§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he proposes to use unemployment figures as an additional factor on which finance is allocated to local authorities through the rate support grant; and if so, how he proposes to reconcile travel-to-work areas with local authority boundaries;
(2) if he will make a statement concerning any new factors on which he is planning to base the rate support grant.
§ Mr. ShoreDiscussions are still proceeding with the local authority associations on the arrangements for the distribution of the rate support grant for 1977–78. The use of unemployment as a factor has been under consideration, but final decisions have yet to be taken.