§ Mr. Charles Morrisonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the expenditure on sport by central Government and local authorities, respectively, in 1969–70 and 1970–71; and what is the estimate for 1971–72.
§ Mr. Eldon GriffithsThe available information is as follows:
Expenditure Vote 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 £ £ £ Central Government: England and Wales 1,730,141 2,525,925 2,680,000 Scotland 806, 667 (including 426,000 Commonwealth Games) 486,659 456,000 Local Authorities: England and Wales 7,460,000 9,570,000 — Scotland 1,510,000 4,380,000 — Comparable figures for estimated expenditure by local authorities in 1971–72 cannot be given. Under circular 2/70 dealing with capital programmes local authorities are free to decide how they allocate their capital investment. It is not possible to say how much of this investment will go to sport and recreation, but the evidence gathered by regional sports councils suggests that there has been a substantial increase.