§ Mr. Tom Kingasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will transfer an official from his present duties in the Department with a view to seeking out possible areas where economies can be made in the Department's spending and for formulating plans for implementing economies.
§ Mr. KaufmanNo. Such a procedure would not be economical.
§ Mr. Tom Kingasked the Secretary of State for Industry what progress he has made in studying his Department's estimates with a view to making economies.
§ Mr. KaufmanConsideration of possible economies is a continuing aspect of the management of public expenditure programmes. All programmes are reviewed as part of the annual public expenditure survey, and the outcome of the 1975 survey will be reflected in the Public Expenditure White Paper.
§ Mr. Tebbitasked the Secretary of State for Industry if the financial control mechanism of his Department includes forecast spending levels through the year.
§ Mr. Gregor MackenzieYes.
§ Mr. Tebbitasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he has adequate means of monitoring whether the spending of his Department is currently running above or below the level envisaged in the estimates upon which the Chancellor's Budget was based.
§ Mr. Tebbitasked the Secretary of State for Industry whether the spending of his Department is currently running above or below the level envisaged when he made his expenditure estimates upon which the Chancellor's Budget is based.
§ Mr. KaufmanSince the Budget a number of policy decisions have been taken which will lead to increased expenditure, of which the most important are the purchase of shares in BLMC and the schemes for additional support to industry under Section 8 of the Industry Act 1972 announced in the Budget itself and since extended. Additional expenditure will also be required for support for certain individual firms under Sections 7 and 8 of the Industry Act; these have been the subject of separate announcements. Provision for BLMC, for payments under the Statutory Corporations (Financial Provisions) Act and for provision of additional public dividend capital to the British Steel Corporation, was taken in the 1975–76 Summer Supplementary Estimates. Provision for the remaining new expenditures referred to will be sought in the Winter Supplementaries.