asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much his Department has spent on the urban programme and other inner city initiatives since 1979.

Expenditure on my Department's urban group of programmes has more than doubled in real terms from £114 million in 1978–79 to £531 million in 1987–88. Since 1979 more than £3,500 million has in total been allocated to these programmes, generating more than £2,000 million in investment from other resources, including expenditure on the urban programme, urban development grant, urban development corporations and derelict land grant.