HC Deb 28 June 2001 vol 370 cc123-5W
Ian Stewart

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for changes to the Departmental Expenditure Limit and administration costs limit within his responsibility. [1794]

Mr. Blunkett

Supplementary to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL), which covers Request for Resources 1 (Building a safe, just and tolerant society) and Request for Resources 2 (Protecting the public by holding prisoners in decent conditions and reducing re-offending after release), will be increased by £72,762,000 from £9,714,633,000 to £9,787,395,000. The administration costs limit will be reduced by £1,391,000 from £2,599,850,000 to £2,598,459,000.

The changes are the net effect of the following transfers: £297,000 from the Invest to Save Budget to deliver web orientated modular substance misuse training for communities and professionals; £700,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund to extend the existing chipping of goods scheme to a further three demonstrator projects; £8,900,000 from the DEL Reserve to combat organized crime involving trafficking of Class A drugs and people trafficking; £3,600,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund to purchase scanning equipment for the detection of people seeking to enter the United Kingdom illegally by clandestine means; £3,200,000 from the DEL Reserve to meet the costs of publicity for the 2001 parliamentary election; £5,000,000 to the Department for Education and Skills for the provision of education to young offenders in custody; £1,391,000 to the Department for Education and Skills for the provision of education to young offenders in custody; £1,391,000 to the Department for Education and Skills for the transfer of education services' staff and other changes to the Prisoners Learning and Skills Partnership; the reclassification of £15,656,000 receipts from the Youth Justice Board as Annually Managed Expenditure; and £46,800,000 from the DEL Reserve for non-Voted expenditure on the 2001 parliamentary election.

The reduction of the Department's administration costs limit is the effect of the transfer of £1,391,000 to the Department for Education and Skills for the transfer of education services' staff and other changes to the Prisoners Learning and Skills partnership.

These changes will be offset by transfers or a charge to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.