§ Sir Anthony Grantasked the Prime Minister if she will bring up to date the figures about Government expenditure on Merseyside contained in her letter to the hon. Member for Cambridgeshire, South-West of 16 March 1984 and publish the same in the Official Report.
§ The Prime MinisterFigures for expenditure in Merseyside by Government Departments and other public bodies for the years 1979–80 to 1984–85 (estimated outturn) are as follows:
495Wexclude such items.
† Grant (offers made) to support capital investment by companies in the Merseyside area, defined as the travel-to-work areas of Birkenhead (including Ellesmere Port and Halton), Liverpool, Widnes, St. Helens and Southport; and expenditure by the English Industrial Estates Corporation in the Merseyside area.
‡ Figures include some grant-aided expenditure by local authorities.
║ Figures relate to Corporation's Merseyside Region. Figures for 1979–80 to 1981–82 are estimates.
¶ About two-thirds of grants are on local authority projects.
●Merseyside Metropolitan County Council, plus District Councils within the County (Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton and Wirral). The Rate Support Grant system changed in 1981/82. Figures for earlier years are not on a comparable basis. The figures for 1979–80 and 1980–81 comprise needs, resources and domestic elements. The figures for later years comprise block grant and domestic rate relief grant. Figures for 1979–80 to 1981–82 are final entitlements. Figures for 1982–83 onwards are latest estimates after holdback.
■ Figures cover Merseyside MCC area plus Districts of Ellesmere Port and Halton.
⋆ Provisional figure.
The table does not cover expenditure by nationalised industries or statutory undertakers (other than Government payments to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company), or payments such as social security benefits, which go to individuals rather than areas. Figures for local authority expenditure in the area since 1979–80 are:
Total local authority expenditure, Merseyside* (£ million cash) Capital† Current‡ 1979–80 125 n/a 1980–81 134 n/a 1981–82 118 676 1982–83 174 724 1983–84 247 ║765 1984–85 (budget figure) n/a 823 * Merseyside metropolitan county council, plus district councils within the county (Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton, Wirral). † Covers all expenditure charged to capital accounts (rate fund, housing and trading services) less receipts from other local authorities under agency agreements or other arrangements. ‡ Covers employee costs and running expenses on rate fund services, plus the rate fund contribution to trading services, less income from sales, fees, charges, interest receipts on service balances, and non-relevant specific grants. It does not include contributions to the Housing Revenue Account or special funds. ║ Provisional figure.