§ Mr. CARR-GOMMasked the President of the Inter-Departmental Committee with special grant in aid of certain necessitous areas will be continued this year, and, if so, whether it is proposed to make any material changes in the regulations under which it is distributed?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANPending the Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee with regard to the relation of Imperial to local taxation the Government do not consider it desirable to extend the scope of the Special Grant for Necessitous Areas, which has always been properly regarded as a purely temporary measure of relief. The grant for the year 1911–12 will, therefore be strictly limited to a sum of £350,000, for which provision is made in the Estimates. It will be confined to those areas which have participation in the grant during the year 1910–11 or previous years; but I am not in a position to state whether the basis of distribution among these areas will be the same as in the year 1910–11.