§ Miss BeggTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if there are any proposals to amend his Department's departmental expenditure limit and running cost limits for 1999–2000. [97786]
§ Dr. ReidSubject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate for Class XIII, Vote I Scotland and Transfers to the Scottish Consolidated Fund, the Departmental Expenditure Limit for 1999–2000 will be increased by £314,030,000 from £13,809,474,000 to £14,123,504,000.
The increase will be offset by transfers of £6,074,000 from Environment, Transport and the Regions (Class III), of £73,000 from Wales (Class XIV), a net transfer of £1,259,000 from the Department of Social Security (Class XII), £1,177,000 to the Department of Health (Class IV), of £5,067,000 to Home Office (Class IV), of £957,000 to Education and Employment (Class I), the take up of end year flexibility as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 27 July 1999, Official Report, column 393, of £314,245,000 and £150,000 for The Giving Age. In addition responsibility for the expenditure of £170,000 relating to the Scottish Parliamentary Boundary Commission will transfer from the Scottish Executive to the Scotland Office and will be shown in Section F of Class XIII, Vote 1.
The running costs limit for the Scotland Office will be increased by £1,760,000 from £2,455,000 to £4,215,000 following a review of the administrative support required for the Secretary of State for Scotland. The increases will be offset by transfers and a charge on the DEL Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.