Standard Spending Assessments (Hansard, 29 June 1993)

§ Mr. Byers
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will use the 1991 census data in compiling SSAs for 1994: and what safeguards there will be for those local education authorities whose grant is thereby reduced.

§ Mr. Baldry
It is our policy to use the most up-to-date information available within SSAs. For 1993–94 SSAs, population estimates based on the 1991 census were incorporated and it is intended to make use of the remaining information now available from the 1991 census for 1994–95 SSAs. We will need to consider the effect of this and the outcome of the wider review of SSAs now in progress, before finally deciding whether it will be necessary to mitigate these effects, and if so what means and to what extent.

§ Mr. Byers
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to compensate those local education authorities which have lost revenue as a result of the use of the 1981 census data and not the 1991 census data in compiling the education SSAs for 1993–94.

§ Mr. Baldry
None. The SSAs for 1993–94 were compiled using the best posible information available at the time. For 1994–95 it is the intention that the information now available from the 1991 census will be incorporated.

§ Mr. Bennett
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from local authorities on the adequacy of standard spending assessments mechanisms for the tasks now being demanded of them; what account he has taken of the414W specific criticisms levelled by the recent Audit Commission review; and what action he proposes to take to restore confidence in the revenue support methodology.

§ Mr. Curry
[holding answer 28 June 1993]: As part of the current review of standard spending assessments—SSAs—we have received representations from more than 140 local authorities on all aspects of the SSA system.
We welcome what the Audit Commission report "Passing the Bucks" has to say about SSAs and will consider the commission's conclusions carefully as part of our current review. The commission's finding that the system of SSAs is a more sophisticated mechanism for equalising needs than any overseas system examined in their study and that it is an improvement on its predecessor in many respects, is particularly welcome.
The current review of SSAs which is being carried out in consultation with local authority representatives shows our continuing commitment to improve the system of SSAs used to distribute revenue support grant wherever possible.