HC Deb 19 December 2001 vol 377 cc371-2W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the reasons for the change in the operating costs of his Department from(a) 1999–2000 to 2000–2001 and (b) 2000–01 to 2001–02. [24735]

Mr. Paul Murphy

My Department came into being on 1 July 1999 and so was operational for only three-quarters of the financial year 1999–2000.

Annexe 3 of the Departmental Report 2001 shows an estimated outturn on "paybill and general administrative expenditure" of £2.259 million in 2000–01 and projected expenditure of £2.279 million in 2001–02. This is a change of less than 1 per cent.