HC Deb 01 February 1996 vol 270 cc891-3W
Sir Hector Monro

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what changes he intends to make to the cash limits and running costs provision for 1995–96 within his responsibility. [13545]

Mr. Michael Forsyth

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, I intend to make changes to eight voted cash limits, three non-voted cash blocks and five running costs limits:

The cash limit element for class XIV, vote 1, agriculture and fisheries, Scotland will be reduced by £3,000,000 from £131,167,000 to £128,167,000 to take account of slower than expected take-up of measures aimed at providing support in special areas.

The cash limit for class XIV, vote 2, training programmes, roads and transport services, industrial and regional support, Scotland, will be reduced by £7,967,000 from £962,881,000 to £954,914,000. The reduced cash limit takes account of a transfer to the Department of Transport reflecting a decrease in requirement of £9,766,000 for grants to Strathclyde passenger transport authority to meet the costs of supporting rail services resulting from the restructuring of the railways; and the need to provide a non-voted external financing limit of £1,600,000 for the Scottish Transport Group. It also reflects increased provision of £3,000,000 transferred from class XIV, vote 1, to address pressure on the motorways and trunk roads current expenditure programme; and additional provision of £400,000 to meet costs resulting from the privatisation of the electricity industry which will be met from the proceeds of privatisation.

The cash limit for class XIV, vote 5, housing and environmental services, Scotland will be increased by a net total of £213,000 from £416,704,000 to £416,917,000. This reflects a reduction in housing support grant provision by £340,000, an increase in grant in aid to Scottish Homes of £169,000, provision of £176,000 transferred to class XIV, vote 8, and a net increase of £560,000 in gross running cost provision for Historic Scotland, from £15,821,000 to £16,381,000, reflecting the take-up of end year flexibility. Further increases in provision of £161,000 are offset fully by increased appropriations in aid. There is an increase in grant in aid provision for Scottish Natural Heritage of £1,000,000 which is offset fully by savings within the vote.

The cash limit for class XIV, vote 7, revenue support grant and payment of non-domestic rates, etcetera, Scotland will be increased by £256,000 from £4,974,997,000 to £4,975,253,000. The increase is a transfer from DSS class XIII, vote 2, in respect of residual housing benefit for Kirkcaldy and East Kilbride district councils following the recent transfer of new towns housing stock.

The cash limit for class XIV, vote 10, law, order, miscellaneous health and social work services, Scotland, will be increased by a net total of £358,000 from £315,773,000 to £316,131,000. The changes include a net transfer of £341,000 to the Scottish police college current provision from class XIV, vote 9, in respect of police superannuation. There is also a number of minor transfers within the vote and from other votes within the Scottish Office. The running cost provision decreases by £580,000 from £150,909,000 to £150,329,000.

The cash limit for class XIV, vote 12, hospital, community health, family health (part) and other health services, Scotland will be decreased by £9,416,000 from £3,161,003,000 to £3,151,587,000. This is due to: a transfer of £10,000,000 to class XIV, vote 11, to provide for increased expenditure on family health services, mainly drugs costs; a transfer of £11,000 to the health part of Class XIV, vote 10, for the Mental Welfare Commission; and an increase of £595,000 as a result of a transfer from the non-voted element of the NHS trusts' external financing limit. This, together with other transfers within vote 12, means that the NHS trusts' external financing limit will be increased by £6,702,000 from £36,403,000 to £43,105,000. Overall, the above changes will have no effect on provision for the Scottish health programme.

The cash limit for class XIV, vote 18, Scottish Office administration, is being increased by £1,327,000 from £174,607,000 to £175.934,000. Within this total, the running cost provision for Scottish Office administration is being increased by £619,000 from £153,120,000 to £153,739,000 as a result of transfers from Property Holdings, from an agreed claim on the reserve covering the Scottish Office apportionment for rent registration costs arising from housing benefit changes, less an intra vote transfer. The capital provision is also being increased as a result of a transfer from Property Holdings less an inter vote transfer and a technical transfer from running costs.

The Scottish Office running cost limit—covering votes 1, 5, 10, 15 and 18—is increased by £608,000 from £339,608,000 to £340,216,000. In addition to the changes referred to, running cost provision on vote 1 will increase by £9,000.

The cash limit for class XIV, vote 19, Scottish Record Office is being increased by £1,641,000 from £5,459,000 to £7,100,000. Within this total, the Scottish Record Office running cost limit is being increased by £641,000 from £5,586,000 to £6,227,000 and results from a transfer from Property Holdings and the take-up of 50 per cent. marginal extra receipts.

The non-voted cash limit SO/LA1, which covers non-housing capital expenditure by local authorities, is to be increased by £6,911,000 from £592,392,000 to £599,303,000, reflecting take-up of end year flexibility. The non-voted cash limit SO/LA2 which covers housing capital expenditure by local authorities and capital expenditure by new towns will be increased by £4,841,000 from £229,973,000 to £234,814,000. This reflects take-up of capital end year flexibility of £5,010,000 and a transfer of provision to Scottish Homes of £169,000, for which a complementary increase is included in the spring supplementary estimate for class XIV, vote 5. The non-voted cash limit SO/ERDF which covers European regional development fund payments in Scotland will be increased by £10,025,000 from 110,000,000 to £120,025,000 reflecting the take-up of end year flexibility.

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