§ Mr. KirkhopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the final expenditure levels and the proposed maximum precepts for the joint board passenger transport authorities for 1988–89; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChannonI am today formally notifying the passenger transport authorities (PTAs) of the maximum precept levels I propose to prescribe in 1988–89, and of my decisions on applications for redetermination of expenditure levels where these were submitted.
Following my determination of expenditure levels (ELs) for each PTA on 23 July, five of the six authorities, the exception being South Yorkshire, submitted applications for redetermination under section 3(4) of the Rates Act 1984. My decisions on redetermination have been in the light of those applications and of further information provided by the PTAs.
I have decided not to increase the expenditure levels for the Greater Manchester and the Tyne and Wear PTAs, but that the expenditure levels of the Merseyside, West Midlands and West Yorkshire PTAs should be redetermined at a greater amount. In the case of Merseyside, the figure also takes account of my decision that the current power to capitalise interest charges on the Mersey tunnel debt, which expires on 31 March 1988, should be extended for only six months to 30 September 1988. The expenditure levels as now determined and the maximum precept limits which I propose for each authority are:
Expenditure level Proposed precept limit £ million Pence Greater Manchester 80.0 15.58 Merseyside 64.1 26.50 South Yorkshire 41.5 30.35 Tyne and Wear 53.5 9.58 West Midlands 65.0 10.74 West Yorkshire 59.1 24.82 I have asked the authorities to inform me by 15 January 1988 whether they accept the proposed maximum precept levels.