§ Mr. Harrisasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether any changes to Votes and cash limits for which he is responsible are proposed as a result of the change in departmental responsibility for coast protection.
§ Mr. JoplingResponsibility for coast protection was transferred to my Department from 1 April. A Supplementary Estimate will be sought for Class III Vote 3 Agricultural Support, Animal Health, Land Drainage and Flood Protection (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food), which is not subject to a cash limit, to provide for grant-aid of up to £ 11 million to local authorities undertaking approved coast protection schemes. This will be accompanied by a revised Estimate and corresponding reduction in Class VIII Vote 1 Local Environmental and Planning Services, etc. England (Department of the Environment).
Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the cash limit for Class III Vote 4 Agricultural and Food Services and Support for the Fishing Industry (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) will be increased by £408,000 from £144,365,000 to £144,773,000 to provide for externally commissioned research and development work on coast protection.
At the same time a revised Estimate will be presented and the cash limit for Class VIII Vote 5 Central Administration and Environmental Research (Department of the Environment) reduced by £454,000 from £148,819,000 to £148,365,000. This reduction includes £33,000 in respect of the administrative expenditure associated with coast protection work, which if required will be made available subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate to MAFF later in the year, and £ 13,000 in respect of the transfer of funds, again subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, from the Department of the Environment to the Department of Education and Science to support additional expenditure on housing management studentships funded by that Department on behalf of the Department of the Environment.
These changes to MAFF Votes correspond with the provisions previously made by the Department of the Environment for the same purposes. No overall change in public expenditure is involved.