§ Mr. E. BROWNasked the Minister of Health if he will give a revised estimate of the total cost of the proposals of the Local Government Bill; the estimated cost for the first period, the intermediate periods, and the period after 1949–50; of the de-rating of agricultural land and buildings; the de-rating of industrial hereditaments; the de-rating of freight transport hereditaments; the guarantees 704W against loss now included in the Bill; the proposed addition to road grants; and the other financial concessions made since the original estimates were made?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe alterations made in the Local Government Bill during the Committee stage do not affect the losses on account of rates, and the estimated total loss on account of rates remains at the figure of £24,000,000 given in the Financial Memorandum on the Bill. This total is made up approximately as follows:—
Losses in respect of agricultural land and buildings £4,000,000 Losses in respect of industrial hereditaments £14,000,000 Losses in respect of freight transport hereditaments £6,000,000 The losses on account of grants are affected by the Amendment providing that the discontinued road grants payable to London and county boroughs in respect of the standard year shall be calculated as if they had been made at the higher rates which will be in force in the year 1929–30. The estimate of £16,000,000 given in the Financial Memorandum has been increased by roughly £500,000, of which about £360,000 is in respect of an estimated increase of discontinued road grants in London and the county boroughs, the remainder being accounted for by the revision of figures in the light of later information. For the first fixed grant period the general Exchequer contribution is, therefore, estimated at £45,500,000 in place of £45,000,000 as previously estimated. For subsequent fixed grant periods the amount of general Exchequer contribution will be determined by Parliament subject to the guarantee of the maintenance of the ratio provided in Clause 77 (3) (c) of the Bill. The additional cost after the first two grant periods of the guarantee of a minimum gain to counties and county boroughs provided by Clauses 80 and 86 of the Bill is estimated at £300,000 a year. The additional cost to the Exchequer of the continuance for 5 years of the supplementary Exchequer grants as first fixed and the extension of the period of these grants from 15 705W years to 19 years is estimated on the basis of the figures for 1926–7 at:—
or an average of about £354,000 per annum.
£ 2nd year 112,000 3rd year 224,000 4th year 336,000 5th year to 16th year 448,000 per annum. 17th year 336,000 18th year 224,000 19th year 112,000 The reduction of the maximum amount of annual repayment by any county or county borough council in respect of loans transferred from boards of guardians from the equivalent of a rate of 1s. to the equivalent of a rate of
Ship. Dockyard. Principal Contractor for main machinery. "Suffolk" Portsmouth … Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company, Ltd. "Cornwall" Devonport … Beardmore and Company, Ltd. "Kent" Chatham … Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Ltd. "London" Portsmouth … Fairfield Shipbuilding Company, Ltd. "Devonshire" Devonport … Vickers, Ltd. "Dorsetshire" Portsmouth … Cammell, Laird and Company, Ltd. "Exeter" Devonport … Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company, Ltd. "Adventure" Devonport … Devonport Dockyard and Vickers, Ltd. "Oberon" Chatham … Chatham Dockyard. "Odin" Chatham … Chatham Dockyard. "Parthian" Chatham … Chatham Dockyard. 1 Cruiser of 1928 Programme Portsmouth … Contract. 1 Cruiser of 1928 Programme Devonport … Contract. 1 Submarine of 1928 Programme Chatham … Chatham Duckyard. 2 Sloops of 1928 Programme Devonport … Devonport Dockyard. Submarine Depot Ship of 1928 Programme. Chatham … Contract. The estimated cost of the main and auxiliary machinery so far as it is available for publication is set out in the Programme of Shipbuilding appended to the Navy Estimates, 1928. Some of the contracts are not yet placed. Sub-contracts for parts of the machinery and for auxiliary machinery are made by the contractors and dockyards with numbers of firms in various parts of the country.
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, in respect of each ship laid down or completed in His Majesty's dockyard, Devonport, during
706W9d. in the £ involves the writing off at the cost of the Exchequer of outstanding loans amounting to about £315,000.