§ Mr. StinchcombeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes will be made to cash and running cost limits within her responsibility for 1997–98. [5548]
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§ Mrs. BeckettSubject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class IV, vote 1—programmes and administration—will be increased by a token amount of £1,000. This increase results from
(i) the transfer of responsibility for the Competitiveness Unit to the Department of Trade and Industry from the Cabinet Office: Office of Public Service (Class XVII, Vote 1) resulting in an increase of –1,694,000 to vote section C (Departmental capital and administration) offset by a payment of –1,693,000 from the Cabinet Office under a new vote section M of class IV, vote 1; and,(ii) an increase of –270,000 to the Iron and Steel Employees Readaptation Benefits Scheme offset by a corresponding increase in individual industry receipts under section B of the Vote.Within this total, the gross running cost limit for the Department of Trade and Industry is being increased by –1,692,000 from –365,001,000 to –366,693,000 as a result of the Competitiveness Unit transfer.Also, subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class IV, vote 9—Office of Gas Supply—will be increased by –1,975,000 from –8,100,000 to –10,075,000 and the running cost limit by –1,975,000 from –9,437,000 to –11,412,000. The requirement for an increase results from an increase in running costs associated with the introduction of domestic competition.
The DTI token increase will be offset by savings, and the OFGAS increase will be charged to the Reserve. Neither will therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.