HC Deb 07 December 1981 vol 14 cc326-7W
Mr. Kaufman

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what action he intends to take in the light of the court decision on 21 October concerning the illegality of his action in withdrawing rate support grant payments from six local authorities; and what were the sums withheld from each of those authorities;

(2) what sum in the rate support grant he is planning to hold back, as a penalty for alleged overspending, from each of the partnership and programme authorities listed in the parliamentary answer of 22 October, Official Report, c. 187–188, on the same price basis as the figures given in that answer;

(3) if he will give further details of the new urban programme projects in Lambeth, Hackney and Tower Hamlets which he announced on 2 December, Official Report, c. 232 that he has approved, together with details of projects which cannot proceed because of the funds he has held back, for each of the authorities affected.

Mr. King

I shall answer these questions shortly.

Mr. Kaufman

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state, for the year 1981–82, aggregate Exchequer rate support grant in prices comparable with the £11.4 billion he has announced for 1982–83.

Mr. King

The aggregate Exchequer grant announced in December 1980 for local authorities in England in 1981–82 was 10,895 million. Since then, I have proposed an increase of £149 million. Under the cash planning system, this is the basis on which all the figures are now prepared.