HC Deb 06 March 1986 vol 93 cc275-6W
Mr. Snape

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many delegations Ministers have met following the rate support grant allocation for 1985–86, distinguishing in each case which Minister in his Department met each delegation.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

Since announcing the 1986–87 rate support grant settlement on 18 December my ministerial colleagues and I have met 37 deputations from authorities. I have had discussions about rate support grant issues with representatives from the councils of Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Hereford and Worcester, Surrey, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield, Calderdale, Wirral, Sefton, Bury, Liverpool, Dudley, Solihull, Harborough, Winchester and East Hampshire. My hon. Friend the Minister for Environment, Countryside and Local Government has met deputations from Hillingdon, the East Anglia Consultative Committee (which represents Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire), Essex, East Sussex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, West Sussex and Cumbria. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has met representatives from Barnet, Havering, Redbridge, Sutton, City of Durham, Langbaurgh, Ribble Valley, Burnley, East Yorkshire, Vale Royal, Kingswood, Thanet, Derbyside and Norfolk. She also met a deputation from North Tyneside with my noble Friend the Minister of State, and a deputation from the West Yorkshire police authority with my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Mr. Shaw).

Mr. Bellingham

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he proposes to make any change to the cash limit for rate support grants to local authorities in England.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

The Rate Support Grant Supplementary Report (England) (No. 2) 1985–86 was approved by the House of Commons on 20 January. It implements abatement of block grant for 1985–86 based on the latest information from local authorities on their budgeted expenditure. The total of grant abatement is reduced from £550 million to £435 million.

The cash limit for class XVIII, vote I, will be reduced by £30 million from £8,772 million to £8,742 million—which is broadly consistent with the above grant abatement. Expenditure on this vote is not classified as public expenditure.

Mr. Hayward

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will arrange for tables to be placed in the Library showing the rate support grant paid to local authorities in respect of each year since 1974–75.

Mr. Waldegrave

Yes. Two sets of tables have been placed in the Library: one set in respect of the years 1974–75 to 1980–81, the other for subsequent years. The two sets of figures are not fully comparable for reasons explained on the folders. The tables for 1983–84 onwards will be updated and later years will be added as information becomes available.