HC Deb 03 November 1983 vol 47 cc417-8W
Mr. Chope

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the cash limits on Department of the Environment Votes and non-voted cash blocks.

Mr. Patrick Jenkin

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the following adjustments will be made.

The cash limit for Vote VIII 7, Urban Development Corporations England will be increased by £14,175,000 from £80,649,000 to £94, 824,000. The increase comprises:

  • — An increase of £5.175 million to enable the London Docklands Development Corporation to purchase the Royal Victoria dock from the Port of London Authority. This increase is matched by a correspoinding reduction in 418 Department of Transport's provision for ports expenditure.
  • —A transfer of £10 million of urban programme resources originally earmarked for urban development grant within the non-voted cash block DOE-LA1, in order to maintain the momentum of development in London docklands.
  • —A reduction of £1 million to allow for the retention of receipts by the development corporation.

The external financing limit for the UDCs will be correspondingly increased to £95,124,000.

The cash limit for the non-voted cash block DOE-HC1, capital expenditures in England on housing financed by the Housing Corporation will be increased by £4 million from £620–4 million to £624.4 million to enable the Housing Corporation to fund outstanding applications under the do-it-yourself shared ownership scheme. The increase will be offset by a corresponding reduction in non-voted cash block DOE-LA1.

The cash limit DOE-LA1 will also be reduced by £0.25 million to offset increased expenditure on derelict land reclamation grant payments to individuals and bodies other than local authorities under Vote VIII 2.

The cash limit for cash block DOE-LA1. capital expenditure in England by local authorities, will be reduced by a total of £14.2 million from £2,949.7 million to £2,935.4 million in consequence of these changes, none of which will add to the planning total of public expenditure.