§ Mr. Maxwell-HyslopTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, pursuant to his duty of monitoring all new costs imposed on local authorities by Ministers, he will publish, by Department, a list giving the estimate of all such costs in the financial years 1990–91 and 1991–92, subdivided pursuant to(a) Acts passed since 31 July 1989, (b) statutory instruments coming into force since 31 July 1989 and (c) departmental circulars issued since 31 July 1989.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThe information is not available in the form requested. However, the major new burdens falling to local government in 1990–91 include: community charge collection, the implementation of the Children Act, new initiatives in waste disposal management, and the structural maintenance of bridges after existing EC derogation in respect of lorry weights ends in 1999.
The major new burdens falling to local government in 1991–92 will include the first phase of community care, the expansion of responsibilities relating to mental illness, the code of practice on litter, and new responsibilities arising from the Environmental Protection Bill and the Food Safety Bill.
The best estimates of the costs of these burdens, plus savings resulting from improvements in efficiency or the removal of responsibilities, were taken into account, along with all other relevant factors, when we set the levels of total standard spending for the respective years.