§ Mr. Buchanan-Smithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total expenditure from central Government funds on capital and current grants 93W to local authorities and to voluntary bodies, respectively, to finance the construction and operation of community centres in 1960–61, 1963–64, 1967–68 and 1968–69; and what is the relationship between estimated and actual expenditure in each year.
§ Mr. RossMost community centres are provided by education authorities and town councils, and expenditure on them is reckonable for rate-support grant. I have no power to make specific grants to these authorities towards expenditure on social and recreational facilities, but under the Physical Training and Recreation Act, 1937, I make capital grants to district councils and voluntary organisations towards such expenditure. The following is the total amount of capital grants paid in the years in question towards the cost of providing new or improving existing community centres:
1960–61 1963–64 £ £ District Councils … 2,162 1,527 Voluntary Organisations … 239 80 1967–68 1968–69 £ £ District Councils … 3,086 NIL Voluntary Organisations … 9,901 15,610 The estimates provision for capital grants for community centres forms part of the provision for capital grants in the field of social and recreational education and is not separately identifiable. No current grants are paid from Central Government funds towards the operating costs of community centres.