§ Mr. Jim MurphyTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals there are to amend the Scotland Departmental Expenditure Limit and running costs limit for 2000–01. [138204]
§ Dr. ReidSubject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate for Class XIII, Vote I Scotland and Transfers to the Scottish Consolidated Fund, the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) for 2000–01 will be increased by £428,073,000 from £14,877,655,000 to £15,305,728,000. As I previously announced to the Scottish Affairs Select Committee on 29 March 2000, the net running costs limit for the Scotland Office will be increased by £1,047,000 from £5,455,000 to £6,502,000 (net of receipts of £120,000).
The changes in DEL include the take-up of end-year flexibility of £444,418,000, offset by a reduction of £32,583,000 for the recovery of European Structural Funds provision drawn forward from 2000–01 and other adjustments agreed in the context of Spending Review 2000; and transfers from the DEL reserve of £8,500,000 for additional funding for the Forestry Commission for lower than expected timber sales, and £150,000 for the Giving Age.
384WAlso included in the revised DEL are transfers to and from other Government Departments amounting to a net increase of £12,619,000. These include;
- (i) £13,454,000 from DfEE (Class I, Vote 1) for the Open University;
- (ii) £2,527,000 from DSS (Class XII, Vote 3) for resettlement programmes;
- (iii) £1,900,000 to MAFF (Class X, Vote 1) for cattle herd registration costs;
- (iv) £120,000 to DSS (Class XII Vote 2) for housing benefit for intercalating students;
- (v) £1,310,000 to DH (Class II, Vote 1) for the costs of Scottish residents treated in England.
The increase in DEL will be offset by transfers from other Departmental Expenditure Limits or from the DEL Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.