§ Mr. Eyreasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what extra resources are being made available to local authorities having substantial immigrant populations; and upon what criteria they are calculated.
§ Mr. JohnI have been asked to reply.
230WAuthorities may claim Government grant at the rate of 75 per cent., under Section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966, on the costs of employing staff to deal with the difference in language or customs between Commonwealth immigrants and the indigenous community. Section 11 grant is available for all expenditure of this description in areas with substantial numbers of Commonwealth immigrants.
A wide range of expenditure in urban areas of special social need, including some capital and recurring expenditure on projects related to the special needs of immigrants, is grant-aided at the rate of 75 per cent. under the urban programme, that is, under the Local Government Grants (Social Need) Act 1969. The criteria for grant under the Programme are (a) the degree of social need for the area to be assisted, and (b) the relevance of proposed expenditure to the form of need to be assisted.