§ Mr. TimmsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes are proposed to the cash and running costs limit of Her Majesty's Treasury in 1997–98. [30275]
§ Mr. DarlingSubject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the running costs limit for Class XVI, Vote 1 will be increased by £5,487,000 from £56,560,000 to £62,047,000 and the cash limit will be increased by £1,900,000 from £63,187,000 to £65,087,000. The increases are necessary to provide for a machinery of Government change transferring responsibility for the regulation and supervision of the insurance industry from the Department of Trade and Industry, Class IV, Vote 1, to HM Treasury, fully offset by a reduction in their cash limit; the transferring of responsibility for the Private Finance Initiative information technology project from the Cabinet Office: Office of Public Service, Class XVII, Vote 1, to the Private Finance Taskforce, fully offset by a reduction in their cash limit; and an increase in grant of £1.8 million 55W to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, equivalent to the VAT paid on "Candle in the Wind". This brings the total grant to £2.8 million.
The net increase will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
§ Mr. TimmsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes are proposed to the cash limit and running costs limit for the Office for National Statistics for 1997–98. [30276]
§ Mrs. LiddellSubject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash and running cost limits for Class XVI, Vote 11 (Office for National Statistics) will be increased by £3,279,000 from £93,804,000 to £97,083,000 and from £101,735,000 to £105,014,000, respectively.
The increase in running costs provision reflects (a) the carry forward of £3,391,000 under the end year flexibility schemes as announced in the House of Commons by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 17 July 1997, Official Report, columns 245–50, and (b) the transfer of £112,000 running costs to the Department of Health, Class XI, Vote 1 for the responsibility of Notification of Infectious Diseases Statistics.
The net increase will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
§ Mr. TimmsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes are proposed in the cash limit and running costs limit in 1997–98 for the Inland Revenue and Valuation Office Agency. [30278]
§ Dawn PrimaroloSubject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the cash limit for Class XVI, Vote 4 will be increased by £48,297,000 from £1,627,009,000 to £1,675,306,000 and the running costs limit will be increased by £44,200,000 from £1,675,515,000 to £1,719,715,000. The cast limit for Class XVI, Vote 5 will be increased by a token £1,000 from £1,000 to £2,000 and the net running costs limit will be increased from -£6,619,000 to -£3,619,000.
Class XVI, Vote 4 is eligible for a cash limit increase of £47,000,000 running costs and £4,597,000 capital in respect of end year flexibility entitlement as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 17 July 1997, Official Report, columns 245–50.
In addition there is a transfer of £200,000 running costs from the Scottish Office, Class XIII, Vote 6 for development work on income tax in Scotland offset by a reduction of £500,000 transferred to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Class IX, Vote 1, in respect of a contribution to the grant being made to that department to Somerset House Limited for the upkeep and restoration of Somerset House. There is a £3,000,000 reduction on Class XVI, Vote 4 and a corresponding increase on Class XVI, Vote 5 for reduced payments from the Inland Revenue to the Valuation Office Agency in respect of a lower than expected level of valuation work for tax purposes, and the Valuation Office's operational target for this work for 1997–98 will be adjusted accordingly reducing Inland Revenue cases from 57,000 to 45,000.
56WThe increases will be offset by transfers and charged to the reserve and will not, therefore, add to the planned total of public expenditure.
§ Mr. TimmsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes are proposed in the cash limit and running cost limit in 1997–98 for HM Customs and Excise. [30279]
§ Dawn PrimaroloSubject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit for Class XVI, Vote 3 will be increased by £12,955,000 from £842,003,000 to £854,958,000 and the running cost limit for Customs and Excise by £11,737,000 from £748,986,000 to £760,723,000.
The increase in the running cost limit arises from the take up of £11,752,000 of the end-year flexibility entitlement, offset by a £15,000 running costs contribution to the funding of the UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator and Deputy. The adjustment to the cash limit also reflects the take up of £1,248,000 of the Capital end-year flexibility entitlement, and the provision of an additional £30,000 in appropriations in aid for Marine Fuel Relief. The increase will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.