HC Deb 23 February 1998 vol 307 cc26-7W
Mr. Pickthall

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals and underlying reasons there are to change the 1997–98 cash limit for the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner and Health Service Commissioner. [30434]

Dr. David Clark

The cash limit for Class XVIII, Vote 4 will be reduced by £356,000 from £15,000,000 to £14,644,000.

Consultants engaged by the Department of Health originally estimated that the Health Service Commissioners (Amendment) Act 1996 would lead to a 150% increase in the caseload of the Health Service Commissioner. This estimate was used as the basis for a transfer between Health Departments and the Health Service Commissioner of £6,444,000. Only £3,000,000 of this amount was taken by the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner and Health Service Commissioners as part of the total supply for 1997–98 Class XVIII Vote 4 with the balance of £3,444,000 treated as retained PES.

As the Health Service Commissioners (Amendment) Act 1996 has so far generated less casework than expected, £3,800,000 will be transferred back to the Health Departments, subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates: £3,257,000 to Department of Health (England) Class XIII Vote 4; £347,000 to Department of Health (Scotland) Class XI Vote 1; and £196,000 to Department of Health (Wales) Class XIV Vote 4. Of the total transfer, £3,444,000 is funded from retained PES. The balance of the transfer is effected by reducing the existing cash limit of £15,000,000 by £356,000 to £14,644,000.

Mr. Pickthall

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals there are to change the 1997–98 cash limit or running costs for the Office of Public Service. [30435]

Dr. David Clark

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit for the Office of Public Service (Class XVII, Vote 1) will be reduced by £2,030,000 from £158,821,000 to £156,791,000 and the gross running cost limit will be decreased by £606,000 from £80,423,000 to £79,817,000.

The changes reflect the transfer of £100,000 to HM Treasury (Class XVI, Vote 1) reflecting the transfer of responsibility for PFI IT advice; and transfers from PACE of £292,000 to DOE (Class VI, Vote 1), and £34,000 to LCD (Class VIII, Vote 1), for the transfers of ownership of Windsor House, and Sovereign House respectively. Additionally, the running cost limit will be reduced by £506,000, and the cash limit by £1,604,000, reflecting the offset of increased expenditure on Cabinet Office (Class XVIII, Vote 1).