§ Mr. BaldryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any changes to announce to his Department's cash limits or the running cost limit for 1988–89.
§ Mr. RidleyThe cash limit for Class X, Vote 5 (Department of the Environment: administration) has been reduced by £0.160 million from £123.597 million to £123.437 million. This results from the transfer of responsibility for payments to the Post Office for issuing game licences from my Department to the Home Office. The departmental running costs limit has also been reduced by £0.160 million from £155.222 million to £155.062 million.
The cash limit for Class X, Vote 6 (rate support grants, England) has been reduced by £400 million from £10,224.200 million to £9,824.200 million. The latest estimate of block grant payable in respect of 1988–89 is £8,938 million, £533 million less than provided in the settlement and hence in the original vote estimate. However, there are indications that this underclaim will reduce later in the year and in the light of this and other information I consider a reduction of £400 million to be appropriate.
358WThe cash limit for Class X, Vote 9 (sale of shares in water services plcs etc.) has been reduced by £60,000 from £2,500,000 to £2,440,000. This is to provide for expenditure to be incurred by the Secretary of State for Wales on advice relating to the privatisation of the Welsh water authority.