§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 17 January,Official Report, column 398, on gross running costs, if he will make a statement on how the additional expenditure in each of those Departments incurring an increase is to be used. [14582]
§ Mr. Waldegrave[holding answer 6 February 1997]: The effectiveness of Government policy in bearing down on the costs of departmental administration has allowed increases in certain Departments' running costs to reflect key Government priorities.
Additional running costs provision for the Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise and the Department for Social Security reflects additional anti-fraud and anti-evasion measures. Further details of this "spend to save" package can be found on page 106 of the "Financial 118W Statement and Budget Report 1997–98". Extra provision for the Home Office reflects the projected growth in the prison population. Additional running costs provision for the agriculture departments is to fund the continuing package of measures to counter BSE.
The detailed allocation of running costs provision within Departments is a matter for individual spending Ministers.