§ Mr. Raymond S. RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes he proposes to make in his Department's diplomatic wing cash limits and running cost limits for 1992–93.
§ Mr. GoodladSubject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates the cash limit for class II, vote 1 (overseas representation) will be increased by £16,668,000 from £721,101,000 to £737,769,000 and the gross running costs limit on the vote will be increased by £4,311,000 from £519,529,000 to £523,840,000. For class II, vote 2 (other external relations) the cash limit will be increased by £241,337,000 from £178,791,000 to £420,128,000; for class II, vote 3 (external broadcasting and monitoring) by £3,142,000 from £162,711,000 to £165,853,000 and for class II, vote 4 (the British Council) by £2,994,000 from £88,669,000 to £91,663,000.
For vote 1 the cash limit increase of £16,668,000 is made up as follows: adverse overseas price movements 253W (£15,436,000), take up of capital end year flexibility (£829,000) as announced to the House by the Chief Secretary on 15 July 1992 (Official Report) columns 698–702), and transfers from other Government Departments (403,000) of which £173,000 is from Property Holding and £230,000 from the DTI.
The increase in the gross running costs limit of £4,311,000 reflects adverse overseas price movements (£6,638,000), transfers from other Government Departments (£403,000) and a payment from the private sector for the Taejon exhibition (£70,000), offset by a transfer of £2,800,000 out of running costs into Vote 2.
For vote 2 the cash limit increase of £241,337,000 is made up as follows: Programme increase (£204,312,000), adverse overseas price movements (£20,200,000), transfers from other Government Departments, (£525,000) of which £440,000 is from ODA and £85,000 from Department for Education, a transfer of provision from class II, vote 1 (£5,000,000), and an increase in VAT refunds (£11,300,000).
For vote 3 the cash limit increase of £3,142,000 reflects take up of capital end year flexibility as announced to the House by the Chief Secretary on 15 July 1992 (Official Report columns 698–702).
For vote 4 the cash limit increase of £2,994,000 is for adverse overseas price movements.
All the increases will either be offset by underspends elsewhere or charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.