asked the Minister for the Environment when local authorities will be informed of their capital allocation for housing development for 1980.
Written Answers. - Local Authority Housing Capital Allocation.
40.
Claims submitted by local authorities for capital to finance existing commitments on their housing construction programmes in 1980 are being examined in my Department. I hope to inform authorities of their allocations for this purpose early next month.
Housing authorities generally have been asked to submit their claims for new local authority housing construction to be commenced before 31 July 1980. They will be notified of their allocations for this purpose as soon as their claims have been received and examined, and allocations have been decided by me.
Subject to the availability of the necessary resources, additional moneys will be allocated later in the year to finance new starts within their programmes after 31 July 1980.
41.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he will ensure that grants by local authorities for artistic and cultural purposes will not be curtailed or reduced because of the recent limit of 10 per cent on increases in local authority rates.
The upper limit of 10 per cent applies to the increase in the aggregate rate in the £ for 1980 over the rate struck for 1979, not to the cost of individual services. Provided the overall rates limit is not exceeded, each local authority is free to determine its own priorities as between programmes and the variations in expenditure on particular services.