HC Deb 10 April 1974 vol 872 cc162-3W
Mr. George Rodgers

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people were injured or killed during the last five years by straying on to unfenced railways tracks (a) throughout the country, and (b) in the Chorley constituency; and what proportion of such people were under the age of 16 years at the time of the accident.

Mr. Mulley

The Department has no record of any person being killed or injured as a result of straying on to unfenced railway tracks during the past five years. The following table gives the number of persons over and under the age of 16 years killed or injured whilst trespassing on fenced railway lines during the past five years:

Sevenoaks district—which comprises the former Sevenoaks urban and Sevenoaks rural districts and part of the former Dartford rural district—is £243,000.

Mr. Sillars

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, of the total resources allocated by central Government for rate support grant, what has been the Welsh share in each of the past 10 years.

Mr. John Silkin

The following table sets out the totals of rate support grant paid (a) to all local authorities in England and Wales, and (b) to local authorities in Wales alone, for each of the last seven years. Rate support grant was not payable in respect of years before 1967–68

(a) Total Rate Support Grand—England and Wales£ million (b) Total Rate Support Grand—Wales £ million Proportion of total grant, England and Wales, paid to Welsh Authorities Per cent.
1967–68 … 1,283 97 7.58
1968–69 … 1,395 103 7.41
1969–70 … 1,619 117 7.20
1970–71 … 1,880 134 7.13
1971–72 … 2,173 155 7.14
1972–73 … 2,528 180 7.10
1973–74* … 3,098 224 7.24
*Figures are provisional.

Comparable figures are not yet available for 1974–75, as the resources element of the rate support grant depends on the rates to be levied by the local authorities. However, a preliminary estimate based on the return so far received by the Department suggests that the share of the grant to be paid to Welsh authorities will be of the order of 7½ per cent. Totals for this year are subject to a possible increase order.