§ Mr. Rossiasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what publicity was given to the introduction of the new rateable value limits for improvement grants before 2nd December.
§ Mr. FreesonIn DOE Circular 99/73 issued by the former administration on 3rd August 1973 local authorities were advised, when considering applications for improvement grants, to have regard to the gross rateable value limits which that Government intended to introduce and which were proposed in their White Paper "Better Homes—The Next Priorities". Those proposed limits were more restrictive than the limits introduced by the Government on 2nd December 1974, advance notice of which was given in DOE Circular 160/74 issued to local authorities on 26th November 1974.
§ Mr. Rossiasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what provision has been made for those people who applied for improvement grants for houses above the new rateable value limits before 2nd December but whose applications had not been received by the Department by 2nd December.
§ Mr. FreesonApplications for house renovation grants are made to local authorities, not to the Department. Any doubt about whether or not an application had been made by 2nd December would ultimately be a matter for the courts to resolve.