§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what extent the disregard from grant penalties has assisted in the management of joint finance expenditure.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe disregard from grant penalties was first announced in December 1983 and effective in April 1984. It relieves authorities of grant holdback penalties they may otherwise incur in respect of increases in spending on projects to which health authorities are contributing under the joint finance arrangements. It provides further encouragement to authorities to continue their participation in jointly financed projects. We expect uptake of joint finance to continue at a high level.