HC Deb 24 July 1980 vol 989 cc315-6W
Mr. Bright

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will make a statement about Her Majesty's Stationery Office's expenditure in the financial year 1979–80.

Mr. Channon

On the basis of the provisional figures currently available Her Majesty's Stationery Office's net expenditure in 1979–80 is expected to show an excess of £09 million over the approved cash limit of £114.3 million. Gross expenditure was within the original PES provision at constant prices, but there was a short-fall in receipts which, due to a failure in the monitoring system, was not detected in sufficient time for full corrective action to be taken.

Consequent on the introduction of a trading fund for Her Majesty's Stationery Office from 1 April 1980, the Vote for stationery and printing has disappeared. It is not, therefore, possible to deduct the amount of the overspend from Her Majesty's Stationery Office's cash limit for the current year but it has been set against the amounts available to Her Majesty's Stationery Office for working capital.

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