As the hon. Member is no doubt aware, a settlement has now been reached after full discussion with representatives of the associations of local authorities and the difficulty of budgeting to which he refers has presumably disappeared. I am not yet in a position to say when the second appointed day will be. I am unable to identify the particular figures he quotes as regards Bootle but perhaps I may comment that he appears to have compared the gross public assistance rate with the net total rate, i.e. he has taken no account of the substantial block grant which Bootle receives from the Exchequer in a form available as general revenue, and therefore operating to meet expenditure of all kinds.