HL Deb 13 November 2000 vol 619 cc1-2WA
Baroness Gould of Potternewton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether there are any proposals to amend the Department of Health and Food Standards Agency departmental expenditure limit or running cost limit for 2000–01 [HL4586]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath)

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates for Class II, Votes 1 and 4, the overall Departmental Expenditure Limit for Class II, which includes the Department of Health and the Foods Standard Agency, will be increased by £61,213,000 from £45,029,542,000 to £45,090,755,000.

Of this increase, the Department of Health Departmental Expenditure limit for 2000–01 will be increased by £49,616,000 from £44,948,272,000 to £44,997,888,000. The increase is the net effect of changes to Class II, Vote 1 (Hospital, community health, family health and related services, England) of £48,357,000 made up £50,000,000 from HM Treasury's Capital Modernisation Fund for Modernising Coronary Heart Disease services. In addition the following transfers will take place; £1,357,000 from the Scottish Executive £47,000 for the High Security Infectious Diseases Unit and £1,310,000 for Out of Area Treatments. The overall increase is partially offset by a transfer of £3,000,000 to Class 1, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment) for the Queen Mary Westfield Tomlinson merger.

An increase of £1,256,000 for Class II, Vote 2 (Department of Health, administration, miscellaneous health and personal social services, England) is the net effect of transfers (detailed below) and £6,500,000 take-up of end year flexibility (as set out in Table 7 of the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper Cm 4812 published on 18 July 2000) and £1,795,000 (running costs) from the Civil Service Modernisation Fund, transfers of £75,000 (running costs) from Class IX, Vote 2 (Department of Trade and Industry: science) for the human genetics commission and £36,000 from Class IV, Vote 1 (Home Office administration, police, immigration and other services, England and Wales) for central treatment fund pilot projects. The overall increase is partially offset by transfers of £4,000,000 to Class 1, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services) for the standards fund, £3,000,000 to Class IV, Vote 1 (Home Office administration, police, immigration and other services, England and Wales) for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and £150,000 to Class III, Vote 2 (Environment, Transport and Regions: Planning, roads, local transport and vehicle safety) for mobility centres.

Within the department DEL there is also a transfer of £11,837,000 from Class II, Vote 2 (Department of Health, administration, miscellaneous health and personal social services, England) to Class II, Vote 1 (Hospital, community health, family health and related services, England).

The Department of Health's gross running cost limit will be increased by £1,870,000 from £300,620,000 to £302,490,000 as detailed above.

The take-up of non-voted supplementary credit approvals for personal social services (DoH/LACAP) in England has increased by £3,000 from £18,700,000 to £18,703,000 in respect of take up of end year flexibility entitlement as mentioned above.

The Food Standards Agency Departmental Expenditure limit will also be increased by 1,597,000 from £81,270,000 to £92,867,000. The increase is the net effect of the take-up of end year flexibility of £8,366,000 (of which £1,000,000 is running costs) from the Department of Health, an allocation of £375,000 (of which £280,000 is running costs) from the Civil Service Modernisation Fund and transfers of £2,856,000 from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food comprising £1,600,000 (of which £350.000 is running costs) to cover set-up costs of the agency, which fell in 2000–01 rather than 1999–2000 as originally planned, and £1,256,000 (of which £1,125,000 is running costs) for the additional responsibilities taken on by the agency.

The Food Standards Agency's gross running costs limit will increase by £2,755,000 from £104,835,000 to £107,590,000 as detailed above.

All increases will either be offset by transfers to or from other Departmental Expenditure Limits (detailed above) or charges to the DEL Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.