HC Deb 03 February 1995 vol 253 cc926-7W
Mr. Hendry

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to change his Department's cash limits and running costs limits; and what proposals there are to change the cash limit and running costs limit of passenger rail services and the Office of the Rail Regulator for 1994–95.

Dr. Mawhinney

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the following changes will be made:

  1. (i) The cash limit for class VI, vote 1—Highways Agency—will be increased by £243,000 from £2,142,659,000 to £2,142,902,000. The increase in the cash limit arises from adjustments in funding relating to the formation of the Highways Agency between this vote and class VI, vote 2.
  2. (ii) The cash limit for class VI, vote 2—administration arid transport services—is reduced by £1,733,000 from £251,045,000 to £249,312,000. The reduction is made up of transfers to class VI, vote 1, £243,000, and to class VI vote 7, £1,670,000, offset by a transfer from class 1, vote 1, £180,000, for bounty payments to the Merchant Navy reserve.
  3. (iii) The cash limit on class VI, vote 4—Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency—is reduced by £4,000,000 from £179,003,000 to £175,003,000, made up of transfers of £2,461,000 to class VI, vote 7 and £1,539,000 to class VI, vote 8 for consultancies.
  4. (iv) The cash limit for class VI, vote 5—local roads and transport—is reduced by £2,150,000 by from £592,573,000 to £590,423,000. This reflects a reduction in the cash limit to this vote of £3,625,000 offset by the take up of end year flexibility entitlement as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1994, Official Report, columns 729–34.
  5. (v) The cash limit for class VI, vote 7—passenger rail services—will be increased by £52,131,000 by transfers from class VI, vote 2, £1,670,000, class VI, vote 4, £2,461,000, and from non-voted expenditure from £1,747,500,000 to £1,799,631,000. The additional provision is required for sums due to British Railways Board in respect of public service obligations and for costs of administrative and miscellaneous services.
  6. (vi) The cash limit for class VI, vote 8—Office of the Rail Regulator—will be increased by £1,539,000 from £7,712,000 to £9,251,000. The additional provision is made up of a transfer from class VI, vote 4 for consultancies offset by additional appropriations in aid.
  7. (vii) The Department of Transport local authority capital cash limit has been increased by £3,732,000 from £297,358,000 to £301,090,000. This reflects the take up of end year flexibility entitlement as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1994, Official Report, columns 729–34.
  8. (viii) The Department of Transport running costs limits has been reduced by £3,755,000 from £417,993,000 to £414,238,000 and the Office of the Rail Regulator running 927 costs limit has been increased by £1,514,000 from £6,170,000 to £7,684,000.

The overall increases will be offset by transfers or charged to the reserve and will not, therefore, add to the planned total of public expenditure.

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