Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Prime Minister what has been the level of expenditure in each of the last 10 years on the civil list; how the rate of change annually has compared with the annual changes in the retail prices index; and what payments have been made and to whom in each of these years.
§ Mr. Newton[holding answer 11 June 1992]: I have been asked to reply.
The information on expenditure for the period 1983 to 1990 is contained in the report of the royal trustees laid before the House of Commons on 15 October 1990 436W (HC629). As the report explains, the pre-1991 system required voted supplements to be paid annually to the standing services on the Consolidated Fund. It was thought more consistent with the dignity of the Crown and better financial practice to replace that system from 1 January 1991 with a payment fixed at £7.9 million a year for 10 years to cover Her Majesty's statutory expenses; the arrangements enable any surplus in the early years to be accumulated to meet any subsequent deficit. During the same period, the increase in the retail price, index averaged 5.8 per cent. a year.