§ Mr. Gwilym JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he proposes to take to alleviate short-term cash flow difficulties experienced by local authorities in Wales as a result of the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991.
§ Mr. David HuntI announced on 19 March my intention to pay community charge grant to Welsh local authorities in accordance with the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991. Parliamentary approval of this new expenditure will be sought in a supplementary estimate on the rate rebates, Wales vote, class XVI, vote 11.
Pending that approval, urgent expenditure is being met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund. An advance of £45 million has already been made to cover