HC Deb 31 March 1995 vol 257 cc831-2W
Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes he proposes to his Department's cash limit for 1994–95. [18062]

Mr. Gummer

I propose to make the following changes:

  1. a. The DOE/OES—other environmental services—non-voted cash limit will be increased by £15,828,000 from £30,390,000 to £46,218,000. This increase reflects the take-up of end year flexibility (£2,384,000), as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1994, Official Report, columns 729–34; a transfer of £580,000 from the vote 5—central environmental services etc.—cash limit from savings there; and a technical transfer of £12,864,000 from the DOE/NT—new towns—cash limit.
  2. b. The DOE/HC—Housing Corporation—non-voted cash limit, covering capital expenditure financed by the Housing Corporation in England, will be increased by £2,250,000 from £1,484,540,000 to £1,486,790,000. This increase reflects transfers from vote 5 and vote 8—revenue support grant, payment of non-domestic rates, Valuation Office services etc., England—and will be used to fund additional expenditure under the corporation's approved development programme.
  3. c. The DOE/LACAP—local authority capital—non-voted cash limit will be increased by £44,000 from £2,221,200,000 to £2,221,244,000. The increase will be matched by a corresponding reduction in the DOE/NT cash limit. This results from the provision of additional supplementary credit approval resources to Wrekin district council to purchase residual rented housing stock from the Commission for the New Towns.
  4. d. The DOE/RI—regeneration initiatives— non-voted cash limit will be increased by £321,000 from £1,298,357,000 to £1,298,678,000. The increase will allow the issue of an all capital purpose supplementary credit approval in respect of the East Manchester regeneration programme grant expenditure. The increase reflects the transfer of £321,000 from the cash limit for class VII, vote 5, which will be reduced accordingly.
  5. e. The DOE/NT—new towns—non-voted cash limit will be reduced by £11,280,000 from—£123,346,000 to —£134,626,000. This net reduction is the result of an increase of £1,628,000, reflecting the take-up of end year flexibility as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1994, Official Report, columns 729–34; and the reductions of £44,000, being transferred to DOE/LACAP, and £12,864,000, being transferred to DOE/OES, resulting from additional receipts from local authorities.
  6. f. The DOE/LGR—local government reorganisationnon—non-voted cash limit will be reduced by £4,435,000 from £44,660,000 to £40,225,000. The savings are due to lower than expected take-up of SCAs for the transitional costs of local government reorganisation and the delayed start-up of the Local Government residuary body, but partially offset by an increase in the granting of other SCAs.
  7. g. The cash limit for class VII, vote 5—central environmental services, etc.—will be reduced by £2,601,000 from £437,145,000 to £434,544,000. This reduction, possible because of forecast savings will allow increases of £1,700,000 to the DOE/HC cash limit; £580,000 to the DOE/OES cash limit; and £321,000 to the regeneration initiatives cash limit to be made.
  8. h. The cash limit for class VII, vote 8—revenue support grant, payments of non-domestic rates, Valuation Office services, etc. England—will be reduced by £550,000 from £29,633,432,000 to £29,632,882,000. This reduction is due to a £300,000 saving on valuation tribunals and a £250,000 saving on the Local Government Commission and will allow increases of £550,000 to the DOE/HC cash limit.

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