§ Mr. CranTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the cash limits for Northern Ireland departmental services and for the Northern Ireland Office for 1988–89.
§ Mr. Ian StewartThe cash limit for Northern Ireland departmental services (NIDI) is being increased by £19.6 million for £2,479.3 million to £2,498.9 million. This incorporates the increases to provision announced previously (totaling £29.1 million) in respect of the 1988 Health Service pay review body awards. The cash limit increase is partly offset by savings elsewhere of £9£5 million. This increase will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
769WSubject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the 1988–89, cash limit for the Northern Ireland office-class XVIII, vote I-will be increased by £2,969,000 from £579,199,000 to £582,168,000 to cover increased requirements for expenditure on law, order, protective and miscellaneous services. Major components of the net increase are an additional provision of £3 million for the RUC, and an increased requirement to cover criminal damage and criminal injury compensation claims. These increases are partly offset by the NIO and Northern Ireland departmental expenditures, and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
The net effect of these changes on the NI public expenditure total (including NIDI, NIO and non cash limited NI departmental services) is an increase from the reserve of £29.1 million.