HL Deb 25 February 2004 vol 658 cc28-9WS
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be increased by £60,035,000 from £1,708,768,000 to £1,768,784,000 and the administration costs limit will be increased by £34,778,000 from £795,600,000 to £830,378,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

New DEL
Change Voted Non-voted Total
Resource 46,596 1,524,729 173,527 1,698,256
Capital 13,439 64,728 5,800 70,528
Depreciation* -25,000 -124,194 -6,800 130,994
Total 35,035 1,465,263 172,527 1,637,790

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

  • A public expenditure survey (PES) transfer from the Home Office of £2,088,000 for European residence permits.
  • A PES transfer from the Home Office of £740,000 for biometrics trials in connection with the issue of UK visas.
  • An increase of £4,171,000 to fund increased contributions to international organisations subscriptions.
  • A decrease of £2,783,000 in respect of an adjustment for overseas price movements.
  • A PES transfer from the Cabinet Office of £500,000 in respect of Coalition Information Centre (CIC) costs.
  • A PES transfer to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) of £300,000 in respect of the e-business programme.
  • PES transfers from the DTI and Department for Transport totalling £134,000 (£67.000 each) in respect of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
  • An increase of £5,725,000 in respect of increases in providing consular and visa services overseas.
  • An increase of £27,149,000 in respect of increased Iraq-related security costs.
  • A PES transfer from HM Customs and Excise (HMC&E) of £806,000 and from the Home Office of £1,000,000 and £2,000.000 in respect of the WS 29 FCO Afghanistan drugs plan and an additional £122,000 from the Home Office to continue research techniques for identifying and measuring opium cultivation.
  • A PES transfer to the Home Office of £20,000 as a contribution to the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO).
  • A PES transfer from the Department for International Development (DfID) of £10,150,000 in respect of the remainder required to fund planned programme activity to the end of the financial year.
  • Take up of end-year flexibility (EYF) of £18,215,000 from a combination of underspends on the 2002–03 conflict prevention departmental unallocated provision (DUP) and DfID and FCO conflict pool (CP) underspends.
  • A PES transfer to DfID and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of £11,000,000 and £2,000,000 respectively for the remainder required to fund planned programme activity to the end of the financial year.
  • PES transfers to the Security and Intelligence Agencies (SIA) of £7,016,000 and £85,000 to reflect funding revisions for CP.
  • PES transfers to the MoD of £1,800,000 and £1,200,000 to reflect funding revisions for CP.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

  • An increase of £9,000 in respect of an adjustment for overseas price movements.
  • An increase of £9,751,000 in respect of increased Iraq-related security costs.
  • A PES transfer from the Home Office of £1,013,000 in respect of the setting up of a new visa regime in Kingston.
  • A PES transfer from the Home Office of £912,000 for European residence permits.
  • A PES transfer from the Home Office of £122,000 for biometrics trials in connection with the issue of UK visas.
  • PES transfer from HMC&E of £816,000 in respect of the FCO Afghanistan drugs plan.
  • A PES transfer from the DTI of £816,000 in respect of the e-business programme.