§ Mr. StephenTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes he has to announce to the cash limit and gross running costs limit for the Office of Telecommunications.
§ Mr. McLoughlinSubject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit for class IV, vote 10, Office of Telecommunications, will be increased by £223,000 from £8,233,000 to £8,456,000.
The gross running costs limit for the Office of Telecommunications will also be increased by £223,000 from £7,861,000 to £8,084,000. The increase will enable the Office of Telecommunications to pay for personnel services provided by DTI in full. There is also a take-up of the end-year flexibility entitlement (£50,000) as announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1993 at columns 512–517.
The increase will be offset by additional VAT refunds of £60,000, by a transfer from DTI (class IV, vote 1) a charge to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.