§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list the level of Government revenue support grant allocated to each metropolitan and London authority for each child in local authority care; [13873]
(2) if he will list the level of grant allocated to each local authority for the care of the elderly. [13874]
(3) if he will list the average level of grant per child received by each authority for the provision of primary and secondary school education. [13875]
(4) if he will list the average rate of grant per head received by each authority for the care of elderly persons in each local authority. [13876]
§ Mr. RaynsfordRevenue Support Grant is paid to authorities in support of their general revenues. It is not allocated for particular purposes.
Grants specific to particular kinds of expenditure are the responsibility of my right hon. Friends, the Secretaries of State for Education and Employment and for Health.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if standard spending assessments will continue to be used as the primary basis for capping; what assessment he has made of the appropriateness of using SSA as a basis for measurement; and what proposals he has to facilitate better long-term planning by local authorities in respect of capping. [13896]
§ Mr. RaynsfordWe are committed to ending crude and universal capping as soon as possible. We announced in July a review of local government finance which, among other things, will help to put in place the changes needed to deliver that commitment. In the meantime, capping will remain in place in 1998–99 and capping guidelines will be announced shortly.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make it his policy that future years capital financing standard spending assessments will reflect the true cost of financing capital schemes. [13897]
§ Mr. RaynsfordWe are considering a range of possible changes for next year to make the SSAs fairer. We shall do as much as is compatible with our commitments on public expenditure.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will take into account in his SSA review the problems of local authorities with a low tax base. [14198]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Review of Local Government Finance is considering, among other things, the way in which the Revenue Support Grant takes account of the needs and taxbase of authorities.
63W
§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each of the last five years the amounts of capital receipts which(a) have been released and (b) are planned to be released by each local authority. [13026]
§ Mr. RaynsfordUnder the Capital Receipts Initiative, the Government will begin to release additional resources to local authorities to meet pressing housing need. Copies of individual authorities' illustrative entitlements in 1997–98 and 1998–99 have been placed in the Library.