§ Mr. StewartTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what comparison he has made of the level of indebtedness per head of population of Scottish local authorities relative to local authorities in(a) England and (b) Wales in respect of (i) general capital fund and (ii) housing. [6996]
§ Mr. KynochThe available information, giving the position at 31 March 1996, is given in the table. There are significant differences in the sources of information used for Scotland, England and Wales. In particular, the information for English local authorities is based on estimates and distinguishes only housing and non-housing capital debt.
While exact comparisons cannot be made because of the differences in the ways that outstanding debt has been measured, the table shows that the overall debt per head of Scottish local authorities is around 2.5 times the debt per head of English local authorities and some 70 per cent. higher than that of Welsh local authorities.
691W
Local authority debt outstanding at 31 March 1996 England (i) Wales (ii) Scotland (iii) Total debt outstanding of which £37 billion £3.2 billion £9.7 billion General fund services (iv) n/a £1.9 billion £5.4 billion Housing revenue account (v) £20 billion £1.2 billion £0.02 £4.1 billion Other services (vi) n/a billion £0.2 billion Total debt per head (vii) of which £760 £1,080 £1,880 General fund services (iv) n/a £640 £1,050
Local authority debt outstanding at 31d March 1996 England (i) Wales (ii) Scotland (iii) Housing revenue account (v) £410 £430 £800 Other services (vi) n/a £410 £430 1. The figures for English authorities are estimates, based on information from local authority borrowing inquiries.
2. The figures for Welsh authorities are for loan debt, as supplied in the Capital Outturn Return form 5 completed annually by all Welsh local and police authorities. These figures may change once the accounts of the pre-reorganisation authorities are finalised.
3. The figures for Scottish local authorities are for loan debt, as supplied in the Capital Debt Outstanding return supplied by all Scottish local authorities. Debt on transferred services, water and sewerage and the childrens reports service, has been excluded.
4. No separate analysis is available for general fund services and other services in England. The Scottish figures for general fund services exclude services, such as Urban Programme, which are not relevant for loan and leasing charges, and include debt on housing general fund service.
The figures for general fund services for Wales include debt on housing general fund services and debt incurred under the SDA Housing Acts.
5. Debt on authorities' Housing Revenue Accounts only. The figure for England is an estimate.
6. For Scottish local authorities this includes debt on non-relevant services such as the Urban Programme, and debt on trading services. For Welsh local authorities, this is debt on trading services only.
7. Debt per head is based on 1995 mid year population estimates, and all figures shown have been rounded to the nearest £10. The debt per head figures for England are approximate as they are based on estimated total debt outstanding figures accurate only to the nearest £1 billion.