Mr. Wm. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the projects on which money may be spent under the community services recurrent expenditure heading and the formula for deciding the sums to be spent on staff, resource centres, community centres, voluntary groups and other headings and the percentage of the cost from public funds.
§ Mr. Carter, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 15th May 1978], gave the following information:
160WMoney may be spent by district councils in the following categories:
- (a) the running costs of community centres;
- (b) the running costs of resource centres;
- (c) the cost of district council staff employed on community services;
- (d) grants which district councils may pay to voluntary groups for items (a) and (b) and approved staff.
The Department of Education for Northern Ireland agrees annually in advance with each district council the total budget for expenditure on community services having regard to the Department's financial resources for these services, the different levels of activity in each council area and the varying needs for community activity to be developed in each council area.
It is a matter for district councils to decide, within their approved budgets, the size of individual grants to local community groups, but where councils wish to increase their expenditure in the course of the year, or to depart substantially from the agreed pattern approval must be sought from the Department.
Mr. Wm. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the level of grant to councils for community services recurrent expenditure; if he plans to change the percentage payable.
§ Mr. Carter, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 15th May 1978], gave the following information:
Grant to district councils for approved community services recurrent expenditure is paid at the rate of 75 per cent. I have no plans to change this percentage.