calculating their grant entitlement. If my right hon. Friend is able to agree that, under the provisions of the Act, a different amount of total expenditure should be used for an authority, that authority's grant entitlement will be recalculated accordingly.
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§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy on local authorities planning their spending ahead in accordance with the details and information provided by him in formal statements to the House and in official communications from his officials to those authorities.
§ Mr. GristWithin the statutory framework, local authorities have discretion to determine their own spending plans.