§ Mr. AlexanderTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the budget for local authority208W current expenditure on technical and supervisory services was combined with the budget for roads in table 8.1 of the public expenditure White Paper.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe separate subhead for professional and technical services has been abolished and the expenditure charged out to roads and public transport expenditure to bring its treatment into line with that on local transport capital expenditure and with most other services. The change was agreed with the local authority associations.
§ Mr. AlexanderTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the reasons for the underspend on local authority capital expenditure on roads and parking for 1987–88 being revised from £145 million to £65 million in chart 8.23 of the public expenditure White Paper in 1988.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe estimated underspend given in Cm. 288–11 was based on recorded expenditure for the first quarter of 1987–88 only.
In its evidence to the Transport Select Committee the Department (footnote to table 3, page 14 of the Committee's report, HC 442) drew attention to the uncertainty attached to these estimates.
The revised figure shown in chart 8.23 of Cm. 621 is based on spending returns for the four quarters of 1987–8.
The consolidated outturn figures for 1987–88 are not expected before mid-1989. They will be published in next year's public expenditure White Paper.