HL Deb 09 November 1999 vol 606 cc147-8WA
Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether there are any proposals to amend the Department of Health Departmental Expenditure Limit/running cost limit for 1999–2000. [HL4647]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates for Class II, Votes 1 and 2, the Department of Health Departmental Expenditure Limit for 1999–2000 will be increased by £109,984,000 from £40,345,035,000 to £40,455,019,000. The increase is the net effect of changes to Class II, Vote 1 (Hospital, community health, family health and related services, England) of £207,861,000 made up of £114,058,000 in respect of the take-up of end year flexibility as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 27 July (Official Report, col. 393) and £100,000,000 for the take-up of departmental unallocated provision. In addition the following transfers will take place; £1,177,000 from Scotland (£47,000 for the High Security Infectious Diseases Unit and £1,130,000 for out-of-area treatments); £877,000 from Wales for out-of-area treatments and £7,464,000 from Class II, Vote 2 (Department of Health, administration, miscellaneous health and personal social services, England) (£662,000 for the Public Health Development Fund and £802,000 for regional professional development projects). The overall increase is partially offset by transfers of £8,364,000 to Wales, (£6,720,000 for high security psychiatric services and £1,644,000 for cross border adjustments for primary care groups); £4,800,000 to Class I, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment; programmes and central services) for the King's College Hospital/United Medical and Dental School merger and £2,551,000 to Class II, Vote 2 (£2,500,000 for publicity on Meningitis C vaccine and £51,000 for cancer prevention).

The increase of £770,000 for Class II, Vote 2 (Department of Health, administration, miscellaneous health and personal social services, England) is the net effect of transfers to Vote 1 of £4,913,000 (detailed above), £6,293,000 take-up of end year flexibility (mentioned above) for claims in respect of 1998–99 asylum seekers grant; £315,000 (£10,000 running costs) from Class IV, Vote I (Home Office administration, police, probation, immigration and other services, England and Wales) mainly for research; £500,000 (running costs) from Class IV, Vote 2 (Prisons, England and Wales) for prison health care services. The overall increase is partially offset by a transfer of £1,425,000 to Class I, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment; programmes and central services) for a contribution towards the healthy schools initiative.

The amount required for non-voted supplementary credit approvals for personal social services (DoH/LACAP) in England is to be increased by £1,353,000 from £18,700,000 to £20,053,000 in respect of take-up of end year flexibility entitlement as mentioned above.

The Department's gross running cost limit will be increased by £510,000 from £279,940,000 to £280,450,000 as detailed above.

All increases will either be offset by transfers to or from other Departmental Expenditure Limits (detailed above) or take-up of end year flexibility and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.