§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what extra resources have been given to local environmental health officers to ensure that guidance notes and best practice advice are available to owners of water cooling systems.
§ Mr. GummerIt is for local authorities to decide what resources to allocate to environmental health officers to enable them to meet the needs of their area. Central Government support local authorities' revenue spending by way of block grant. Entitlement to block grant is calculated on the basis of each authority's assessed expenditure needs, taking into account environmental health duties. The grant is, however, unhypothecated. It is for each authority to determine its expenditure priorities.