§ Mr. DunnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any changes will be made to the cash limits and running cost limits of his Department in 1991–92.
§ Mr. WaldegraveSubject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the following changes will be made:
The cash limit for class XIII, vote 1—Hospital, community health, family health services (part) and related services, England—will increase by £110,667,000, from £16,410,032,000 to £16,520,699,000. This increase 182W covers additions of £100,841,000 for health authorities and other bodies for the increase in VAT announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 19 March 1991; £31,480,000 for the take-up of entitlement to carry-over underspends under the end-year flexibility arrangements, as announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 17 July 1991 and transfers from class XIII, vote 3 of £3,000,000 for construction of a building for orthotists and prosthetists and £500,000 for drug misuse publicity. These increases are partly offset by a reduction of £19,678,000 reflecting an increase in the NHS trusts' aggregate external financing limit, and transfers to class XIII, vote 3 of £4,679,000 for the NHS estates agency and £600,000 for the clinical standards advisory group, and to class XVI, vote 8 of £197,000 for an incentive bonus schemes policy group.
The cash limits for class XIII, vote 3—Department of Health, administration, miscellaneous health services and personal social services, England—will be increased by £6,960,000, from £726,469,000 to £733,429,000. This increase provides an additional £4,713,000 for litigation costs of haemophiliacs infected with HIV; £531,000 for the increase on VAT as mentioned above; £4,679,000 from class XIII, vote 1 for the NHS estates agency and £600,000 for the clinical standards advisory group; £91,000 from class XIV, vote 3 for an increase in petrol tax allowance and for replacement vehicles; £75,000 from class II, vote 5 for a contribution to the International Peto Institute; and £69,000 from class XIV, vote 4 for the low income scheme and computer equipment. These increases are partly offset by the transfers to class XIII, vote 1 mentioned above; £127,000 to class XI, vote 2 for conversion of social work training courses. Also as a consequence of the excess on the departmental running cost limit in 1990–91 a further reduction of £171,000 is being made.
The provision for running costs on class XIII, vote 3 and the Department's running cost limit is increased by £29,000 from £252,892,000 to £252,921,000. The increase is within the forecast outturn for the planning total included in the Chancellor's autumn statement today.