§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish a table showing the budgeted average expenditure per head for the year 1990–91 for(a) Berkshire, (b) Oxfordshire, (c) Westminster and (d) Wandsworth; and what information he has on the reasons for the variations.
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1990–91 Standard spending assessments by major service block (£ million) Education Personal Social Services Police Fire and Civil Defence Highway maintenance Other Services Capital financing Total (£ million) (£ million) (£ million) (£ million) (£ million) (£ million) (£ million) (£ million) Blackburn — — — — — 13.087 2.095 15.182 Blackpool — — — — — 11.759 1.608 13.367 Bolton 87.298 19.964 — — 9.814 26.800 14.000 157.876 Burnley — — — — — 7.145 0.838 7.983 Bury 51.895 11.132 — — 6.522 13.971 8.206 91.726 Cheshire CC 294.559 53.680 30.911 14.971 31.175 15.473 33.922 474.691 Chester — — — — — 7.587 0.645 8.232 Chorley — — — — — 5.059 0.453 5.512 Congleton — — — — — 3.888 0.354 4.242 Crewe and Nantwich — — — — — 6.330 0.563 6.893 Ellesmere Port and Neston — — — — — 4.805 0.692 5.497 Fylde — — — — — 3.941 0.400 4.341 Greater Manchester Fire and Civil Defence Authority — — — 53.472 — -1.536 2.352 54.288 Greater Manchester Police Authority — — 115.636 — — -3.321 1.744 114.059 Halton — — — — — 7.719 1.030 8.749 Hyndburn — — — — — 5.728 0.565 6.293 Knowsley 64.361 17.242 — — 4.200 16.330 10.820 112.951 Lancashire CC 445.622 92.854 52.506 24.768 41.530 25.634 60.042 742.956 Lancaster — — — — — 8.597 0.831 9.428 Liverpool 177.391 57.952 — — 14.833 63.099 36.277 349.552 Macclesfield — — — — — 7.675 0.677 8.352 Manchester 163.642 59.803 — — 19.332 62.748 35.107 340.630 Merseyside Fire and Civil Defence Authority — — — 35.860 — -1.030 1.704 36.535 Merseyside Police Authority — — 77.791 — — -2.234 1.249 76.806 Oldham 76.526 18.014 — — 6.962 23.116 14.550 139.168 Pendle — — — — — 6.171 0.523 6.693 Preston — — — — — 11.691 1.510 13.201 Ribble Valley — — — — — 2.585 0.266 2.811 Rochdale 71.852 17.430 — — 6.378 19.361 12.929 127.950 Rossendale — — — — — 3.965 0.362 4.327 Salford 71.245 23.705 — — 9.825 24.040 17.924 146.740 Sefton 87.681 20.254 — — 7.406 27.657 15.043 158.041 South Ribble — — — — — 4.774 0.415 5.190 St. Helens 60.740 12.272 — — 5.277 17.185 13.615 109.089 Stockport 81.829 18.110 — — 10.334 24.830 13.058 148.160 Tameside 69.741 16.562 — — 8.074 19.849 10.589 124.815 Trafford 64.046 15.114 — — 8.672 20.017 14.020 121.869 Vale Royal — — — — — 5.982 0.467 6.449 Warrington — — — — — 10.947 0.983 11.931 West Lancashire — — — — — 5.866 0.579 6.446 Wigan 95.977 18.894 — — 8.993 23.882 17.879 165.626 Wirral 112.387 26.943 — — 8.066 30.980 18.760 197.136 Wyre — — — — — 5.665 0.766 6.431
§ Mr. ChopeThe information is as follows:
Budgeted 1990–91—Net revenue expenditure per head of relevant population £/head Berkshire 732 Oxfordshire 714 Westminster 1,286 Wandsworth 1,176 Expenditure differences reflect the decisions of the local authorities concerned, taking account of their functions and the needs of their areas.
§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the amounts of each component in the standard spending assessments of each council in the north-west, together with the respective totals.
§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will amend the community charge regulations so that in applying the standard community charge a distinction is made between properties that are in use as second homes and unoccupied properties which the owners are endeavouring to sell because they have moved somewhere else.
§ Mr. AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to increase the three-month period before which a standard community charge is liable for a domestic property which is for sale; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChopeI refer my hon. Friends to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities to my hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham (Mr. Couchman) on 21 March 1990 at columns658-59.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make it his policy to assist the Data Protection Registrar's representative investigating the disclosure of personal data from community charge registers from London borough of Wandsworth sources to the hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Chope); and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. David HuntThe Department has always given, and will continue to give, full assistance to the Office of the Data Protection Registrar.
§ Mr. Colin ShepherdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out in theOfficial Report a list of charging authorities together with the other adjustment being made by each to its community charge precept.
§ Mr. ChopeI intend to lay a summary of the information returned by individual authorities in the Library of the House after the recess.
§ Mr. RookerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who will be required to pay the costs involved in obtaining a liability order from the court pursuant to the operation of the Community Charges (Deductions from Income Support) (No. 2) Regulations 1990 No. 545.
§ Mr. ChopeThe costs associated with obtaining a liability order would form part of the amount for which the order is made against the charge payer.
§ Mr. Robert BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he is making for consultation about adjustments to the SSAs for individual authorities for the financial year 1991–92.
§ Mr. ChopeMy officials have just started discussions with officials of the local authority associations. This will provide the associations with the opportunity to put forward any new evidence on SSAs.
§ Sir Peter EmeryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in descending order the percentage increases in budgeted spending by county councils for 1990–91 over spending for 1989–90 and indicate the political control of each council.
§ Mr David HuntI am arranging for a summary of the information returned by individual authorities to be placed in the Library of the House after the recess.
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§ Mr. RiddickTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will provide a breakdown of the amount of central Government grant provided to local authorities per head of population in(a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland for each year since 1979;
(2) what factors lead to the difference between the percentage of local authority income represented by central Government grants in (a) England and (b) Wales;
(3) what was the precentage figure of local authority finance provided in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively, from (a) central Government grant, (b) domestic rates and (c) business rates in each year since 1979; and what are the projected figures for 1990–91.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue guidance to local authorities on the implementation of community charge regulations in respect of medical and other postgraduate students from overseas following specialist short courses of study of up to 12 months' duration in Britain.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 3 April 1990]: Everyone following a full-time course of education will be eligible for the student relief regardless of his nationality. In other cases, postgraduate or medical students will be subject to an authority's personal community charge if they are deemed to be solely or mainly resident within that authority's area by the relevant community charges registration officer. Guidance on these points is contained in practice note No. 9, "Sole or Main Residence", and practice note No. 23, "Students and the Community Charge", which have been sent to all charging authorities.
§ Mr. Teddy TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total amount of grant distributed by central Government to(a) the Essex and (b) East Sussex county councils; and what were the comparable payments in each of the previous five years.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 4 April 1990]: The information is as follows:
Revenue grants1 Essex £ million East Sussex £ million 1984–85 190.340 79.810 1985–86 167.120 75.318 1986–87 162.469 73.243 1987–88 167.537 75.451 1988–89 152.197 81.866 1989–90 130.358 75.790 1 Comprising Block Grant and specific and supplementary grants.