HC Deb 12 November 1992 vol 213 cc862-3W
Mr. Cyril D. Townsend

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes have been made in the 1992–93 cash limit for expenditure by the Overseas Development Administration.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit on the external assistance vote (class II vote 5) will be increased by £54,184,000 from £1,743,015,000 to £1,797,199,000. Included in this amount are additional resources of £14,091,000 for the United Kingdom subscription costs to the European bank of reconstruction and development; £2,966,000 for the finacial sector scheme for the former Soviet Union (FSU); £315,000 to cover transport costs of the delivery of the United Kingdom share of emergency EC food aid to the FSU last winter and a transfer of £150,000 from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for assistance to the FSU food sector. Also included is a further transfer of £450,000 from the Department of the Environment for conservation work in Africa. The balance of the increase is for rollover of underspend against 1991–92 EC attribution provision, £15 million of which has been allocated for additional humanitarian relief for former Yugoslavia. The running costs limit for the ODA has been increased by £432,000 from £46,922,000 to £47,354,000. This includes £224,000 in respect of end of year flexibility arrangements, a transfer of £58,000 from Property Holdings and £150,000 from existing resources to cover additional costs of administering the programme of assistance to eastern Europe and the FSU. All the increases are within the forecast outturn for the planning total included in the Chancellor's autumn statement today.