To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer where customs officers working in the Port of Poole on 31 August were based.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer where customs officers working in the Port of Poole on 31 August were based.

I. Borough of Poole Council: inspection of security; a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. 38 p. II. Rugby Borough Council: processing of claims; a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. 34 p. III. Cannock Chase District Council: inspection of security; a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. 38 p. IV. Hastings Borough Council: inspection of security; a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. 33 p. V. Waverley Borough Council: inspection of security; a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. 29 p. VI. Cardiff County Council: processing of claims; a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. 31 p. VII. Mendip District Council: inspection of security; a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. 27 p. VIII. Fenland District Council: processing of claims; a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. 32 p. IX. Leicester City Council: inspection of security; a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. 39 p.

I. Borough of Poole Council: inspection of security; a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. 38 p. II. Rugby Borough Council: processing of claims; a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. 34 p. III. Cannock Chase District Council: inspection of security; a report by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. 38 p....

Adjournment debate on local government funding in Poole.

Adjournment debate on local government funding in Poole.

You talk about grant floors. Are there also grant ceilings?

You talk about grant floors. Are there also grant ceilings?

I can assure the hon. Lady, notwithstanding representations that she has made with local colleagues, as well as representations by the local authority, that there is an ongoing assessment of the area cost adjustment and all the factors involved. In reaching the local government financial settlement for each area, the...

I can assure the hon. Lady, notwithstanding representations that she has made with local colleagues, as well as representations by the local authority, that there is an ongoing assessment of the area cost adjustment and all the factors involved. In reaching the local government financial settlement for each area, the...

: I, too, am grateful for the proposed visit by the Minister for Local Government. Is there any work on the methodology of the area cost adjustment to take account of the special characteristic in Poole and Dorset of high house prices and low average salaries?

: I, too, am grateful for the proposed visit by the Minister for Local Government. Is there any work on the methodology of the area cost adjustment to take account of the special characteristic in Poole and Dorset of high house prices and low average salaries?

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I am grateful for your protection. If the hon. Gentleman wants to drop me a line on that specific question, I am sure that we will be able to provide a detailed answer. As the hon. Member for Poole said, sometimes the point is not...

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I am grateful for your protection. If the hon. Gentleman wants to drop me a line on that specific question, I am sure that we will be able to provide a detailed answer. As the hon. Member for Poole said, sometimes the point is not...

This is not the first time that I have debated local government finance in Poole; it probably will not be the last, since we have a perennial problem with the shortage of funding from central Government. It does not seem to matter what system is invented by the people in...

This is not the first time that I have debated local government finance in Poole; it probably will not be the last, since we have a perennial problem with the shortage of funding from central Government. It does not seem to matter what system is invented by the people in...

I agree with the hon. Lady with whom I share representation of the borough of Poole. Both the Conservative and Liberal groups have a common front in trying to get a better grant for Poole. Both parties feel that we are not being very well treated. The council is looking...

I agree with the hon. Lady with whom I share representation of the borough of Poole. Both the Conservative and Liberal groups have a common front in trying to get a better grant for Poole. Both parties feel that we are not being very well treated. The council is looking...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the continuing poor settlement year after year along with exactly the same cost pressures, such as the increasing wages that are a big component of local government expenditure, inevitably means that there have to be cuts in sectors in which costs are rising steeply?...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the continuing poor settlement year after year along with exactly the same cost pressures, such as the increasing wages that are a big component of local government expenditure, inevitably means that there have to be cuts in sectors in which costs are rising steeply?...

I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. I know how hard he works on behalf of his constituents, and he is raising an important issue. Has he not just highlighted the fact that one of the big problems with local government finance is that the system is simply...

I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. I know how hard he works on behalf of his constituents, and he is raising an important issue. Has he not just highlighted the fact that one of the big problems with local government finance is that the system is simply...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Poole (Mr. Syms) on securing the opportunity to debate local government funding for Poole unitary authority. I agree with the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone) that the hon. Gentleman has a respected reputation for effectively and assiduously representing his constituents. Let me give...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Poole (Mr. Syms) on securing the opportunity to debate local government funding for Poole unitary authority. I agree with the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone) that the hon. Gentleman has a respected reputation for effectively and assiduously representing his constituents. Let me give...

Of course the problem that my hon. Friend highlights applies to Poole. When local authority officers in the borough of Poole examine how the grant is calculated, it is difficult for them to work out why we do so badly. If we had a better idea of how the grant...

Of course the problem that my hon. Friend highlights applies to Poole. When local authority officers in the borough of Poole examine how the grant is calculated, it is difficult for them to work out why we do so badly. If we had a better idea of how the grant...

Before this debate, having seen that the hon. Gentleman had secured it, my hon. Friend the Minister of State advised me that I ought to offer the information about his visit in the spirit of solidarity. We are confident in the decisions that we have made, but we want to...

Before this debate, having seen that the hon. Gentleman had secured it, my hon. Friend the Minister of State advised me that I ought to offer the information about his visit in the spirit of solidarity. We are confident in the decisions that we have made, but we want to...

I thank the Minister for that. The Minister of State will get his ear bent, but the visit will be worth it none the less.

I thank the Minister for that. The Minister of State will get his ear bent, but the visit will be worth it none the less.