§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what estimate he has made as to the amounts payable by his Department to each of the London boroughs for transitional relief in 1993–94;
(2) what estimate he has as to the total amount which will be payable to local authorities in 1993–94 in respect of the transitional relief scheme which accompanied the introduction of the council tax.
§ Mr. Robin SquireUsing information on household liability drawn from the family expenditure survey, we estimated that the cost of transitional relief nationally would be £340 million in 1993–94. We have made no estimates of the amount of transitional relief grant payable to individual authorities. Local authorities are currently submitting claims in respect of income forgone in respect of 1993–94. Ninety per cent. of each authority's claim will be paid in the current financial year, and the remainder in 1994–95.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by what amount, and in respect of which authorities, his estimate of the amount payable in transitional relief to London boroughs has varied as a result of the changes to the transitional relief scheme of which local authorities were notified by his Department in a letter dated 1 March.
§ Mr. Robin SquireWe have made no revised estimate of the cost of the scheme since issuing the changes to the grant conditions in the letter of 1 March. A revised estimate of the cost of the scheme will be available once initial claims have been received from all authorities.