§ Mr. Andrew MacKayasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he intends to increase the cash limit on Class VI, Vote 6, as a result of the slippage of the sale of shares in British Airways plc.
§ Mr. RidleySubject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit for class VI, Vote 6 will be increased by £1,259,000 from £250,000 to £1,509,000, to meet costs arising from preliminary work on the sale. The increase will be charged to the reserve. We had expected to offset these costs against the proceeds of the sale of British Airways this year, but the recent slippage in the privatisation timetable has made this impossible.