HC Deb 30 October 1984 vol 65 cc936-7W
Mr. Tony Banks

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the local authorities which have overspent on capital projects against their notional cash limit, also quoting the amount of overspending per authority in gross and net terms.

Mr. Waldegrave

I assume that the hon. Gentleman is referring to local authorities' capital expenditure, for which national cash limits are set. In 1983–84 the main cash limit in England was overspent and a similar result may occur in 1984–85. There is, however, no evidence that individual authorities have overspent their own resources. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State explained in his statement to the House on this subject on 18 July, at column 331, the ability to spend receipts accumulated from previous years and other elements of flexibility in the capital control system mean that the aggregate of all authorities' capital expenditure can exceed the national cash limit without any individual authority exceeding its own capital provision.

Mr. Tony Banks

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have provisional expenditure targets for 1985–86 which increased by (a) five per cent., (b) 10 per cent., (c) 20 per cent.,(d) 40 per cent., and (e) 60 per cent. or more over their 1984–85 target.

Mr. Waldegrave

The information is as follows:

Numbers
(a) 5 per cent, increase or more 87
(b) 10 per cent, increase or more 27
(c) 20 per cent, increase or more 4
(d) 40 per cent, increase or more 0
(e) 60 per cent, increase or more 0

Mr. Tony Banks

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the reasons for the increase in the Greater London council's expenditure target in 1984–85 and its provisional target for 1985–86.

Mr. Waldegrave

Annex D of the Rate Support Grant Report (England) 1984–85 describes how the expenditure guidance for 1984–85 was constructed. The construction of the provisonal targets for 1985–86 which my right hon. Friend announced on 24 July was described in the material placed in the Library on that day.