§ Mr. KnapmanTo ask the Minister for the Civil Service if there are any proposals to change the 1990–91 cash limit for the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service.
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§ Mr. LuceSubject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service (class XIX, vote 1) will be increased by £978,000 from £42,643,000 to £43,621,000. The increase will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
The increase is required to cover the additional cost of making physical security improvements; the initial costs of a new unit to co-ordinate efforts to improve British representation in European Community institutions; the cost of upgrading the management information system for the Civil Service Commission in anticipation of its move to agency status in 1991–92 and the cost of improvements in services provided by the civil service college (this charge will be offset by increased appropriations in aid). Provision is also sought to cover the additional cost of recruitment for the purchasing and supply specialism and recruitment costs of the scheme to prepare candidates for entry to the European Community institutions. The cost of the purchasing and supply recruitment scheme will be met by recoveries from participating Departments together with an increase in expected recoveries from Departments for existing recruitment schemes. The proposed supplementary estimate identifies the cost of civil service college training courses for the staff of the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service offset by recoveries from the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service together with a reassessment of the college's recoveries from other sources.
Some of the changes in provision have a consequent effect on the Department's running costs limit which will be increased by £403,000 from £33,319,000 to £33,722,000.