HC Deb 19 January 1989 vol 145 c266W
Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of the end year flexibility scheme for his Department's 1987–88 cash limits, showing(a) eligible expenditure, (b) maximum carry-forward and (c) actual carry-forward in each case.

Mrs. Rumbold

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 21 July 1988, at columns725–28, to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Squire). The increases in provision for 1988–89 arising from capital underspend in 1987–88, allowed under the end-year flexibility scheme, were £2.180 million on class XII, vote 1, where the eligible expenditure was £43.606 million; and £0.370 million on class XII, vote 3, where the eligible expenditure was £153.640 million. In each case the carry-forward was the maximum permitted under the end-year flexibility scheme.

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of 1987–88 underspending of his Department's 1987–88 cash limits for items in class XII, vote 1, which were outside the end of year flexibility scheme showing(a) expenditure authorised in the Vote and (b) the amount underspent in each case and of the adjustments that have been made to expenditure plans for later years to compensate for the underspending in 1987–88.

Mrs. Rumbold

The cash limit for class XII, vote 1 in 1987–88 was £378.9 million. Expenditure was £348.5 million. Of the total underspend of £30.4 million, £25.6 million was accounted for by the level of claims for the LEA training grant scheme and £1.8 million by the level of claims for education support grants. The remaining underspend arose from a variety of causes across the Vote. The level of provision for the LEA training grant scheme and for education support grants in 1988–89 has been set to allow for claims arising in respect of earlier years.