§ Mr. Bulmerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects local authorities to present their accounts in a way which allows meaningful comparisons to be made in the costs of services.
§ Mr. WaldegraveMy right hon. Friend has already announced his intention to make regulations prescribing a standard form and content for local authorities' published statements of accounts. As a first step the Department, jointly with the Welsh Office, has just issued a consultation paper inviting comments on key issues which need to be resolved before regulations can be drafted. I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.