HC Deb 27 November 2002 vol 395 cc18-20WS
The Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Alistair Darling)

By convention Suplementary Estimates are published after an announcement on associated changes to the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) and administration cost limit. Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary estimate, the Department for Transport departmental expenditure limit for 2002-03 will be £8,928,473,000 and the administration costs limit will be £479,446,000.

The departmental expenditure limit comprises £8,146,571,000 transferred from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, following Machinery of Government changes, and a subsequent increase of £781,902,000. within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the table:

£'000
Resources Capital
Transferred from ODPM 3,078,357 5,068,214
Change 174,878 607,024
New DEL 3,253,235 5,675,238,
Of which:
Voted 1,862,956 3,362,095
Non voted 1,390,279 2,313,143

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from: (i) take up of £150,800,000 of resource end year flexibility, comprising:

(a) £139,627,000 for the Strategic Rail Authority (non-voted) to meet extra costs that have arisen on some passenger rail franchises;

(b) £11,173,000 to increase the Road Haulage Modernisation Fund (including £800,000 that has been transferred to the Department for Education and Skills for the Learning and Skills Council's training scheme for the road haulage industry); (ii) take up of £13,020,000 capital end year flexibility for the Highways Agency to support resource expenditure in line with the Agency's business plan; (iii) a transfer of £200,000 to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in respect of fishermen's' safety training; (iv) a transfer of £782,000 from the Home Office for research on dedicated vehicle identity checks; (v) a transfer of £3,800,000 (administration costs) to the Department for Work and Pensions in respect of contributions to the Health and Safety Commission's work on implementation of the recommendations in Lord Cullen's report on the rail accident at Ladbroke Grove; (vi) the transfer of £15,141,000 from the capital element of the DEL to the resource element, comprising:

(a) £7,230,000 for aviation services;

(b) £538,000 for London Underground PPP Advisors;

(c) £7,373,000 for the Strategic Rail Authority (non-voted);

(vii) an increase in receipts of £65,000 to offset capital expenditure on maintenance of the International Maritime Organization building. The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

(i) a call on the DEL reserve of £643,000,000 and a transfer of £100,000,000 from departmental unallocated provision to ensure continued funding of, and increased investment in, London Underground Limited;

(ii) a draw down of £9,100,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund comprising:

(a) £8,600,000 for Electronic Service Delivery of Abnormal Loads; and

(b) £500,000 for the Vehicle Certification Agency's WIMS project;

(iii) a transfer of £30,000,000 to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to re-imburse a transfer from housing capital programmes made in 2001–02; (iv) a transfer of £15,141,000 from Trans European networks payments for rail and other transport industries projects to the resource element of the DEL; (v) a transfer from non-voted credit approvals of £28,078,000 to voted programmes in support of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (£9,517,000), road user charging (£1,941,000), Transport Direct (£1,000,000), water freight grants (£8,247,000), local authorities requesting support for "accepted" road schemes (£6,229,000) and Promoting Sustainable Travel Initiatives1 Cycle Fund (£1,144,000); (vi) a transfer of £11,307,000 from voted provision for the Highways Agency to non-voted credit approvals for de-trunking programmes; (vii) a transfer of £38,000,000 from voted provision for the Highways Agency to the Strategic Rail Authority (non-voted) to meet additional project development costs; (vii) an increase of £65,000 in respect of maintenance of the International Maritime Organization building, offset by resource appropriations in aid.

The administration costs limit comprises £483,246,000 transferred from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, following Machinery of Government changes, and a subsequent reduction of £3,800,000.

All of these changes will be offset by inter-departmental transfers or charged to the DEL Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.