HC Deb 31 January 1997 vol 289 cc414-6W
Sir Mark Lennox-Boyd

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes will be made to cash and running cost limits within his responsibility for 1996–97. [14201]

Mr. Lang

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the following changes will be made.

The cash limit for class IV, vote 1—programmes and administration—will be decreased by £22,105,000 from £1,315,585,000 to £1,293,480,000. This decrease results from the following reductions in expenditure.

  1. (i) £11,992,000 on regional selective assistance;
  2. (ii) £5,300,000 on business enterprise services;
  3. (iii) £3,000,000 on international trade;
  4. (iv) £1,583,000 on the small firm loan guarantee scheme; and
  5. (v) £230,000 on innovation and technology support.

Within this total, the gross running costs limit for the Department of Trade and Industry is being increased by £7,406,000 from £381,819,000 to £389,225,000. This change comprises: (i) £8,212,000 resulting from the transfer of all industrial tribunal provision to running costs: (ii) £2,436,000 increase in grant in aid to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service provision to cover relocation and refurbishment costs: (iii) £16,000 increase resulting form the movement of further central services to a net control regime; offset by (iv) -£3,258,000 following the transfer of existing provision to assist in the funding of the disaster recovery costs associated with the Radiocommunications Agency's headquarters facility.

The cash limit for class IV, vote 2 will be increased by £6,735,000 from £1,312,563,000 to £1,319,298,000. This increase results from:

  1. (i) £4,605,000 relating to the take-up of capital end year flexibility under the end-year flexibility scheme announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 12 July 1996, Official Report, columns 326–31;
  2. (ii) £1,800,000 to enable the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to meet the costs of certain redundancies at Horticulture Research International;
  3. (iii) £230,000 in respect of redundancy costs at the British Geological Survey; and
  4. (iv) £100,000 to meet the costs of the UK's subscription to the International Oceanographic Commission.

The last three increases are offset by similar reductions in class III, vote 2, class IV, vote 1 and class II, vote 5 respectively and will not, therefore, add to the planned total of public expenditure.

The cash limit for class IV, vote II—Office of Telecommunications—will be increased by £150,000 from £10,212,000 to £10,362,000 and the running cost limit will be increased by £150,000 from £9,736,000 to £9,886,000. The increase is required to meet professional

1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
Agriculture and Food Research Council 1, 2
Success rate (percentage) of all applications 26 36 40 33 27 33 30 32
Success rate (percentage) of total alphas 47 73 84 78 55 60 49 53
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council 1, 2
Success rate (percentage) of all applications 30 24
Success rate (percentage) of total alphas 3 47 49
Science and Engineering Research Council 4
Success rate (percentage) of all applications 58 51 54 53 44 50 47 35 36 40 38 37
Success rate (percentage) of total alphas 58 51 54 55 61 60 60 60 65 66 64 66
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Success rate (percentage) of all applications 44 42
Success rate (percentage) of total alphas 3 n/a n/a
Economic and Social Research Council
Success rate (percentage) of all applications 34 30 29 34 27 27 24 20 27.5
Success rate (percentage) of total alphas 5 n/a 78 54 60 44 46 40 32 43
Medical Research Council 1
Success rate (percentage) of all applications 32 29 32
Success rate (percentage) of total alphas 78 41 69
Natural Environment Research Council 1, 6
Success rate (percentage) of all applications 37 40 39 40 35 27 23 23
Success rate (percentage) of total alphas 87 71 63 57 57 42 31 28

advisory costs resulting from the proposed merger of British Telecom and MCI Communications. The increase will be charged to the reserve and will not, therefore, add to the planned total of public expenditure.

The cash limit for class IV, vote 12—Office of Gas Supply—will be increased by £500,000 from £9,743,000 to £10,243,000 and the running costs limit will be increased by £500,000 from £10,452,000 to £10,952,000. The requirement for an increase results from an increase in running costs associated with the referral to the Monopolies and Mergers commission on price controls. The increase will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.