Departmental Expenditure Limit (Hansard, 15 February 2001)

§ 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 £66,499,000 from £8,867,256,000 to £8,933,755,000. The Running Costs Limit will be decreased by £6,000 from £2,353,684,000 to £2,353,678,000.

The changes are the net effect of the following transfers: £200,000 from the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) and £70,000 from the Crown Prosecution Service (Class V Vote 4) in respect of contributions for the Integrated Business Information Systems Unit; £130,000 to the Department of Health (Class II Vote 2), £29,000 to the National Assembly for Wales (Class XIV Vote 1), £23,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) and £76,000 to the Crown Prosecution Service (Class V Vote 4) in connection with Youth Justice Board inspections; 236W £3,000,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) in respect of the reorganisation of responsibility for the Children and Family Court Advisory Services; £23,000 from the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1), £7,000 from the Scottish Executive and £3,000 from the Northern Ireland Office (Class XV Vote 1) towards membership costs of the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO); £3,500,000 from the Department of Social Security (Class XII Vote 2) in connection with housing benefit for residents in approved hostels; £32,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund and £32,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) for criminal justice system interface development; £112,000 to the National Assembly for Wales (Class XIV Vote 1) for the partnership development fund; £150,000 to the Department of Health (Class II Vote 2) in support of the project "communicating with professional audiences"; £43,000 from the National Assembly for Wales (Class XIV Vote 1) for crime reduction costs: £39,000 to the Department of Health (Class II Vote 2) for the funding of the drug service commissioners handbook and the Methadone Alliance and £120,000 in respect of the training of drug workers; £131,000 to the National Assembly for Wales (Class XIV Vote 1) in respect of drug projects to be supported by the Confiscated Assets Fund; £404,000 to the Single Intelligence Vote (Class XVII Vote 2) in respect of drug projects to be supported by the Confiscated Assets Fund; £21,700,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund in respect of the Airwave project; £50,000 to the Department for Education and Employment (Class I Vote 1) for the Connexions Direct project; £99,000 from HM Customs and Excise (Class XVI Vote 4) £99,000 from the Department for Education and Employment (Class I Vote 1) and £221,000 from the Department of Health (Class II Vote 2) towards the costs of drug action teams; £315,000 from the Department of Health (Class II Vote 2) for the recruitment of drug action teams; £1,130,000 to the Single Intelligence Vote (Class XVII Vote 2) as a contribution towards three overseas drugs prevention projects; £78,000 from the Scottish Executive as a contribution to the animal rights national index; £95,000 from the Electoral Commission (Class XVIIIC Vote 1) in respect of set up costs; £5,100,000 to the Scottish Executive in respect of local authority asylum support costs; £38,000,000 from the Department of Social Security (Class XII Vote 2) in respect of closure of the housing benefit loophole; £1,200,000 to the Crown Prosecution Service (Class V Vote 4) and £467,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) in respect of the youth justice pledge; £559,000 to the Cabinet Office (Class XVII Vote 1) to resource the news co-ordination centre; £860,000 from the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) following postponement of the transfer of warrant enforcement from the police; £306,000 from the DEL Reserve in respect of free travel for Metropolitan police officers; £14,200,000 in respect of expenditure from the Capital Modernisation Fund for an increase in prison capacity; £1,400,000 in respect of expenditure from the Capital Modernisation Fund on the video links project; and £2,000,000 from the Departmental Unallocation Provision to cover additional non-Voted expenditure on the 1999 European Parliamentary Elections.

The increase in the Department's running costs limit is the net effect of the following transfers: £200,000 from the Lord Chancellor's Department and £70,000 from the 237W Crown Prosecution Service in respect of contributions for the Integrated Business Information Systems Unit; £130,000 to the Department of Health, £29,000 to the National Assembly for Wales, £23,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department and £76,000 to the Crown Prosecution Service in connection with Youth Justice Board inspections; £112,000 to the National Assembly for Wales for the partnership development fund; £50,000 to the Department of Health in support of the project "communicating with professional audiences"; £43,000 to the National Assembly for Wales for crime reduction costs; £95,000 from the Electoral Commission in respect of set up costs; £2,263,000 from capital expenditure provision in connection with the costs of the Sirius programme; £1,200,000 to the Crown Prosecution Service and £467,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department in respect of the youth justice pledge; £465,000 to the Cabinet Office to resource the news co-ordination centre; and £125,000 from the Departmental Unallocated Provision to cover additional non-Voted expenditure on the 1999 European Parliamentary Elections.

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.