asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total, nationally, of allowances and expenses paid to councillors in the last available year.

The Department does not require local authorities to provide this information.However, the Robinson committee survey, published last year, showed that in 1975–76 the total cost of councillors' allowances was £ 10·7 million. Travelling and subsistence expenses were excluded from this survey. The last available estimate, provided by the Oakes committee in 1975, suggested a total figure for travelling and subsistence of about £ 2 million in 1974–75.