To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals his Department has made for revising the formula used to calculate the standard spending assessments for children's services to be used in the financial year 1997–98; and what assessment he has made of the effect of those revisions on the annual allocations for the London borough of Newham in (a) cash and (b) percentage terms compared to 1996–97. [40408]

All proposals for changes to the calculation of standard spending assessments for 1997–98 are described in the report of the standard spending assessments sub-group of the settlement working group, copies of which are available in the Library.