§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what, using the last year for which figures are available, has been the average length of time between the receipt by his Department of validly documented applications for payment of grants under the provisions for state aid for historic churches and the payment of those grants.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneGrants are normally paid within two months of receipt of an architect's certificate that a stage of work, for which historic buildings grant has been offered, has been satisfactorily carried out. Final payments take longer because the Department's commissioned architect has to inspect the completed work. Statistics of the time taken to make payments are not kept on an annual basis.