§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assistance has been made available to local authorities to issue the payment of(a) bills and (b) services in euros and what discussions he has had with (i) local government 1086W representatives and (ii) the Treasury to review the limit set for local authorities regarding collection of their income in non-sterling. [29693]
§ Dr. WhiteheadDetails of the Government's preparations for the introduction of euro cash in the euro area from 1 January 2002 are contained in the Fifth Report on Euro Preparations. We recently drew local authorities' attention to the treatment of euro payments, making it clear that, as is the case with other major international currencies, it is a matter for individual authorities whether or not to accept payments for bills and services in non-sterling. There is no limit set for local authorities regarding the collection of their income in non-sterling.