HC Deb 27 October 1995 vol 264 cc828-9W
Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to change his Department's cash and running costs limits for 1995–96. [40637]

Mr. Gummer

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the following cash limit changes will he made.

The cash limit for class VII, vote 1 (housing and construction, England), covering sections B, C, D and G of that vote, will be increased by £425,000 from £111,990,000 to £112,415,000. This change reflects a transfer of provision from the Department of Social Security in respect of additional rent officer service costs arising from housing benefit changes.

The cash limits for regeneration, and countryside and wildlife, will be increased by £12,283,000 from £1,482,233,000 to £1,494,516,000. The changes reflect the payment of £12,033,000 on capital projects which slipped from previous years for the city challenge programme within the single regeneration budget, the docklands light railway, Central Manchester development corporation, Plymouth development corporation, coalfield areas fund and the Victoria arena, Manchester. The increase is covered in full by take up of part of the entitlement to capital end year flexibility announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on July 13, 1995—Official Report, columns 776–82. A transfer of £250,000 from the Department of Health in respect of urban programme payments also is necessary following an excess transfer in the main estimates.

There will be associated increases to external financing limits for urban development corporations, by £15,775,000 from £243,739,000 to £259,514,000; and by £12,000,000 from £143,898,000 to £155,898,000 for the Urban Regeneration Agency (English Partnerships).

The Department of the Environment/European Regional Development Fund cash limit will be increased by £9,000,000 from £184,219,000 to £193,219,000 through the take-up of part of the entitlement to end year flexibility on the DOE Regeneration, and Countryside and Wildlife cash limit announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on July 13, 1995, Official Report, columns 776–82. Of this, £3,000,000 is for supplementary credit approvals for local authority capital projects and £6,000,000 for other payments.

The cash limit for class VII, vote 3—Environmental Protection and Water—will be reduced by £91,000 from £311,535,000 to £311,444,000. The change reflects a transfer of provision for storage and distribution of energy efficiency publicity materials to vote 5 and a token supplementary estimate to take on expenditure on pneumoconiosis compensation and awareness of workplace health issues from class V, vote 1 as a result of machinery of government changes.

The cash limit for class VII, vote 5 (Administration) will be increased by £91,000 from £226,009,000 to £226,100,000 to reflect the transfer of Energy Efficiency Office provision from class VII, vote 3 (Environmental Protection and Water) for the storage costs of publicity material. In addition, the Department will receive payment of £543,000 from class V, vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services) in respect of staff and other support costs relating to liaison with the Health and Safety Executive, which is offset by an equivalent increase to running costs.

Overall, the Department's gross running costs limit will be increased by £634,000 from £228,220,000 to £228,854,000.

Following the announcement on 5 July of the creation of the new Department for Education and Employment and the consequent machinery of government changes, the Department of the Environment is now responsible for class V, vote 3 (Health and Safety Commission—previously entitled Health and Safety Commission and Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service). To effect this change in responsibility, a token increase of £1,000 is sought for this cash-limited vote.

The cash limit for class VII, vote 6 (Office for Water Services) will be increased by £819,000 from £8,146,000 to £8,965,000 in order to take-up end year flexibility on running costs, announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on July 13, 1995, Official Report, columns 776–82.

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