Department of Health Cash Limits (Hansard, 11 February 1999)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Hayman)

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the cash limit for Class XI, Vote 1 (Hospital, community health, family health and related services,46WA England) will be increased by £273, 468, 000 (from £31, 225, 592, 000 to £31, 499, 060, 000). This allows for increases of £81, 876, 000 in respect of the take-up of the NHS Trusts' External Financing Limit (EFL) End Year Flexibility, and £208, 691, 000 from the Reserve for the National Health Service Winter Pressures. In addition, the following transfers will take place: £3, 300, 000 from Class IX, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment) for student bursaries (Dearing Report); £60, 000 from Class XII, Vote 1 (Department of Social Security) for the Students Grant Unit and £63, 206, 000 from the non-voted element of NHS Trusts' EFL. These increases are partially offset by transfers of £82, 346, 000 following a reappraisal of the drugs budget requirements; £1, 021, 000 to Class XII, Vote 3 for start up costs for the Compensation Recovery Unit; £79, 000 to Class XIII, Vote 3 (Education, industry, arts and libraries, Scotland) for student bursaries cross border flows; £211, 000 to Class XIV, Vote 4 (Hospital, community health, family health services and other health services (part) Wales) for student bursaries cross border flows and £8, 000 to the Department of Health and Social Services, Northern Ireland for the National Poisons Information Service.

The cash limit for Class XI, Vote 2 (Department of Health, administration, miscellaneous health and 47WA personal social services, England) will be increased by £68, 133, 000 (from £1, 152, 250, 000 to £1, 220, 383, 000). This increase allows for a claim on the reserve of £61, 300, 000 to support services for unaccompanied asylum seeking children, asylum seekers' accommodation grant and persons from abroad children's grant; and £7, 713, 000 in respect of the end year flexibility arrangements for health as announced by my right honourable friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1998 (Official Report, cols. 131–136). The increase also allows for the following transfers: £1, 183, 000 (running costs) from Class XII, 3 (Department of Social Security: administration) for repayment services; transfers totalling £66, 000 (running costs) for the National Screening Committee, made up of £52, 000 from Class XIII, Vote 4 (Hospital, community health, family health, other health services and welfare food, Scotland) and £14, 000 from the Department of Health and Social Services, Northern Ireland; transfers totalling £26, 000 for the United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority, made up of £14, 000 from Class XIII, Vote 4 (Hospital, community health, family health, other health services and welfare food, Scotland), £8, 000 from Class XIV, Vote 4 (Hospital, community health, family health services and other health services (part), Wales) and £4, 000 from the Department of Health and Social Services, Northern Ireland; and a transfer of £8, 000 (running costs) from Class VIII, Vote 6 (HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor) for legal trainees. The overall increase is partially offset by a transfer of £2, 163, 000 to Class IV, Vote 2 (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) towards the costs of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) enquiry.

The department's gross running cost limit will be increased by £1, 257, 000 from £262, 946, 000 to £264, 203, 000.

Overall the NHS Trusts' External Financing Limit has decreased by £63, 206, 000 from £121, 920, 000 to £58, 714, 000. The Medicines Control Agency External Financing Limit has been increased by £6, 800, 000 from £700, 000 to £7, 500, 000.

All increases will either be offset by savings, increased receipts, transfers to or from other Votes or charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.