§ Mr. Patrick Thompsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what adjustments he proposes to make in his cash-limited programmes for 1983–84.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinSubject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates there will be increases in the cash-limits on Class VIII Vote 4 and Class XIV Votes 1 and 2.
The increase in Class VIII Vote 4 is to enable the Government to pay the major part of an endowment to a trust to be set up to manage the Historic dockyard at Chatham. As my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Macfarlane) indicated in a written reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham (Mr. Couchman) on 20 December, the trust is to be given an endowment of about £11 million, much of it for the maintenance of the many scheduled buildings in the dockyard. The increase of £10,153,000 represents a transfer from MOD to meet their contribution to the endowment. This will be funded from savings on Class 1 Vote 1. The cash limit for that vote has consequently been reduced by this amount as shown in the following table. The increase on Class VIII Vote 4 is partly offset by a reduction of £190,000 to offset the breach of the 1982–83 cash limit announced on 22 July 1983. Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary Estimate, the cash limit for Class VIII Vote 4 will be increased as shown in the table.
The cash limit on Class XIV Vote 1 will be increased by £3.5 million in order to finance additional maintenance of the PSA estate and that for Vote 2 will be increased by £6 million mainly to pay design consultants' fees which have arisen as the result of expanding works programmes. Of this £6 million, £3.2 million is attributable to defence works and will be financed by savings on Class 1 Vote 2. The balance of £2.8 million together with the increase of £3.5 million Vote 1, will be financed by a reduction in the cash limit on Class XIV Vote 3. The effects of these changes on the relevant cash limits are as set out in the table. There will be no overall increase in the public expenditure planning total.
Cash Limit Changes Vote Existing Cash Limit Increase/Decrease Revised Cash Limit Class 1, Vote 1 6,063,184,000 -10,153,000 6,053,031,000 Class 1, Vote 2 7,396,780,000 -3,200,000 7,393,580,000 Class 8, Vote 4 72,083,000 9,963,000 82,046,000 Class 14, Vote 1 273,491,000 3,500,000 276,991,000 Class 14, Vote 2 314,305,000 6,000,000 320,305,000 Class 14, Vote 3 158,596,000 -6,300,000 152,296,000