asked the Secretary of State for the Environment which public expenditure programmes will be reduced in order to allow for the increase in spending on inner cities detailed in his reply to the hon. Member for Aylesbury dated 26th April.

As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his Budget Statement, the extra sum for construction works in certain inner cities over the next two years will be made available from the contingency reserve. Additional expenditure on the urban programme thereafter will be met in part by modest savings in the new towns programme; to the extent necessary the remainder will be found by redirection of resources within other main programmes.