§ Mr. Murphyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration has been given to the introduction of a new towns element into the rate support grant formula to take into account the special nature of their development.
§ Mr. KingThe grants working group considered in detail the case for including a specific new towns factor in the 1983–84 grant related expenditure assessments. Its conclusion was that the individual circumstances of the new towns varied to such an extent that no general case for such a factor could be made, but that those features of the present GRE which the new towns suspect of causing under-assessment could be investigated wherever service GRE's were being considered.
§ Mr. Murphyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration has been given to the introduction of a Home Counties factor into the rate support grant calculation to compensate for high rateable values.
§ Mr. KingWe have considered a number of representations, but we do not propose any extension to the long-standing arrangements for discounting high rateable values within London. It has not been possible to identify a satisfactory basis on which these arrangements could be extended to the Home Counties.
§ Mr. Murphyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what considerations have been taken into account when deciding upon the level of rate support grant with respect to the provision of education.
§ Mr. KingThe Government have accepted £22.307 billion of expenditure as relevant for rate support grant purposes in 1983–84. We intend to pay aggregate exchequer grant of £11.782 billion towards this expenditure. £9.428 billion of the relevant expenditure figure is attributable to education. The considerations leading to this figure were set out in the reply by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science to my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, North-West (Mr. Colvin) on 8 November.—[Vol. 31, c.39–41.]