HC Deb 14 December 1999 vol 341 cc99-101W
Mr. Barnes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list the changes made each year in determining Standard Spending Assessments for shire district councils since their inception, including changes made in the weighting given to different factors; [102426]

(2)if he will list the changes made each year in determining Standard Spending Assessments for shire counties since their inception, including changes made in the weighting given to different factors. [102427]

Ms Beverley Hughes

Changes in the method of determining Standard Spending Assessments are summarised in the relevant editions of the "Standard Spending Assessments Handbook", "Standard Spending Assessments Authority by Authority", and "Standard Spending Assessments Guide to Methodology", copies of which are in the Library. For the most recent years, the information is contained in circular letters to local authorities, dated 2 December 1997, 2 December 1998 and 25 November 1999, copies of which are in the Library. For convenience, copies of the relevant extracts have been placed in the Library. The Standard Spending Assessments formulae, including the weightings given to the factors, are set out in the relevant "Revenue Support Grant Distribution (Amendment) Report (England)" or "The Local Government Finance Report (England)".

Mr. Barnes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the Standard Spending Assessment per head of population in(a) the local authority area containing the constituency of North-East Derbyshire and (b) the City of Westminster; and what are the estimated figures for 2000–01. [102431]

Ms Beverley Hughes

(a) The Standard Spending Assessment per head of population figures for authorities which fall partly or wholly within the constituency of North-East Derbyshire are as follows:

£
1999–2000 Provisional 2000–01
Chesterfield 95 99
North East Derbyshire 76 79
Derbyshire CC 640 673
Derbyshire Police 53 54

It is not possible to calculate an area figure for any parliamentary constituency unless its boundary corresponds exactly with a local authority district boundary.

(b) The revenue support grant per head of population figures for Westminster are as follows:

£
Westminster
1999–2000 1,153
Provisional 2000–01 1,162

Mr. Barnes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list the percentage changes in(a) standard spending assessments and (b) revenue support grant for (i) shire counties and (ii) shire districts between the settlement for 1999–2000 and his proposed settlement for 2000–01, ranked and numbered in descending order; [102428]

(2) if he will list for 2000–01 the value per head of population of the proposed (a) revenue support grant and (b) standard spending assessments for (i) shire district councils and (ii) shire counties, ranked and numbered in descending order. [102429]

Ms Beverley Hughes

Tables showing these figures have been placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Barnes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the revenue support grant per head of population in(a) the local authority area containing the constituency of North East Derbyshire and (b) the City of Westminster; and what are the estimated figures for 2000–01. [102430]

Ms Beverley Hughes

(a) The revenue support grant per head of population figures for authorities which fall partly or wholly within the constituency of North East Derbyshire are as follows:

£
1999–2000 2000–011
Chesterfield 35 34
North East Derbyshire 15 13
Derbyshire CC 247 241
Derbyshire Police 16 14
1Provisional

It is not possible to calculate an area figure for any parliamentary constituency unless its boundary corresponds exactly with a local authority district boundary.

(b)The revenue support grant per head of population figures for Westminister are as follows.

£
1999–2000 2000–011
Westminster 601 575
1Provisional

Mr. Barnes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what changes will be made to the standard spending assessments of each shire district council in 2000–01 as a result of their enhanced population figures; and if he will rank and number the changes in descending order. [102387]

Ms Beverley Hughes

The information requested will be calculated and placed in the Library of the House shortly.

Mr. Barnes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the standard spending assessment for 2000–01 for each shire county local education authority divided by the number of pupils and ranked and numbered in descending order. [102721]

Ms Beverley Hughes

The following table shows the ranked education standard spending assessment per pupil figures for shire counties.

Provisional 2000–01 Education Standard Spending Assessment per pupil—shire counties (in descending order)
Local authority Education SSA (£/pupil) Ranking
Hertfordshire 2,864 1
East Sussex 2,848 2
Essex 2,831 3
Kent 2,831 4
Surrey 2,810 5
Oxfordshire 2,794 6
Buckinghamshire 2,787 7
Durham 2,778 8
Bedfordshire 2,768 9
Cornwall 2,758 10
Norfolk 2,746 11
West Sussex 2,740 12
Lancashire 2,730 13
Lincolnshire 2,724 14
Cumbria 2,715 15
Devon 2,714 16
Northumberland 2,713 17
North Yorkshire 2,683 18
Nottinghamshire 2,680 19
Suffolk 2,676 20
Shropshire 2,665 21
Hampshire 2,664 22
Northamptonshire 2,657 23
Somerset 2,646 24
Cambridgeshire 2,644 25
Dorset 2,642 26
Wiltshire 2,634 27
Gloucestershire 2,631 28
Derbyshire 2,613 29
Warwickshire 2,610 30
Cheshire 2,602 31
Worcestershire 2,599 32
Staffordshire 2,580 33
Leicestershire 2,556 34

Pupils are the sum of Pupils aged 4, 5–10, 11–15, and 16† as defined in the Draft Local Government Finance Report.