§ Mr. ViggersTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take any necessary steps to ensure that the payments made to the borough of Gosport are correctly calculated on the basis of the appropriate standard spending assessment with particular reference to taking account of an accurate assessment of the number of armed forces residents. [9806]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordWe are currently considering all the representations made by authorities on our proposals for the 1996–97 settlement, including those made by the borough council of Gosport on the resident population figures which it is proposed to use to calculate standard spending assessments. We are proposing to use figures of resident population at 30 June 1994, as estimated by the Registrar General. They will take account of representations made to us during the consultation period.