§ Mr. RammellTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans she has to change the 2000–01 Departmental Expenditure Limit or running cost limit for the Cabinet Office. [137363]
§ Marjorie MowlamSubject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates:
The Departmental Expenditure Limit for Cabinet Office (Class XVII, Vote 1 and Vote 3) will be increased by £51,988,000 from £194,960,000 to £246,948,000 and the gross running costs limit will be increased by £18,192,000 from £95,562,000 to £113,754,000. Also the net running costs limit will be decreased by £3,000,000 from £2,827,000 to -£173,000.
This is mainly to take account of the following changes:
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- (a) A transfer payment from Inland Revenue (Class XVI, Vote 5) (£15,000,000) towards development of the Government Gateway part of the Corporate IT Strategy for Government; and a payment to the Department of Social Security: administration (Class XII, Vote 3) (£5,000) in respect of Inter-Ministerial Group on Older People.
- (b) An investment in the Modernising Government agenda and Cabinet Office Action Plan (£2,788,000) to be funded from the Invest to Modernise Fund; an investment is the infrastructure for e-government, including the Knowledge Network, as part of the Corporate IT Strategy to be funded from the Capital Modernisation Fund (£21,000,000).
- (c) The Cabinet Office has taken up end-year flexibility (£13,205,000) from its entitlement (£24,388,000) as set out in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper Cm 4812 published on 18 July 2000. This is to fund ongoing activities within the Cabinet Office including establishing the e-Envoy and funding slippage in programmes from the previous year.
The increase will be offset by transfers or charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.