§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been allocated from the contingency fund to finance the military action in Afghanistan. [35767]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe Contingencies Fund is not part of the Government's budgetary arrangements. It allows for cash advances to departments for expenditure on urgent services in anticipation of parliamentary approval.
MOD are seeking an advance pending Spring Supplementary Estimates approval for £1.6 billion, to be repaid once the Estimate is approved. This relates to a range of additional resources for MOD, including Afghanistan.
I refer my hon. Friend to the answers given by the Minister of State for the Armed Forces on 26 February 2002, Official Report, column 1133-34W, which set out the level of MOD spending on Afghanistan.