§ 17. Mr. Wigleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total Contingency Reserve originally made for 1982–83; how much of this has already been taken up; and what effect this has had on the Government's economic and financial policies.
§ Mr. BrittanThe Contingency Reserve for 1982–83 was set at £2,250 million in the last public expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 8494) and increased to £2,400 million in the Budget. So far expenditure amounting to about £1,290 million has been charged to it. Containment of additional expenditure within the reserve helps to keep public expenditure as a whole within the planning total determined by the Government.