§ Mr. SpellarTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current level of debt for each local authority in the west midlands county.
§ Mr. CurryAt 31 March 1993, the total outstanding debt for each local authority in the area of the former west midlands county council was as follows:
£ million Birmingham 1,233 Coventry 385 Dudley 277 Sandwell 284 Solihull 71 Walsall 301 Wolverhampton 309
§ Mr. StrawTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the topics to be included in the 1994 review of standard spending assessment; and what resources his Department will be devoting to the 1994 review of standard spending assessments, in terms of(a) the number of full-time equivalent posts and the estimated staff costs and (b) the cost of externally commissioned research.
§ Mr. CurryA wide-ranging review of standard spending assessments was carried out in 1993. The Government do not propose to carry out a similar review this year. Their policy on further changes in SSAs was set out in its response to the first report from the Select Committee on the Environment, Cm 2494, and in paragraphs 32 and 33 in particular. Possible topics relating to SSAs which may be discussed with the local authority associations this year were set out in a paper for the SSA sub-group. A copy has been placed in the Library.
The division primarily concerned with SSAs has a complement of 12.8 full-time equivalent posts, the cost of which is some £420,000 per year. The Department expects to commission external research relating to SSAs, the cost of which will be met from the budget for local government research as a whole of £534,000 in 1994–95. Actual expenditure in 1994–95 will depend on the prices offered by contractors and the timing of the work but is not expected to exceed £50,000.