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What a stinker this week. Apologies if these have been asked in other posts - I find if I go looking for one explanation I end up spotting too many answers I don't have yet.
Anyway, I'd like explanations for these 2 clues (assuming my answers are correct - if they're not I'd appreciate a 'not correct' rather than the correct answer - I'm not quite that desperate - yet...):

40d "Must pay individual sum when reporting very high deficit" (5,4). I have ????e / ???e. I assume the answer is Piece Rate, but that sounds nothing like a high deficit.

53a "Councillor to acknowledge risk when touring a plant" (5,8). I have C???N ?????I??
I assume the answer is chain reaction - a plant is a stroke in snooker where a ball hits a ball which hits a ball... But why?

40d has been answered previously - ozone hole

53 is Cr (councillor) own (acknowledge) I'm peril (risk) around a to give crown imperial, a plant

40d has been given elsewhere. It's not PIECE RATE.

Thanks Chrise - that's the sort of reply I was looking for. Unfortunately Grandpa Buffalo rather gave the game away! But tks anyway.