§ Mr. Gordon MarsdenTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department intends to compensate local authorities who may have been disadvantaged in local government spending allocations by inaccurate census counts. [137849]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has already announced that an amending report will be made for the 2003/04 settlement to include any revised mid-2001 population estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Mid-2002 population estimates from the ONS will be used for 2004/05 Revenue Support Grant calculations. These include an upward revision for the population of Manchester. If any subsequent revisions are made to population estimates then the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will consider whether to make an amending report.