asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will explain the discrepancy between his estimate of 5 per cent. reduction in personal social services expenditure in his press release issued on 1 November 1979 with the figures in table 3 of Cmnd. 7746 showing reductions in current expenditure from £1,292 million to £1,204 million and in capital from £75 million to £72 million; and if he will make a statement.

The 5 per cent. reduction shown in the press notice relates to England only and compares current plus capital expenditure in 1980–81 with the 1978–79 provisional outturn. A comparison with 1979–80 was inappropriate as the figure in Cmnd. 7746 for that year could not reflect the Government's call for a reduction of 3 per cent. in local authority current expenditure on services as a whole—see paragraph 13 of the White Paper Cmnd. 7746.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will explain the difference between the figure of £1,204 million estimated as local authority current expenditure on the personal social services in Great Britain in 1980–81 given in table 3 of Cmnd. 7746 and that of £1,246 million for England and Wales only in appendix A to House of Commons paper 280.

The England and Wales component of the £1,204 million is £1,057 million. This is at November 1978 prices and was revalued to November 1979 prices for the rate support grant settlement.