§ Mr. Atkinsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the London boroughs together with the amounts it is estimated they will overspend in the year 1976–77; and if he will issue a general guidance that no staff redundancies should occur as a result of the economies recommended.
§ Mr. John SilkinThe returns which I have asked for by 16th July will be published in due course. They will show both outturn expenditure in 1975–76 and planned expenditure in 1976–77. But, as I said in my answer to the hon. Member for Northampton, South (Mr. Morris) on 18th June—[Vol. 913, c. 288]—any future action must depend on what these returns show. Joint Circular DOE 45/76 repeats the advice of an earlier joint circular—DOE 129/75—that authorities should use all means to avoid redundancies wherever possible.
§ Mr. Atkinsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the statutory obligations imposed upon the London boroughs which should be excluded from the review of their expenditure programmes as suggested in his recent circular.
§ Mr. John SilkinNo. Statutory obligations are one of the many constraints within which local authorities will be reviewing their expenditure programmes for 1976–77.