HC Deb 13 March 1992 vol 205 cc736-41W
Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will express the totals and sub-totals for planned expenditure given in the cash plans published in Cm 1909 in real terms as well as cash terms.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

The information requested is as follows. The real term figures are expressed in 1990–91 prices using the gross domestic product deflator.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

The difference of £115 million between 1991–92 expenditure plans for the prisons as shown in Cm 1909 and estimated outturn as shown in Cm 1509 is because there has been additional expenditure to pay for the cost of keeping prisoners in police cells, mainly due to an increase in prison population. Extra expenditure was also necessary to meet the construction costs of new prisons, due mainly to slippage in the programme, claims from contractors and the accelerated integral sanitation programme.

Expenditure on the police has risen because estimated outturn now includes £3 million representing the cost of superannuation in the charges made for services and £4 million to meet the cost of centralising the provision of an existing service. The Forensic Science Service estimated outturn also now includes £2 million for the cost of superannuation. The increase of £3 million for miscellaneous services is mainly due to higher than anticipated levels of transfer values and pensions payments.

The increase of £13 million for immigration and citizenship is mainly attributable to the increased resources made available in the summer supplementary estimate (HC486) for the processing of asylum applications. This also accounts for the £1 million increase for community services, which covers grants to organisations assisting asylum seekers. The £1 million reduction in the estimated outturn for other broadcasting is due to the changed requirements of the loan to the Radio Authority.

Other changes to the distribution of central Government's own expenditure are caused by reallocations of resources within the overall total.

1991 Departmental Report 1992 Departmental Report Changes
1992–93 1993–94 1992–93 1993–94 1992–93 1993–94
£ million £ million £ million £ million £ million Per cent. £ million Per cent.
Central Government
Prisons 1,290 1,300 1,363 1,399 73 (6) 99 (8)
Police 110 110 146 148 36 (33) 38 (35)
Forensic Science Agency 0 0 1 2 1 (—) 2 (—)
Emergency Planning 50 40 50 41 0 (0) 1 (2.5)
Fire 10 10 15 112 5 (50) 2 (20)
Central Administration 100 110 106 111 6 (6) 1 (1)
Court Services 30 30 38 38 8 (27) 8 (27)
Criminal Injuries Compensation 130 140 137 150 7 (5) 10 (7)
Probation and Aftercare 60 60 68 80 8 (13) 20 (33)
Miscellaneous Services 10 20 19 22 9 (90) 2 (10)
Immigration and Citizenship 120 140 166 199 46 (38) 59 (42)
Passport Department 50 60 58 60 8 (16) 0 (0)
Community Services 40 40 41 43 1 (2) 3 (8)
Other Broadcasting 0 0 1 -1 1 (—) -1 (—)
Total Central Government 2,000 2,060 2,227 2,376 227 (11) 316 (15)
Central Government grants to local authorities
Police 2,770 2,960 2,869 3,058 99 (4) 98 (3)
Of which:
Current 2,664) 2,850 2,752 2,932 92 (3) 82 (3)
Capital 110 110 118 126 8 (7) 16 (15)
Emergency Planning 20 20 27 28 7 (35) 8 (40)
Of which:
Current 20 20 23 24 3 (15) 4 (20)
Capital 0 0 4 4 4 (—) 4 (—)
Magistrates Courts 280 310 290 308 10 (4) -2 (-1)
Of which:
Current 230 250 236 252 6 (3) 2 (1)
Capital 50 60 54 56 4 (8) -4 (-7)
Probation 270 290 287 310 17 (6) 20 (7)
Of which:
Current 260 280 273 294 13 (5) 14 (5)
Capital 10 10 14 16 4 (40) 6 (60)
Commonwealth Immigrants 130 140 134 141 4 (3) 1 (1)
Fire 0 0 -3 0 -3 (—) 0 (0)
Total Central Government grants to local authorities 3,480 3,720 3,604 3,846 124 (4) 126 (3)
Of which:
Current 3,310 3,540 3,414 3,643 104 (3) 103 (3)
Capital 180 190 190 202 10 (6) 12 (6)

The total increases of £168 million in central Government current grants to local authorities are attributable to changed local authority estimates of expenditure and to grant adjustments for previous years. The only difference in the outturn for capital grant is to cover an increase of £1 million in capital expenditure by the Metropolitan police, and was authorised by the summer supplementary estimate (HC486).

Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect the rise in the estimate of outturn for 1991–92, as recorded in Cm 1909, will have on his Department's expenditure plans for 1992–93.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

Some of the developments affecting estimated outturn for 1991–92 can be expected to become a regular feature of the Department's expenditure. To the extent consistent with the resources available to my Department, such developments have been taken into account in planning expenditure in 1992–93.

Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what differences there are between the planned outturns for 1992–93 and 1993–94 and the planned expenditure for those years as recorded in last year's annual report; and what are the reasons for these differences.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

The information requested is as follows:

1991 Departmental Report 1992 Departmental Report Changes
1992–93 1993–94 1992–93 1993–94 1992–93 1993–94
£ million £ million £ million £ million £ million Per cent. £ million Per cent.
Credit Approvals 130 140 149 161 19 (15) 21 (15)
Total Central Government support to local authorities 3,610 3,860 3,753 4,007 143 (4) 147 (4)
Total Home Office 5,610 5,920 5,981 6,384 371 (7) 464 (8)
1 Figure shown is an amalgamation of both the Fire Service College and Other Fire, which are shown separately in the 1992 Departmental Report.

The main reasons for these differences are that additional provision has been made for extra police manpower; improved security and the ending of slopping out in prisons; increased expenditure to implement the Criminal Justice Act 1991 and continue the programme of diverting offenders from custody; and strengthening the immigration control system. Further details were given in the House Office news release accompanying the Home Office aspects of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's 1991 autumn statement. A copy of this news release was placed in the Library.

Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional commitments which will involve spending in the years after 1994–95 he has undertaken since the publication of his Department's 1991 annual report.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

In June 1991, I announced the appointment of Mr. Anthony Mullett, QPM as director-designate of the National Criminal Intelligence Service. The service will become operational on 1 April 1992 and will bring together a number of national units

1990–91 outturn 1991–92 estimated outturn Change Change after gross domestic product deflator
£ million £ million per cent. per cent.
Central Government
Prisons 1,342.0 1,447.0 8 1
Police 96.0 114.0 19 11
Forensic Science Service 18.0 2.0 -89 -89
Emergency Planning 55.0 53.0 -4 -10
Fire Service College 8.0 6.0 -25 -33
Other Fire 5.0 7.0 40 40
Central Administration 92.0 100.0 9 2
Court Services etc. 22.0 26.0 18 8
Criminal Injuries Compensation 100.0 119.0 19 11
Probation and Aftercare 39.0 49.0 26 17
Miscellaneous Services 14.0 21.0 50 40
Immigration and Citizenship 91.0 118.0 30 22
Passport Department 48.0 52.0 8 2
Community Services 36.0 39.0 8 0
Other Broadcasting — 1.0 — —
TOTAL 1,966.0 2,155.0 10 2
Local Authority Services
Police1 2,379.0 2,783.0 17 9
Magistrates Courts1 261.0 294.0 13 5
Probation 1 228.0 272.0 19 11
Emergency Planning 1 22.8 26.8 18 10
Commonwealth Immigrants 2 135.5 4 116.7 -14 -20
Fire 3 45.0 47.0 4 -2
TOTAL 3,071.3 3,539.5 15 8

such as the national drugs intelligence unit and the Interpol bureau, together with several national intelligence functions at present performed by the Metropolitan police.

The Home Office will be responsible for meeting the United Kingdom's share of the cost of a new Europe-wide, computer-based information system for immigration control purposes (the European information system).

Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what strategies he has to constrain expenditure if pay increases in 1992–93 are greater than allowed in departmental running costs plans.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

If pay increases in 1992–93 are greater than allowed in my Department's running costs plans. I will reconsider my priorities and seek offsetting savings.

Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes there have been in the 1991–92 estimated outturn compared with the 1990–91 outturn in(a) percentage terms and (b) after adjustment for the gross domestic product deflator.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

The information requested is as follows:

1 Current, capital and special grants, and credit approvals.
2 Current grants
3 Credit approvals.
4 Due to a change from paying grant in advance to paying grant in arrears, only three quarterly payments have been made during 1991–92.

Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures his Department has for keeping itself informed of the regional distribution of its expenditure and for correcting any significant unintended imbalances which appear.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

The nature of Home Office services is such that their provision is generally demand-led, and as the greater part of Home Office expenditure takes the form of grants to local authorities, the mechanism for achieving a fair distribution is inherently self-regulating. So far as the Home Office's own direct expenditure is concerned, it would not he feasible to adopt a policy of ensuring that such expenditure is divided proportionately between the regions because other considerations must take precedence in determining the distribution of resources. In the Prison Service, however, the vote is constructed broadly on the basis of regional structure, and each region bids for its own funds. The financial management system records expenditure against regional budgets. The position is monitored regularly by the central finance committee, which will adjust any imbalance by virement and/or by means of a supplementary estimate.