§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the areas of responsibility within the Department which have seen the largest real terms increase in spending since 1 May 1997; and if he will make a statement on the outcomes. [59456]
§ Mr. MealeThe Government took the decision on coming to office that they would retain the previous Administration's spending plans for 1997–98 and 1998–99. Only relatively minor adjustments to the Department's spending plans, therefore, will have occurred in respect of expenditure up to date.
The Government were able, however, to announce the results of their Comprehensive Spending Review in July this year and this made significant adjustments to the Department's spending plans for 1999–2000 onwards. Details are set out in the White Paper "Modernising Public Services for Britain: Investing in Reform (Cm 4011) presented to the House in July 1998.
The White Paper makes it clear that there will be a total real terms increase in the Department's spending of over 18 per cent. between 1998–99 and 2001–02. This represents an underlying real terms increase of 34 per cent. after taking account of the one-off consequences of existing rail franchise contracts, the new Public-Private Partnership for London Underground and the revised Channel Tunnel Rail Link concession. Within these totals there will be major increases for expenditure on improving energy efficiency (a real terms increase of nearly 90 per cent.), housing (nearly 50 per cent.) and regeneration (37 per cent.). There will be significant real terms increases to other programmes too.
The key expected outcomes from the Department's programmes are set out in the White Paper. Further information on targets will be included in the Public Service Agreements which the Government intend to publish shortly.