§ Mr. Peter BradleyTo ask the Attorney-General what proposals there are to change the 1998–99 cash limit or running cost limit for the work of HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor. [71999]
The Attorney-GeneralSubject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for Class VIII Vote 6 will be reduced by £411,000 from £6,257,000 to £5,846,000. The gross running costs will be increased by £771,000 from £26,763,000 to £27,534,000 whilst the running cost limit will be increased by £529,000 from £8,031,000 to £8,560,000.
The running costs limit increase is partially due to initial early retirement costs (£350,000) associated with the closure of the Government Property Lawyers' Agency which was announced to Parliament on 11 November 1998. This will be met from end year flexibility provision as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1998, Official Report, columns 131–36. The increase is also due to the residual costs of the Crown Prosecution Service Review (£227,000) and the costs associated with the extension of powers relating to Unduly Lenient Sentences (£7,000) falling on this Vote. These will be offset by PES transfers from the Crown Prosecution Service and the Home Office respectively. A further increase in running costs is due to classification changes of European Fast Streamers income and VAT refunds.
The reduction in the cash limit is due to the increase in running costs being more than offset by lower VAT payment to Customs and Excise (£900,000), greater than expected VAT refunds on contracted out services (£55,000) and receipts from various Government Departments for services provided by the Lawyers' Management Unit (£40,000).
The increases will be offset by transfers and charged to the Reserve and will not, therefore, add to the planned total of public expenditure.