HC Deb 01 November 1993 vol 231 cc57-8W
Mr. Carrington

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes will be made to his Department's cash limits and running costs limit for 1993–94.

Mr. Heseltine

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class IV, vote 1 (support for business, consumer and investor protection, energy programmes and administration) will be increased by £1,051,000 from £1,236,060,000 to £1,237,111,000.

The gross running costs limit for the Department of Trade and Industry is being increased by £875,000 from £327,424,000 to £328,299,000 following transfers from the Department of Employment of £712,000 and Chessington Computer Centre for £581,000 offset by transfers from Her Majesty's Treasury of £135,000 in respect of accommodation costs, £233,000 of OFTEL for personnel services, and £50,000 to the Office of Public Service and Science in respect of a machinery of government transfer.

The supplementary estimate for £1,051,000 on class IV, vote 1 includes an increase of £641,000 in research establishments' capital expenditure as a result of take-up under the end-year flexibility arrangements announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1993, Official Report, columns 512–17.

There are some other changes in the allocation of provision. These include a £3,000,000 increase for energy programmes offset by a corresponding reduction of £3,000,000 for industrial research and space, a transfer to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of £500,000 in respect of the Taejon exposition and increased expenditure on the merger between the UKAEA and the Warren Spring Laboratory mostly offset by a reduction in departmental capital expenditure.

In addition, subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class IV, vote 4 (privatisation of the coal industry) will be increased by £4,800,000 from £7,500,000 to £12,300,000. The increase covers the additional costs of privatisation advisers' fees and the commissioning of consultants by management buy-out teams. Provision has also been made in the total for recovery of VAT.