§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals there are to change the 1997–98 cash limit or running cost limit for the Office of Public Service. [5470]
§ Dr. David ClarkSubject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit for the Office of Public Service (Class XVII, Vote 1) will be increased by £74,000 from £140,987,000 to £141,061,000 and the gross running cost limit will be decreased by £411,000 from £80,886,000 to £80,475,000.
The changes reflect the transfer of responsibility for the Hardcopy Publications function from the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class VIII, Vote 1); the transfer of Competitiveness Unit to the Department of Trade and Industry (Class IV, Vote; the creation of the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA); provision for the introduction of trade between The Buying Agency (TBA) and the Republic of Ireland Civil Service; provision for TBA loan repayments; re-classification of CCTA marketing and research expenditure; and provision for the residual costs of the privatisation of executive agencies in 1996–97. The increase in the cash limit will be offset by a transfer in and will not, therefore, add to the total of planned expenditure. The GCDA will have a net running cost limit of zero.