§ Mr. Durantasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total expenditure by local authorities in England and Wales on sport in each year since 1970.
§ Mr. Denis HowellComplete records on which an accurate estimate of all local authority expenditure on sport might be based are not available. As regards capital expenditure, however, returns by local authorities in England and Wales in 1970–71, 1971–72, and 1972–73 indicated that totals spent on sport amounted to about £28 million, £37 million and £56 million. Returns for 1973–74 were incomplete but it is estimated that local authority capital expenditure in that year may have been of the order of £60 million. No reliable estimate can be given for 1974–75. Measures are proposed to enable more reliable information to be collected in future.