HL Deb 04 March 1999 vol 597 cc197-8WA
Lord Carmichael of Kelvingrove

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What changes the Foreign and Commonwealth Office propose to make in the department's cash and running cost limits for 1998–99. [HL1374]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the following change will he made in addition to the changes the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mr. Fatchett, announced on 11 February 1999(Official Report, Commons; col. 361).

The cash limit for Class II, Vote 2 (Other External Relations) will be increased by £10,000,000 from £265,611,000 to £275,611,000. The additional provision is required to provide assistance to Sierra Leone. It will be used to provide additional practical support to ECOMOG, to help train and equip a democratically accountable Sierra Leone army, and to provide support for peace negotiations.

The increase will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.