§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether local authorities engaged in formulating their case against a nuclear waste depository at Elstow and the other sites to be announced will be permitted to treat such outlays or part thereof as expenditure not subject to penalty for the purpose of local government grant.
§ Mr. William WaldegraveAll Costs incurred by a local authority in opposing any proposals for development will count towards that authority's total expenditure. We have not so far been persuaded of the case for disregarding any such expenditure for the purposes of calculating any holdback of block grant. My right hon. Friend will however reconsider the representations he has received on this matter in relation to possible sites for nuclear waste, and any new representations, before he takes further decisions on grant abatement for the relevant financial year.