§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total payment by his Department in respect of reduction of Scottish non-domestic rates in respect of each year since 1990–91; and from which budget the said payments were drawn.
§ Mr. Stewart[holding answer 24 November 1994]: The total amounts spent each year on the Government's unified business rates policy are as follows:
£ million 1990–91 80 1991–92 100 1992–93 100 1993–94 100 1994–95 60 Total 440 Local authorities have been asked to contribute a total of £59 million towards the above sum by means of efficiency savings. The remainder of the sum was allocated by increasing the level of revenue support grant to offset the reduction in no-domestic rate income within the total of aggregate external finance payable to local authorities in the years in question. The Scottish Office contribution to this shift in the balance between RSG and NDR1 was funded from the Scottish block.