§ Mr. MaginnisTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what consultation took place with elected Northern Ireland Members before(a) the setting up of the Rates Collection Agency and (b) the decision to reduce from 13 to five the number of rates collection offices.
§ Mr. MossThe decision to establish the Rates Collection Agency as an executive agency of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland with effect from 1 April 1991 was announced in answer to a question from the then Member for North Devon on 27 March 1991,Official Report, columns 426–27. The chief executive's recommendations last year for streamlining the work of the agency became public knowledge before any external consultations could be arranged.
Local Government Finance
§ Mr. MaginnisTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the proposed reduction in the amount of rate support grant payable in each of the 26 local government councils for the year 1995–96 in(a) overall cash terms, (b) p/£ rate and (c) as a percentage of each council's district rate 1994–95.
§ Mr. MossThere is no proposed reduction in the amount of general grant payable for the year 1995–96. Overall, there will be a 7.1 per cent. increase as set out below. However, since district councils are still in the process of finalising accounts, it is not possible to provide the information requested at (b) and (c).
District councils Cash provision 1994–95 £k Cash provision 1995–96 £k Antrim 189 394 Ards 1,773 2,007 Armagh 1,966 1,953 Ballymena 643 781 Bally money 834 877 Banbndge 872 1,180 Belfast 5,314 6,061 Carrickfergus 743 835 Castlereagh 1,015 882 Coleraine 392 412 Cookstown 904 964 Craigavon 1,899 2,140 Deity 3,065 3,206 Down 2,023 2,457 Dungannon 1,748 1,704 Fermanagh 1,782 1,774 Lame 703 806 Limavady 921 1,035 Lisburn 1,860 1,531 Magherafelt 1,116 1,452 Moyle 540 554 Newry and Mourne 3,375 3,503 Newtownabbey 1,335 1,447 North Down 1,038 558 Omagh 1,666 1,951 Strabane 1,700 1,741 Totals 39.4 million 42.2 million Notes
1 Staff figures are based on full time equivalents (part-time staff count as 0.5)
2 The Government office Merseyside and Government office London did not exist in 1993–94.
171WThe figures for 1994–95 cannot be finalised until accounts are certified towards the end of the 1995–96 financial year. The figures for 1995–96 are based on provisional estimates provided by district councils in September 1994.
§ Mr. MaginnisTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he intends to reduce the regional rate required by an amount comparable to the increase which will be required in the district rate in order to compensate for the proposed reduction in the 1995–96 rate support grant.
§ Sir John WheelerNo decision has yet been taken on the level of the 1995–96 regional rate. An order fixing the regional rate poundage will be laid before the House. However, the legislation governing the striking of the regional rate provides for the amounts to be raised by the district rate to be taken into account before the order is made.
§ Mr. MaginnisTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the discretionary power being given to councils in Northern Ireland to increase from 2p to 5p in the pound the amount to be spent on local economic development will be met by extra taxation or by way of transfer of moneys from the Department of Economic Development budget to individual councils.
§ Mr. MossThere is a discretionary power. It is a matter for district councils to decide how much they wish to raise within the 5p limit to provide economic development activities within their districts. There is no specific funding from central Government. Any additional expenditure by councils as a result of the increase from 2p to 5p will have to be met from within their overall resources.
§ Mr. MaginnisTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed reductions in the 1995–96 rate support grant on the work of local government councils in fulfilling their obligations to community relations and other cross-community projects; and what areas of councils' responsibilities are likely to be affected.
§ Mr. MossNo such assessment has been made because the general grant for 1995–96 has not been reduced. The allocation of £42.2 million represents an increase of £2.8 million—7.1 per cent.—on the 1994–95 provision.