HC Deb 23 January 1978 vol 942 cc468-9W
Mr. Gwynfor Evans

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give an assurance that the full cost of providing educational facilities for the children of Ministry of Defence staff transferred to Cardiff will be met from central Government funds.

Mr. Barry Jones

Local authorities are responsible for providing education and related services, their expenditure falling to be supported through the rate support grant in the normal way.

Mr. Gwynfor Evans

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give an assurance that all costs arising from the need to house Ministry of Defence staff transferred from London to Cardiff will be met directly from central Government funds and that no housing authority in Wales will suffer financially as a result of increased expenditure on housing Ministry of Defence staff.

Mr. Alec Jones

So far as any additional housing demand arising from dispersal, or any other exceptional cause, falls to be met by the local authority, the demand should be reflected in that authority's housing investment programme, and will be taken into account by the Welsh Office in making allocations for housing finance, to which the normal accounting and subsidy rules will apply.