§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will study the effect on the borough council of St. Edmundsbury in Suffolk of the grant-related expenditure allocation assessment for 1982–83 as set out in exemplifications provided to the local authorities by his Department; if he will review the effect of the operation of the E7 factor on district councils such as St. Edmundsbury in view of their acceptance of town expansion agreements with the Greater London Council at the request of central Government, and the consequential increase in their stock of public sector houses; and if he will take steps to mitigate the unintended but adverse effects this is having on their grant-related expenditure allocation assessment.
§ Mr. KingI have already reviewed the operation of the E7 factor in grant related expenditure assessments and published proposals for modifying it in 1982–83. The assessments of GRE for the 1982–83 rate support grant settlement will not make an assumption about the amount of any surplus on housing revenue accounts which authorities may choose to transfer to their general rate funds. The E7 GRE factor for St. Edmundsbury in 1982–83 will therefore be set at zero.