§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current distribution of standard spending assessments in reflecting need to spend in(a) deprived local authority areas and (b) Birmingham.
§ Mr. CurryThe standard spending assessment formulae, which apply to authorities throughout England, contain many indicators related to the additional need to spend in deprived local authority areas. As well as the economic and social indices which reflect general needs, there are indicators such as the proportion of children in lone-parent families or in families receiving income support, homeless households, households living in non-self-contained accommodation and elderly residents with a long-term illness. These indicators have been chosen after detailed statistical analysis of the patterns of local authorities' spending.