§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the cost of the local government review to local government.
§ Mr. BaldryWe have no estimates for the expenditure incurred by local authorities on the local government review.
§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate Ordnance Survey has made of the costs of revising maps to show new local authority boundaries resulting from the current local government review.
§ Mr. BaldryThe provisional estimate is for a cost between £1.5 million and £3.5 million. Ordnance Survey will make a more precise estimate when results of the local government review are known.
§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the costs to date and estimated future costs of(a) the Local Government Commission, (b) the Staff Commission and (c) the Audit Commission in relation to the local government review.
491W
§ Mr. BaldryThe Local Government Commission incurred expenditure of £2.056 million in 1992–93 and received grant in aid of £5.124 million in 1993–94. We are making available £8.300 million to fund the Commission's activities in 1994–95, and have announced provision of £2.500 million and £1.500 million for the years 1995–96 and 1996–97.
The Local Government Staff Commission (England) incurred expenditure of £270,692 in 1993–94. We are making available £363,000 to the staff commission in 1994–95, and intend to make available £374,000 in 1995–96, and £386,000 in both 1996–97 and 1997–98.
Where the Local Government Commission invited the Audit Commission's views on proposals for reorganisation, its costs were reimbursed. The Audit Commission has also produced a consultation paper on local government reorganisation—"Time for Change"—at a cost of £46,603. Future work and associated costs will be determined by the response to that consultation paper.