Cash Limits (Hansard, 27 January 1989)

§ Mr. Fowler

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary spring Supplementary Estimates, the following changes will be made:

The cash limit for class VII, vote I (employment programmes) will be reduced by £3 million from £1,293,618,000 to £1,290,618,000. The reduction offsets the £3 million increased provision sought by the Training Agency (class VII, vote 7) (training programmes) towards further marketing of the employment training programme and promotion of training and enterprise councils (TECs).

The cash limit or class VII, vote 2 (administration) will be reduced by £3,300,000 from £265,170,000 to £261,870,000. The reduction partly offsets the cash limit increase on class VII, vote 7 resulting from the increase in provision sought to cover additional running costs for the skills training agency (STA).

There will be a token £1,000 increase on the cash limit on class VII, vote 5 (Training Commission) from £1,936,179,000 to £1,936,180,000. This token increase is necessary to adjust the provision transferred to the Department of Employment (class VII, vote 7) in the winter Supplementary Estimates, to reflect actual expenditure by the Training Commission up to 1 December 1988, when responsibility for most of the commission's activities transferred to the Department of Employment.

The cash limit on class VII, vote 7 (Department of Employment: training programmes) will be increased by £6,300,000 from £559,000 to £6,859,000. This is the net effect of the increased provision of £3 million sought to allow for further marketing of employment training and promoting the new training and enterprise councils (which is offset by the £3 million decrease on class VII, vote 1) and £3,300,000 increased provision for STA running costs (which is offset by the £3,300,000 decreases on class VII, vote 2). As a result of these changes there will be no addition to the planned total of public expenditure.

The class VII, vote 2, Employment Department's administration running costs limit will be reduced by £3,254,000 from £606,842,000 to £603,58.8,000. This is the net result of a £3,300,000 reduction in order to offset the £3,300,000 increased provision sought for the STA on class VII, vote 7, £106,000 increased provision sought for a special employment service initiative in Sunderland at the request of the Department of Trade and Industry (which is offset by a £106,000 decrease in the running costs provision on class V, vote 3) and the transfer of £61,000 to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (class XX, vote 16).

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The class VII, vote 5, Training Commission's running costs limit will be increased by £12,264,000 from £145,754,000 to £158,018,000 (which is partly offset by reductions totalling £8,238,000 on votes 2 and 7).

The class VII, vote 7, Department of Employment: training programmes running costs limit will be reduced by £4,984,000 from £74,265,000 to £69,281,000. This reduction is the net result of the transfer of £12,264,000 back to the Training Commission (class VII, vote 5) as too much was transferred at the winter Supplementary stage; reclassification of £120,000 worth of central services marketing expenditure out of running costs to programme expenditure; and increased running costs provision of £3,300,000 (which is offset by a £3,300,000 reduction in running costs provision on class VII, vote 2) and a transfer of £4,100,000 youth training scheme programme expenditure to running costs, both of which contribute towards the additional running costs expenditure on the STA.

The class VII, vote 4, Health and Safety Commission's running costs limit will be reduced by £24,000 from £93,713,000 to £93,689,000. This small reduction, for which a spring Supplementary Estimate is not required, reflects the transfer of labour force survey costs to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (class XX, vote 16).

There is an overall increase in the Employment Department group's running costs of £4,002,000 from £936,432,000 to £940,434,000.