§ Mr. Matthew BanksTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the entitlements for 1995–96 resulting from the carry forward of underspends allowed under the new end-year flexibility scheme for structural funds relating to the 1994 to 1999 programme period. [39964]
§ Mr. WaldegraveA new end-year flexibility scheme has been introduced to allow Departments to match the level of public expenditure provision in their own programmes to the flow of EU receipts in any particular year. For the new structural funds programme period which started in 1994 and runs until 1999, the eligible Departments will be able to carry forward into the following year underspends on all their expenditure relating to the European regional development fund, the European social fund, and the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund—objective 5b. A list of entitlements for 1995–96, totalling £191,594,000, is shown in the following table.
654W
Entitlements for 1995–96 resulting from the carryforward of underspends relating to the 1994–99 Structural Funds Programme Period Department £ Thousands Department of Trade and Industry 1,500 Department of the Environment 16,328 Department for Education and Employment 139,887 Welsh Office 10,000 Scottish Office 23,879 Total structural funds 191,594 Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimates, individual cash limits will be increased as appropriate when entitlement is taken up.
Take-up of end-year flexibility under the new scheme will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.