§ Dr. GodmanTo 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 grants to voluntary bodies from social security, the Social Fund, certain national agricultural schemes and discretionary rent allowance payments for 1998–99. [71121]
§ 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 £62,431,000 from £926,291,000 to £988,722,000. This reflects the take-up of end year flexibility on capital of £2,740,000 and departmental running costs of £5,000,000. Additional expenditure on compensation of £27,000,000 is also reflected in the increase, as is funding for the Prison298W Officers' redundancy scheme of £4,000,000 costs of £8,124,000 arising from the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, £4,724,000 to cover the costs of the Referendum and elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly and £5,000,000 for Victims' Support. Other minor changes to the NIO Cash Limit total £5,843,000.
The cash limit which covers most Northern Ireland departmental services will be increased by £112,005,000 from £4,243,776 to £4,355,781,000. This increase reflects a rephasing of Student Loan Book sales of £38,500,000 and reclassification of Bus Fuel Duty Rebates of £7,209,000, the take-up of end year flexibility on capital of £14,645,500, departmental running costs of £30,000,000, European Structural Funds of £8,734,000, Health programme of £29,406,000 and Welfare to Work end year flexibility of £1,643,000. The increase also reflects additional resources of £5,389,000 for the Welfare to Work programme, £6,499,000 for DHSS Winter Pressures, £6,100,000 provided for the Chancellor's Initiative, the transfer of £38,829,000 to the Northern Ireland Office cash limit on Class XV, Vote 1 and other technical changes of £2,709,000.
The cash limit for the Grants to Voluntary Bodies—Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services Vote 6—has been reduced by £873,000 reflecting lower than expected demands on this fund.
The cash limit for the social fund—Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services Vote 6—has been reduced by £50,000 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 £8,512,000 from £16,682,000 to £25,194,000 as a result of additions to the Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance of £8,497,000 and the take-up of entitlement to end year flexibility on capital of £15,000.
The cash limit for the discretionary rent allowance—Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services Vote 6—has been reduced by £634,000 reflecting lower than expected demands on this fund.
The combined gross running costs limit for the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland departments will be increased by £40,799,000 from £749,283,000 to £790,082,000. This reflects the take up in 1998–99 of £35,000,000 of the end year flexibility entitlement announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1998, Official Report, columns 134–36, transfers of £4,000,000 in respect of prison officer redundancies, £750,000 for increased Inland Revenue charges, £526,000 in the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, £470,000 in respect of accommodation costs and other minor transfers in totalling £53,000. Of the revised gross running costs provision, £181,391,000 is for the NIO and £608,691,000 is for Northern Ireland Departments. The gross running costs limit for the Welfare to Work programme which is outside the Northern Ireland Departmental Expenditure Limit will be increased from £6,041,000 to £8,193,000.
The increases will be offset by transfers or charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
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