HC Deb 27 October 1989 vol 158 cc641-2W
Mr. Couchman

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give details of any revised cash limits for his Department's votes.

Mr. MacGregor

Subject to parliamentary approval to the necessary Supplementary Estimates, cash limits for the following votes will be revised as follows:

Class and vote Current cash limit Change Revised cash limit
£ £ £
XXIII. 1 494,136,000 +2,777,000 496,913,000
XII.2 3,123,761,000 +1,026,000 3,124,787,000
XII.4 73,477,000 +3,420,000 76,897,000

The whole of the increases on Class XII, Votes 1 and 2 and £177,000 of the increase on Class XII, Vote 4 are attributable to permitted carry-forward of capital underspends. My Department's overall entitlement to carry-forward under the end-year flexibility scheme was announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 20 July 1989 (Official Report, columns 257–62). The carry-forward on Class XII, Vote 1 is £635,000 less than the entitlement of £3,412,000 and the carry-forward on Class XII, Vote 2 is £635,000 greater than the entitlement of £391,000. There is therefore no change in the overall amount of end-year flexibility carry-over from that announced by the Chief Secretary on 20 July, but its distribution is different. This is because services formerly borne on Class XII, Vote 1 in 1988–89 are now borne on Class XII, Vote 2 in 1989–90.

The balance of the increase on Class XII, Vote 4 of £3,243,000 is for initial expenditure on the provision of a new headquarters building in Westminster for my Department.

These increases will be charged to the Reserve and will not, therefore, add to the planned total of public expenditure.