§ Lady Olga MaitlandTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what changes she proposes to make to her Department's cash limits and running cost limits for 1996–97. [2432]
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleySubject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class X, vote 1 will be increased by £14,107,000 from £948,760,000 to £962,867,000 arid running costs limit is increased by £3,340,000 from £26,137,000 to £29,477,000. This is to increase provision for assets accepted in lieu of tax; within the new project ceiling, to increase provision to fund works required to complete the British Library St. Pancras building; to provide for payments from the National Heritage lottery fund to the royal commission for historical manuscripts for assessment work; to provide for additional expenditure on the royal estate and to transfer responsibility to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for maintenance work connected with ceremonial works; to provide for payments from the Department of the Environment—class VI, vote 5—towards the cost of refurbishing Somerset house for the housing of the Gilbert collection; to provide for additional appropriations from rents and other income from properties on the royal estate; to provide for the transfer of responsibility for costs of the Whitehall heating system for the Banqueting house to the Historic Royal Palaces agency; to provide for additional appropriations from sales of published material by the Royal Fine Art Commission; to provide for a reduction in expenditure on research and other services; to provide for an increase in running costs expenditure in line with entitlement to end year flexibility, to effect the transfer of responsibility for voluntary services from the Home Office and to transfer provision from the Security Facilities Executive agency for advisory services; to effect transfers from Home Office for grants for reducing racial disadvantage and for assistance to the National Association of Lay Visitors; and to provide for the expenses of the Department in the privatisation of the BBC transmission services. The increases will be offset by transfers, savings and charges to the reserve, and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.