To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) type and (b) value of (i) specific and (ii) special grants have been provided by central government to (A) Tunbridge Wells borough council and (B) Kent county council in each year since 1997. [104694]
[pursuant to his answer, 25 March 2003, Official Report, c. 184W]: The following two tables give all the special and specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF) provided to Tunbridge Wells and Kent. The information is taken from the Reporting Officer forms returned on an annual basis by authorities to ODPM. The entries for
| £000 | ||||||
| Tunbridge Wells | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–002 | 2002–03 Budget only |
| Emergency planning | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| Total ring-fenced specific grants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Housing benefit administration | 158 | 165 | 164 | 162 | 150 | 249 |
| Council tax benefit administration | 73 | 74 | 74 | 93 | 87 | — |
| Total unring-fenced specific grants | 231 | 239 | 238 | 255 | 237 | 249 |
| Revenue support grant | 3,242 | 2,972 | 2,872 | 2,749 | 3,103 | 2,787 |
| National non-domestic rates | 3,279 | 3,292 | 3,503 | 3,913 | 3,871 | 4,352 |
| Gross AEF | 6,752 | 6,503 | 6,613 | 6,918 | 7,211 | 7,388 |
| Percentage ring-fenced of gross AEF | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| £000 | ||||||
| Kent | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 Budget only |
| AIDS support | 308 | 140 | 50 | 127 | 115 | 105 |
| Asylum seekers | 267 | 4,955 | 22,974 | 49,176 | 46,522 | 34,003 |
| Building care capacity | — | — | — | — | — | 4,447 |
| Carers' grant | — | — | — | — | — | 2,169 |
| Child care and early years | — | — | — | 1,405 | 3,237 | 16,041 |
| Children's services (Quality Protects) | — | — | 1,462 | 2,302 | 5,974 | 10,442 |
| Civil Defence | 323 | 273 | — | — | — | — |
| Class size reductions | — | — | 777 | — | — | — |
| Community care special transitional grant | 9,737 | 9,045 | — | — | — | — |
| Deferred payments | — | — | — | — | — | 977 |
| Education budget support grant | — | — | — | — | 100 | — |
| Education of travellers and displaced persons | 275 | 310 | — | — | — | — |
| Emergency planning | — | — | 273 | 252 | 375 | 260 |
| Ethnic minorities achievement grant | — | 837 | 748 | — | — | — |
| Former GM schools transitional grant | — | — | — | 375 | 42 | — |
| Guardians ad litem | 205 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Magistrates courts | 5,805 | 6,055 | 6,086 | 6,093 | 6,313 | 5,884 |
| Mental health | 1,467 | 1,317 | 2,306 | 2,594 | 3,136 | 3,235 |
| Nursery education grant for 4-year-olds | — | — | 5,861 | 5,964 | — | — |
| Nursery education grant for 3-year-olds | — | — | — | — | — | 11,203 |
| Other grants within AEF | — | 19 | 1,159 | 9,252 | 3,094 | 591 |
| Performance fund | — | — | — | — | — | 1,254 |
| Preserved rights | — | — | — | — | — | 30,044 |
| Probation (ordinary 80 per cent. grant) | 8,282 | 8,221 | 8,872 | 9,781 | — | — |
| Promoting independence | — | — | 7,383 | 7,451 | 9,440 | 3,958 |
| Provision for 3-year-olds | — | — | — | 475 | 5,242 | — |
| Residential allowances | — | — | — | — | — | 2,269 |
| Rural bus services | — | 1,252 | 1,230 | 1,292 | 1,644 | 1,885 |
| School budget support grant | — | — | — | 1,463 | — | — |
| Section 11 (ethnic minorities) grant | 935 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Social services training support program | 776 | 643 | 514 | 689 | 791 | 673 |
| Standards fund | 5,342 | 6,264 | 13,620 | 26,207 | 31,162 | 35,137 |
| Supported employment | 123 | 100 | 24 | 96 | 103 | — |
| Supporting people implementation grant | — | — | — | — | — | 700 |
| Teachers' pay reform | — | — | — | 2,896 | 17,637 | 12,000 |
| Teenage pregnancy local implementation grant | — | — | — | — | — | 240 |
| Under-5s specific grant | — | 5,709 | — | — | — | — |
| Young people's substance misuse grant | — | — | — | — | — | 91 |
| Total ring-fenced specific grants | 33,845 | 45,140 | 73,339 | 127,890 | 134,927 | 177,608 |
| The private finance initiative | — | 331 | 842 | 885 | 850 | — |
| Total unring-fenced grants | 0 | 331 | 842 | 885 | 850 | 0 |
1997–2002 are actual figures. These are not yet available for 2002–03 and therefore budgeted figures have been given. The definition of ring-fencing was updated last year to reflect the types of grant which now exist. Some grants previously classified as ring-fenced are not now classified in this way. The key distinction made remains that ring-fenced grants are those which restrict local authority spending. For completeness the following list includes all special grants inside Aggregate External Finance. Further details of classifications are in an annex to the freedoms and flexibilities announcement of 26 November.
£000
| ||||||
Kent
| 1997–98
| 1998–99
| 1999–2000
| 2000–01
| 2001–02
| 2002–03 Budget only
|
| School standards grant | — | — | — | — | 17,514 | 17,975 |
| Revenue support grant | 451,972 | 386,147 | 389,996 | 382,868 | 427,589 | 385,874 |
| National non-domestic rates | 301,690 | 268,337 | 292,938 | 332,884 | 327,578 | 359,413 |
| Gross AEF | 787,507 | 699,955 | 757,115 | 844,527 | 908,458 | 940,870 |
| Percentage of gross AEF ring-fenced % | 4 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 19 |