HC Deb 04 June 1991 vol 192 cc157-8W
Mr. Gwilym Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to make any changes to the 1991–92 cash limits for class XVI, votes 4, 5, 8 and 10.

Mr. David Hunt

Yes. Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary and revised estimates, the cash limit on class XVI, vote 4 will be increased by £8,408,000, from £143,000,000 to £151,408,000; the cash limit on class XVI, vote 5 will be increased by £724,000, from £399,151,000 to £399,875,000; the cash limit on class XVI, vote 8 will be increased by £10,291,000, from £1,120,386,000 to £1,130,677,000; and the cash limit on class XVI, vote 10 will be reduced by £62,716,000, from £1,827,515,000 to £1,764,799,000.

The increase to vote 4 provides additional resources for training and enterprise councils in respect of employment training.

The increase to vote 5 comprises: (i) the provision of resources for grant-maintained schools (£500,000) which are offset by a corresponding reduction in class XVI, vote 10; (ii) additional provision in respect of various payments to be made to the Department of Education and Science (£1,108,000) which will be offset by a corresponding reduction in class XI, votes 1 and 2; and (iii) a reduction in the provision for rating work by valuation offices, following an amended VAT ruling by Customs and Excise (£884,000). This reduction will be used to offset in part an increase in class XVI, vote 11 in respect of flood, storm and emergency services.

The increase to vote 8 comprises: (i) additional resources towards meeting the cost of the pay awards recommended in the 1991 report of the review bodies for nursing staff, midwives, health visitors and professions allied to medicine and on doctors' and dentists' remuneration (£10,100,000); and (ii) provision for the funding of occupational therapy training (£191,000).

The reduction to vote 10 is made up as follows. (i) There is a decrease of £62,000,000 in respect of the community charge reduction scheme, provision for which is being sought by means of a summer supplementary estimate on class XVI, vote 11. (ii) There is a decrease in the provision for rate support grant (£216,000) following the recalculation of local authorities' entitlements. The latter reduction will offset that element of the increase in class XVI, vote 11 in respect of flood, storm and emergency services (£1,100,000) not covered by the reduction from class XVI, vote 5. (iii) There is a decrease in the provision for revenue support grant (£500,000) to offset an increase in class XVI, vote 5 in respect of expenditure on grant-maintained schools.

As already announced, the increase in respect of review bodies' pay awards and the provision for employment training have been charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure. There is no net impact on public expenditure of the other changes shown above.