asked the Minister for the Environment in respect of local authorities in 1988 (i) the estimated pay savings from expenditure reduction measures decided by the Government and (ii) the additional ongoing pension costs arising from redundancies etc. which will be a consequence of these measures, as referred to in page V of the Estimates Volume.
Written Answers. - Local Authority Expenditure.
167.
The expenditure level of local authorities, including expenditure on pay, is a matter to be decided by each local authority having regard to all relevant factors including the expenditure needs and priorities that can be accommodated from all available income sources, including Exchequer subventions. Local authorities also have available to them a range of measures designed to secure manpower cost savings including career breaks, natural wastage, job-sharing, reductions in overtime and the voluntary redundancy-early retirement package. Pending completion of their estimates process it is not possible to give a firm estimate of what the estimated pay savings or pension costs will be.