HC Deb 10 March 2003 vol 401 cc115-8W
Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how, in establishing formula spending share, he measured sparsity in calculating(a) the 'older people' element of the social services formulas, (b) the police formula and (c) the EPCS formula; and in each case (i) what proportion of the relevant aggregate FSS allocation was distributed on the basis of sparsity and (ii) if he will list the authorities which benefited from the sparsity measure in each allocation. [101548]

Mr. Raynsford

The sparsity indicator is calculated for each of the blocks as follows.

The sum of:

  1. (i) Two multiplied by the resident population of those enumeration districts within the area of the authority at the 1991 Census with 0.5 or less residents per hectare, divided by the total resident population of the authority, calculated using information from the 1991 Census; and
  2. (ii) The resident population of those enumeration districts within the area of the authority at the 1991 Census with more than 0.5 but less than or equal to four residents per hectare, divided by the total resident population of the authority, calculated using information from the 1991 Census.

For the 'older people' element of the social services formula 0.36 per cent. of the aggregate Formula Spending Share (FSS) allocation was distributed via the sparsity indicator; for police 0.15 per cent. was distributed via the sparsity indicator; and for the 'services provided predominantly by non-metropolitan district councils in non-metropolitan areas' element of the Environmental Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) formula 4.22 per cent. was distributed via the sparsity indicator.

Of the Personal Social Service authorities, only Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth and Southwark did not have at least one enumeration district within their area at the 1991 Census with less than or equal to four residents per hectare; all other PSS authorities benefited from the sparsity indicator.

All police authorities have at least one enumeration district within their area at the 1991 Census with less than or equal to 4 residents per hectare, and hence all police authorities benefited.

Of the district-level EPCS authorities, only Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth and Southwark did not have at least one enumeration district within their area at the 1991 Census with less than or equal to four residents per hectare; all other district-level EPCS authorities benefited from the sparsity indicator.