§ Mr. BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the cash and running costs limits for the Northern Ireland Office, Northern Ireland Departmental Services, the Independent Living Fund, the Social Fund, certain national agricultural schemes and discretionary rent allowance payments for 1997–98. [30271]
§ Marjorie MowlamSubject to Parliamentary Approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, it is proposed that the cash limit for Class XV Vote 1—the Northern Ireland Office—will be increased by £17,608,000 from £942,922,000 to £960,530,000. This reflects the take-up of end year flexibility on capital of £2,198,000 and departmental running costs of £5,549,000, additional expenditure on compensation of £13,600,000, additional expenditure to cover the costs of Political Talks administration and Forum staff of £4,900,000, reclassification of police pensions costs of £15,549,000 and other changes totalling £6,910,000.
The cash limit which covers most Northern Ireland departmental services will be increased by £90,533,000 from £4,132,783,000 to £4,223,316,000. This increase reflects changes in the Student Loan Book sale of £16,000,000, the take-up of end year flexibility on capital of £13,994,000, departmental running costs of £28,881,000, European structural funds of £7,275,000 and health programme of £37,479,000, additional resources for the Welfare to Work programme of £5,593,000 and Capital Receipts Initiative of £3,720,000, the transfer of £25,848,000 to the Northern Ireland Office cash limit on Class XV, Vote 1 and other technical changes £3,439,000.
The cash limit for the independent living fund—Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services Vote 6—has been reduced by £498,000 reflecting lower than expected demands on this fund.
66WThe cash limit for the social fund—Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services Vote 6—has been reduced by £434,000 reflecting lower than expected demands on this fund.
The cash limit covering national agriculture capital grant schemes and certain assistance for production, marketing and processing and the fishing industry will increase by £442,000 from £30,274,000 to £30,716,000 as a result of the take-up of entitlement to end year flexibility on capital.
The cash limit for the discretionary rent allowance—Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services Vote 6—has been reduced by £439,000 reflecting lower than expected demands on this fund.
The combined gross running cost limit for the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland departments will be increased by £34,821,000 from £783,171,000 to £817,992,000. This reflects the take-up in 1997–98 of £34,430,000 of the end year flexibility entitlement announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 17 July 1997, Official Report, columns 245–50, a net transfer of £130,000 from the Department of Social Security mainly in respect of agency services, a transfer of £292,000 from the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate in respect of accommodation costs and minor transfers out totalling £31,000. Of the revised gross running cost provision, £174,945,000 is for the Northern Ireland Office and £643,047,000 is for Northern Ireland departments. There is also a running costs limit of £2,145,000 for the Welfare to Work programme which is outside the Control Total.
The increases will be offset by transfers or charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.