asked the Secretary of State for the Environment by how much his Department's expenditure per capita in the North-West Region exceeds, or is less than, that of the national average per capita in respect of his Department.

The latest estimate of per capita expenditure for 1977–78 on the two major elements of the Department's expenditure—rate support grant and housing subsidies—in respect of the North-West Region is £170. This is £13 in excess of the comparable figure for England and Wales as a whole.