§ 21. Mr. CranTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from local authorities on the present revenue grant system.
§ Mr. KeyMy right hon. Friend has received 301 written representations from local authorities and their associations on the revenue grant settlement. In addition, Ministers have held meetings with 62 local authorities to discuss the settlement.
§ 34. Mr. Bill MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the amount of capital receipts currently being held by local authorities.
§ Mr. PortilloBased on the most recent returns submitted by local authorities to my Department, it is provisionally estimated that the amount of capital receipts held by authorities in England at 31 March 1991 was £6.5 billion. Of this total, it is estimated that authorities had set aside £5.1 billion to redeem debt and that £1.4 billion was available to finance capital expenditure.