§ Mr. MacLARENasked the Minister of Health (1) if he can provide a Return for each of the counties of England and Wales showing the gross value or gross estimated rental of the hereditaments, agricultural, industrial, and transport, in respect of which local rates have either been remitted or reduced by the operation of the Local Government Act; what is the total rate relief that occupiers of these three classes of hereditaments obtain under that Act; and what is the amount of grants Parliament is new paying to compensate the county authorities for this loss;
(2) if he can state, for the whole of England and Wales, what is the total gross value or gross estimated rental, respectively, of agricultural hereditaments, industrial hereditaments, and transport hereditaments the local rates on which have been remitted or reduced by the operation of the Local Government Act; what is the total rate reduction on each of these three classes of hereditaments; and what is the amount of the grants the Treasury has to pay in compensation to the local authorities?
§ Mr. GREENWOODAccording to statements furnished to my Department there 1645W was, owing to the operation of Part V of the Local Government Act, 1929, an estimated total reduction in the rateable value in England and Wales of £37,309,000 (from £292,889,000 to £255,580,000). The estimated grant under Section 112 of the Act in respect of the consequent loss of rates for the second half of 1929–30 amounts to £11,750,000. The grant payable to each local authority as from the 1st April, 1930, is a consolidated grant, of which the part attributable to compensation for loss of rates is not distinguishable from the remainder. All the estimates in connection with reduction of rateable values and the loss of rates are necessarily provisional, and the details required for the final calculations are not yet available. In the circumstances totals for the counties have not been made up, and it is not intended to publish any detailed figures until the values, which in many cases are still in dispute, have been settled. If my hon. Friend desires information as regards any particular county I shall be glad to send him the best estimate which can be made on the provisional figures.