Mr. Robert G. HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has made any changes to both the cash and gross running costs limits for the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys for 1989–90.
§ Mr. FreemanSubject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class628W XX, vote 15 will be increased by £1,515,000 from £30,253,000 to £31,768,.000. This increase reflects the carry forward of £192,000 underspend on running costs in 1988–89 under the end-year flexibility scheme and increased provision of £485,000 for work to correct NHS statistics held on the family practitioner committee systems; the carry forward of £323,000 underspend on capital in 1988–89 under the end-year flexibility scheme; an additional £1,000,000 to allow for greater computer capacity for system development work on the 1991 census (this represents a timing change within the overall 1991 census expenditure); increased capital provision of £200,000 for processing the 1991 census of Scotland. The costs to correct the NHS statistics and for processing the 1991 census of Scotland will be met from within the respective existing resources of the Department of Health and the General Register Office (Scotland). Both of these costs will be balanced by an equivalent increase in appropriations-in-aid. The balance of the increase will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
The OPCS gross running cost limit for class XX, vote 15 will be increased by £677,000 from £35,377,000 to £36,054,000 as a result of these changes.