To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what account the autumn statement on standard spending assessment will take of the necessary expenditure incurred by local authorities on (a) pollution control, (b) enforcement, (c) prevention, (d) training of staff and (e) all extra duties to be conferred following the enactment of the Environmental Protection Bill.

Extra duties falling to local authorities were one element in my right hon. Friend's decision to increase aggregate external finance for local authorities by 12·8 per cent. for 1991–92. He expects to make his proposals for standard spending assessments, including control totals for service blocks, in the next few weeks.