Cash Limits (Hansard, 12 November 1992)

§ Mr. David Hunt

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the cash limit on class XVI, vote 5 will be increased by £4,690,000 from £496,482,000 to £501,172,000; the cash limit on class XVI, vote 8 will be increased by £6,389.000 from £1,270,525,000 to £1,276,914,000; the cash limit on class XVI, vote 9 will be reduced by £1,174,000 from £60,297,000 to £59,123,000; and the cash limit for class XVI, vote 10 will be reduced by £2,960,000 from £2,172,936,000 to £2,169,976,000. In addition, a new cash limited vote has been introduced, class XVI, vote 12—provision for which has been set at £1,832,000. The urban block cash limitWO/UA—will be increased by £3,694,000 from £78,315,000 to £82,009,000, the local authority capital cash limit—WO/LACAP—will be reduced by £5,900,000 from £457,234,000 to £451,334,000, the running costs limit for the Department will be reduced by £1,273,000 from £74,361,000 to £73,088,000 and a new running costs limit of £1,819,000 has been introduced in respect of the office of Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools, in Wales.

The increase in the cash limit for vote 5 represents the net effect of: (a) increases in respect of (i) the take-up of end-year flexibility entitlement of £60,000 for running costs expenditure; (ii) a transfer of £9,000 from class VIII vote 7 to cover additional maintenance costs; (iii) an increase of £70,000 to cover the residual costs of water privatisation; (iv) a transfer of £4,220,000 from class XVI, vote 10 in respect of the annual maintenance grants of grant maintained schools; (v) a transfer of £223,000 from class XVI, vote 8 to cover the costs of medical course organisers; (vi) a transfer of £150,000 from class XI, vote 3 in respect of secure accommodation; and (vii) additional provision of £59,000 following the 1992 report of the review bodies for nursing staff, midwives, health visitors and professions allied to medicine; and (b) reductions in respect of (i) a transfer of £59,000 to class XVI, vote 12 to cover publicity and other costs to be incurred by the new office of Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools in Wales (OHMCI); and (ii) a transfer of £42,000 to class XI, vote 2 in respect of social work funds.

The increase in the cash limit for vote 8 comprises the take-up of both capital, £6,352,000, and current £200,000, 888W end-year flexibility entitlement, and a transfer from class XVI, vote 7, £60,000, for the safe disposal of medicines; partly offset by a transfer, £223,000, to class XVI, vote 5 to cover the costs of medical course organisers.

The reduction in the cash limit for vote 9 represents the net effect of: (a) increases in respect of (i) the take-up of both running costs, £234,000, and capital £181,000, end-year flexibility entitlement; and (ii) a transfer of £184,000 from class VIII, vote 7 to cover additional accommodation costs;

and (b) a transfer to class XVI, vote 12 to cover (i) the running costs expenditure, £1,760,000, and (ii) the capital expenditure, £13,000, of OHMCI.

The net reduction in the cash limit for vote 10 takes account of the transfer of £4,220,000 to class XVI, vote 5 in respect of grant maintained schools, partly offset by an increase of £1,260,000 in respect of rating work services.

The cash limit for vote 12 comprises transfers from class XVI, vote 5 of £59,000 and vote 9 of £1,773,000 in respect of the administration and associated costs of OHMCI.

The increase in the WO/UA cash limit represents the take-up of capital end-year flexibility entitlement from 1991–92 of £3,694,000.

The WO/LACAP cash limit will be reduced by £5,900,000 because provision which was made for prior-year capital grant adjustments is no longer required.

The entitlements to end-year flexibility for WO/UA and votes 8 and 9 were announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 15 July, Official Report, columns 698–702. So also was the increase in the Department's running costs limit which features in both vote 5, £60,000, and vote 9, £234,000.