§ Mr. Templeasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he will now make a further statement about the Government's intention to limit the Exchequer's liability for rate deficiency grant.
§ Sir K. JosephThe increase in rate deficiency grants due to the revaluation has, as my hon. Friend knows, turned out to be considerably smaller than had been estimated and I can now tell him that the Government have no proposals for legislation to deal with this.
It remains the Government's view that the amount distributed by way of these grants should not be subject to sudden variations, upwards or down wards, on account of changes in rate 141W resources such as occur on a general revaluation. I intend to discuss with representatives of local authorities ways of limiting future variations in the total of the grants due to such changes.