HC Deb 16 January 1991 vol 183 c496W
Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the policy objective of central Government control of local authority capital borrowing.

Mr. Key

Local authority capital expenditure, which is mainly financed by borrowing, amounts to nearly one third of all public sector capital expenditure. Regulation of local authority borrowing is, therefore, an important factor in the Government's control of public expenditure.