HC Deb 09 November 2000 vol 356 cc390-2W
Mr. Pond

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for changes to the 2000–01 departmental expenditure limits and running costs limits within his responsibility. [138028]

Mr. Straw

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the Departmental Expenditure limit, which covers Class IV Vote 1 (Home Office administration, police, probation, immigration and other services, England and Wales) and Vote 2 (Prisons, England and Wales), will be increased by £756,420,000 from £8,110,836,000 to £8,867, 256,000. The running costs limit will be increased by £177,549,000 from £2,176,135,000 to £2,353,684,000.

The changes are the net effect of the following transfers: £1,000,000 from the DEL Reserve for a project to develop criminal justice IT interface systems; £273,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) in respect of a project to develop criminal justice IT interface systems; £150,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund for funding criminal justice system interface development; £150,000 to the Crown Prosecution Service (Class V Vote 4) for criminal justice system interface development; £275,000 to the Department of Trade and Industry (Class IX Vote 1) in respect of crime reduction programmes; £166,000 to the Welsh Assembly (Class XIV Vote 1) for crime reduction teams; £3,000,000 from the DEL Reserve for confiscated assets; £45,000 to the Department for Education and Employment (Class 1 Vote 3) in respect of the evaluation of the progress drug project; £150,000 to the Department for Education and Employment (Class 1 Vote 3) in respect of the recovery employment project; £1,118,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund for expenditure on DNA; £492,000 to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Class III Vote 1) for the rough sleepers initiative; £36,000 to the Department of Health (Class II Vote 2) for central treatment fund pilot projects; £352,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund for grant to the Police Information Technology Organisation for the interface development fund; £303,000 to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (Class III Vote 8) for improvements in the motor registration system; £150,000 to the Welsh Assembly (Class XIV Vote 1) in respect of locks for pensioners; £1,500,000 from the DEL Reserve in relation to the setting up of the Electoral Commission; £150,000 from the DEL Reserve in respect of cross funding for voluntary bodies; £5,556,000 from the DEL Reserve for the Kosovo humanitarian evacuation programme; £666,000,000 from the DEL Reserve for asylum support including unaccompanied asylum seeking children; £113,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) in respect of the Immigration Services Tribunal; £3,000,000 from the Department of Health (Class II Vote 2) for asylum support to unaccompanied asylum seeking children; £5,000,000 from the DEL Reserve for research relating to crime reduction programme and anti drugs strategy; £6,000,000 from the DEL Reserve for administrative support costs; £3,747,000 from the civil service modernisation fund; £16,000,000 from the DEL Reserve for the Kosovo special grant; £46,000,000 from the DEL Reserve for police modernisation.

The increase in the Department's running costs limit is the net effect of the following transfers: £728,000 from the DEL Reserve for a project to develop criminal justice IT interface systems; £273,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department in respect of a project to develop criminal justice IT interface systems; £110,000 to the Department of Trade and Industry in respect of crime reduction programmes; £166,000 to the Welsh Assembly for crime reduction teams; £596,000 from the DEL Reserve in relation to setting up the Electoral Commission; £167,252,000 from the DEL Reserve for asylum support; £113,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department in respect of the Immigration Services Tribunal; £6,000,000 from the DEL Reserve for administrative costs; £3,635,000 from the civil service modernisation fund.

These changes will be offset by transfers or a charge on the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.