HC Deb 01 May 2002 vol 384 c885W
Mr. Flight

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much departmental underspend was carried over from financial years(a) 2000–01 to 2001–02 and (b) 2001–02 to 2002–03 (i) in total and (ii) in the health budget. [53591]

Mr. Andrew Smith

Table 6 of "Public Expenditure 2000–01—Provisional Outturn" (CM 5243) shows details of departmental entitlements to carry forward underspends from 2000–01 into 2001–02. The individual entitlements may also include an element of underspending from earlier years.

Details of the carry forward of 2001–02 underspends into 2002–03 are not available at present but will be announced before the summer recess.

Mr. Flight

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he plans to allow underspend to be carried forward to Departments other than the initial recipient Department. [53586]

Mr. Andrew Smith

The End Year Flexibility (EYF) scheme, introduced with effect from 1 April 1999, allows Departments to carry forward their departmental expenditure limits (DEL) underspends (normally less the value of DEL Reserve claims agreed during the year) from one year to the next. There are no plans to amend the scheme to allow the reallocation of one Department's underspending to another.

Mr. Flight

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the underspends were in the financial year 2001–02; for the Departments of(a) Health, (b) Education and Skills, (c) Defence, (d) Home and (e) Transport, Local Government and the Regions. [53592]

Mr. Andrew Smith

Table C14 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" shows estimated outturn by Department. Details of Department's final plans and provisional outturn figures for 2001–02 will be published before the summer recess.