HL Deb 07 February 2000 vol 609 cc58-60WA
Baroness Massey of Darwen

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether there are any proposals to amend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office departmental expenditure limit and running costs limit for 1999–2000. [HL884]

Baroness Scotland of Asthal

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate for Class VII, Vote 1, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office departmental expenditure limit for 1999–2000 will be increased by £5,157,000 from £1,171,240,000 to £1,176,397,000 and the running cost limit has been decreased by £32,614,000 from £530,968,000 to £498,354,000. The increase is the net effect of:

  1. (i) a decrease of £5,326,000 in respect of an adjustment for overseas price movements;
  2. (ii) a decrease in the running cost limit of £1,011,000 in respect of the cash limit breach for financial year 1998–99;
  3. (iii) an increase of £2,000,000 in both capital expenditure and appropriations-in-aid for FCO estates rationalisation;
  4. (iv) a net decrease in the running costs limit of £5,238,000 and an increase in capital of £5,238,000 in respect of the reclassification of certain items of current and capital expenditure in line with the FCO's resource accounting policies;
  5. (v) a transfer of £600,000 from the Home Office (Class IV, Vote 1) in respect of certain overseas drugs assistance programmes;
  6. (vi) a transfer of £56,000 to the Home Office (Class IV, Vote 2) in respect of the Human Rights Project Fund;
  7. (vii) a transfer of £100,000 from the Ministry of Defence (Class VI, Vote 1) in respect of its contribution to the grant-in-aid to the Atlantic Council of the UK;
  8. (viii) a transfer of £750,000 to the Cabinet Office (Class XVII, Vote 2) for capital expenditure;
  9. (ix) an increase in both the running cost limit and in appropriations-in-aid of £25,000 in respect of sales into wider markets;
  10. (x) an increase in running cost receipts of £24,675,000 and an increase in running cost expenditure of £500,000 in respect of increased receipts from other government departments;
  11. (xi) The Supplementary Estimate is also sought for additional provision of £40,070,000 on Section B for UK contributions to United Nations missions in the former Yugoslavia (includes UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo) and the former Soviet Union, United Nations Special Commission on Iraq, United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission, United Nations Mission for the Referendum on Western Sahara, United Nations Police Mission in Haiti, United Nations Mission in East Timor, United WA 60 Nations Observer Mission in Angola, United Nations Peacekeeping Operation in Central African Republic, United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone, United Nations Observer Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the European Community Monitoring Mission and Western European Union Police Mission in Albania. This is partially offset by an increase of £4,800,000 in appropriations-in-aid in respect of non-baseline peacekeeping;
  12. (xii) The Supplementary Estimate is also required to note an increase of £505,000 in Section Din respect of an adjustment for overseas price movements for the British Council.

The increase will be offset by a transfer from another departmental expenditure limit (DfID) and a charge on the DEL reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.