HC Deb 19 January 1995 vol 252 cc659-61W
Mr. David Nicholson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the amount of Government grant to each of the county councils in the seven-county south-west region, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Kent, per head of population, for each of the financial years 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94 and 1994–95; and what is his estimate for 1995–96.

Mr. Robert B. Jones

The available information is shown in the tables below. Figures for revenue support grant per head of population are not comparable between years, because RSG is paid to compensate authorities for the difference between their standard spending assessment and the sum of redistributed non-domestic rates and council tax for standard spending. Note that for the community charge years—1991–92 and 1992–93—there are no figures for RSG to the counties because RSG was paid into the collection fund of the districts under the community charge system.

RSG per head of population
1993–94 £ 1994–95 £ 1995–96 £ Settlement1
Avon 217 239 217
Cornwall 235 266 258
Devon 214 241 234
Dorset 172 196 189
Gloucestershire 206 225 215
Somerset 207 233 212
Wiltshire 202 224 201
Oxfordshire 181 212 195
Hampshire 212 239 214
Kent 268 302 282

Notes:

11995–96 provisional settlement figures

Special and Specific Grants in AEF per head of population1
1991–92 £ Outturn 1992–93 £ Outturn 1993–94 £ Outturn 1994–94 £ Outturn
Avon 54 60 74 76
Cornwall 53 58 75 75
Devon 56 63 81 79
Dorset 54 58 70 77
Gloucestershire 59 64 77 81
Somerset 58 64 80 83
Wiltshire 59 61 73 77
Oxfordshire 54 59 67 74
Hampshire 51 57 67 71
Kent 56 61 75 78

Note:

1 Special and specific grants information for 1995–96 is not yet available.

Mr. Barry Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on his proposed notional amounts and adjustments to the capping criteria in 1995–96; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Curry

We have received a large number of representations from authorities, including new information and revised data, which we are considering carefully. However, we have now reached preliminary views on all these representations, and we are informing authorities of our current proposals reflecting these preliminary conclusions. I am arranging for tables showing our current proposals to be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Heppel

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment by how much the levels of(a) local government expenditure and (b) total public expenditure have changed over the last five years in (i) actual and (ii) real terms.

Mr. Aitken

I have been asked to reply

The information requested is given in the table.

Changes between 1988–89 and 1993–94 per cent.
Actual Real
General Government expenditure excluding privatisation proceeds: +51 +15
of which local authorities: +47 +12

There were some major changes in responsibility between 1988–89 and 1993–94. The main ones are the transfer of responsibility for sixth form colleges-higher education colleges from local authorities to central Government and the transfer of responsibility for community care from central Government to local authorities. If the local authority figures are adjusted to take account of these, the actual change would be 54 per cent. and the real change would be 17 per cent. for local authorities. Grant-maintained schools have been included as part of local authority spending.