asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to relax the limitations he has imposed on the revenue accounts of local authorities following his stated wish to expand capital spending.

No. I hope that local authorities will recognise the need for planning expenditure in all their programmes so that they allow for such revenue consequences as their capital programmes may require.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what penalties on current overspending will be imposed on Sheffield by his Department in the light of his most recent calculations.

My latest estimates of the grant abatement for all authorities in respect of their expenditure in 1981–82 and 1982–83 were placed in the Library on 29 July 1982. I am still consulting local authorities on the scheme of grant abatemnt for 1983–84.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities which underspend their capital allocation for housing and other essential social purposes, are penalised by reduction in recurrent grant.

I shall answer this question shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what additional capital resources will be made available to local authorities during the current financial year 1982–83 for building houses and for other socially useful purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what additional capital expenditure he wishes local authorities to incur in both the current and the next financial years.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Members for Liverpool, Edge Hill (Mr. Alton), for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours), and for Leicester, South (Mr. Marshall) earlier today.