HC Deb 08 June 1993 vol 226 cc219-20W
Mr. Richards

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what changes he proposes to make to the cash limits for his Department in the current financial year.

Mr. Redwood

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary revised and supplementary estimates, the cash limit on class XV, vote 2 will be reduced by £750,000 from £170,030,000 to £169,280,000; the cash limit on class XV, vote 4 will be increased by £4,576,000 from £146,740,000 to £151,316,000; the cash limit on class XV, vote 5 will be increased by £502,000 from £786,996,000 to £787,498,000; and the cash limit on class XV, vote 9 will be increased by £921,000 from £64,362,000 to £65,283,000. The running costs limit for the Department will be increased by £880,000 from £76,486,000 to £77,366,000.

The reduction in the cash limit of vote 2 is in respect of a transfer of £:750,000 to vote 9 to provide for the running costs implications of the measures accompanying the reform of the common agricultural policy.

The increase of £4,576,000 for vote 4 comprises (a) £378,000 in respect of extra provision for business and enterprise support, (b) £660,000 in respect of additional resources for areas affected by coal closures, (c) £960,000 in respect of the new TEC Challenge Wales programme, (d) £2,474,000 in respect of the new learning for work programme and (e) £104,000 in respect of payments to the Department of Employment for employment services. With the exception of item (b), these increases form part of the special package of training measures announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget speech on 16 March.

Authority Allocation (£000s) Final Spend (£000s) Percentage over/ (under) spend against original allocation
1990–91
Clwyd 3,047 2,986 (2.8)
Dyfed 2,793 2,902 3.9
Gwent 3,575 3,526 (1.4)
Gwynedd 1,980 1,960 (1.0)
Mid Glamorgan 4,456 4,402 (1.2)
Powys 1,280 1,283 0.2
South Glamorgan 3,193 3,252 1.9
West Glamorgan 2,955 2,830 (4.2)
Total 23,278 23,141 (0.6)
1991–92
Clwyd 3,910 3,420 (12.5)
Dyfed 2,898 2,839 (2.1)
Gwent 3,677 3,649 (0.8)
Gwynedd 2,197 2,162 (1.6)
Mid Glamorgan 4,559 4,514 (1.0)
Powys 1,458 1,417 (2.8)
South Glamorgan 3,276 3,241 (1.1)
West Glamorgan 3,029 2,830 (6.6)
Total 25,004 24,071 (3.7)
1992–93
Clwyd 4,063 n.a. n.a.
Dyfed 3,344 n.a. n.a.
Gwent 4,386 n.a. n.a.
Gwynedd 2,351 n.a. n.a.
Mid Glamorgan 5,389 n.a. n.a.
Powys 1,726 n.a. n.a.
South Glamorgan 3,597 n.a. n.a.
West Glamorgan 3,312 n.a. n.a.

The increase of £502,000 for vote 5 represents a transfer from the Home Office in respect of capital provision for juvenile remand accommodation.

The increase of £921,000 for vote 9 comprises: (a) a transfer of £750,000 from vote 2, (b) a transfer of £90,000 from class VII, vote 11, (c) extra provision of £40,000 for the Local Government Staff Commission—advisory body —and (d) extra provision of £41,000 for other current expenditure. Items (a), (b) and (c) also represent increases to the running costs limit for the Welsh Office.

None of these proposed changes will add to the planned total of public expenditure.