§ Baroness Mallalieuasked Her Majesty's Government:
What proposals they have to amend the Lord Chancellor's Department Departmental Expenditure Limit and running costs limits for 2000–01. [HL4571]
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate for Class V, Vote 1, the Lord Chancellor's Department Departmental Expenditure Limit for 2000–01 will be increased by £113,252,000 from £2,525,609,000 to £2,638,861,000. The increase is the net effect of take-up of End Year Flexibility entitlement of; £10,000,000 to fund additional costs relating to new tasks undertaken by the Legal Services Commission; £6,000,000 to meet publicity and 173WA information costs for the Community Legal Service; £6,000,000 in respect of costs for the Public Trust Office Change Programme; £8,600,000 in respect of start-up costs for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service; £1,900,000 in respect of costs for the Libra project; £1,925,000 for the Invest to Save Budget payment to the Land Registry; £1,586,000 relating to asylum costs; a transfer from the Home Office of £113,000 in respect of contribution towards costs of the Immigration Services Tribunal; a transfer from the Home Office of £273,000 in respect of PHOENIX, a project funded by the Invest to Save Budget; £1,355,000 in respect of an award from the Invest to Modernise Fund; and £75,500,000 from the DEL Reserve to meet additional costs on asylum and immigration.
The running cost limit for Lord Chancellor's Department Class V, Vote 1 will be increased by £53,409,000 from £541,908,000 to £595,317,000. The increase is caused by take-up of End Year Flexibility entitlement of £4,000,000 to meet publicity costs for the Community Legal Service; £6,000,000 in respect of costs for the Public Trust Office Change Programme; £5,300,000 in respect of start-up costs for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service; £1,900,000 in respect of costs for the Libra project; £1,586,000 relating to asylum costs; a transfer of £6,400,000 from capital grants expenditure to meet costs respect of the Libra project; a transfer from the Home Office of £113,000 in respect of contribution towards costs of the Immigration Services Tribunal; a transfer from the Home Office of £273,000 in respect of PHOENIX, a project funded by the Invest to Save Budget; £1,355,000 in respect of an award from the Invest to Modernise Fund; £300,000 in respect of a correction to the accounting treatment for sundry income and £26,182,000 from the DEL Reserve to meet additional costs on asylum and immigration.
The increases will be offset by transfers from the Home Office Departmental Expenditure Limit, take up of End Year Flexibility entitlement, an award from the Invest to Modernise Fund and charges on the DEL Reserve, and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.