HC Deb 13 February 2002 vol 380 cc501-3W
Mrs. Humble

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change the departmental expenditure limit and administration costs limit for 2001–02. [36753]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the Department for Work and Pensions departmental expenditure limit will be increased by £40,052,000 from £7,302,415,000 to £7,342,467,000 and the administration cost limit by £56,142,000 from £4,902,843,000 to £4,958,985,000. Within the DEL change the impact on resources and capital are set out in the table:

£
Resources
Change 19,855
New DEL 7,111,469
Of which:
Voted 6,084,747
Non voted 1,026,722
Capital
Change 20,197
New DEL 230,998
Of which:
Voted 148,071
Non voted 82,927

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:

  1. (i) a reduction of £53,000 (administration costs) due to a transfer to the Home Office for costs in connection with the evaluation of withdrawal of benefits for offenders in breach of community penalties.
    2. 502W
  2. (ii) take up of end year flexibility entitlements (£7,100,000 of which £6,000,000 are administration costs) announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in Table 6 of the 2000–01 Public Expenditure Outturn Paper (Cm 5243).
  3. (iii) a reduction of £220,000 (administration costs) due to a transfer to Lord Chancellor's Departments for costs associated with housing benefit and council tax benefit appeals.
  4. (iv) a reduction of £50,000 (administration costs) due to a transfer to Department of Social Development (Northern Ireland) towards the administration costs associated with winter fuel payments.
  5. (v) an increase in provision of £1,568,000 (administration costs) for the costs of administering allowance payments for work-based learning for adults in Scotland and Wales.
  6. (vi) a net increase of £1,691,000 (administration costs) due to a transfer from Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, for expenditure on New Deal for Communities (£1,631,000), reimbursement of salary costs of Department for Work and Pensions staff performing work on behalf of the Housing Corporation (£150,000) and a transfer £90,000 to Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions for implementation costs at the Rent Service.
  7. (vii) an increase of £16,548,000 (of which £8,548,000 are administration costs) due to a transfer from Department for Education and Skills for expenditure within the Disability Rights Commission (£1,000,000), the cost of the Labour Force Survey (£1,050,000), the cost of accommodation where they are the minor occupier (£963,000), costs associated with Basic Skills (£7,000,000), a contribution towards the administrative costs of procurement (£24,000), a call on the Restructuring Fund (£6,000,000) and a transfer for costs associated with hardship payments to young people who would normally be receiving bridging allowance (£511,000).
  8. (viii) an increase of £158,000 (other current) for the expenditure on EU Twinning funded projects.
  9. (ix) a reduction of £20,000 (administration costs) due to a transfer to the Scottish Executive for costs associated with European Social Fund Verification and Audit Team.
  10. (x) an increase of £9,517,000 (administration costs) from the Employment Development Fund for JobCentre Plus and New Deal for Disabled People.
  11. (xii) a reduction in provision of £32,000 (other current) as a result of a transfer to the Scottish Executive for the Glasgow Coalition.
  12. (xiii) an increase of £1,095,000 as result of a transfer from Department of Health for the cost of collecting expenses associated with Road Traffic Accidents in England.
    13. 503W
  13. (xiv) an increase of £13,704,000 (of which £12,991,000 are administration costs and £713,000 grants) for expenditure associated with services supplied by Department for Work and Pensions to other Government Departments on a repayment basis.
  14. (xv) an increase of £454,000 (of which £351,000 is administration costs and £103,000 other current) to correct an earlier transfer.
  15. (xvi) an increase of £28,242,000 (administration costs) as result of virement from other current/grants and an increase of £13,797,000 (capital) arising from virement from other current.
  16. (xvii) an increase in appropriation in aid of £26,202,000 (of which £14,518,000 are administration cost limit related).
  17. (xviii) an increase of £10,294,000 (other current) to reflect an increase in the number of secondments.
  18. (xix) a reduction of £2,900,000 (other current) as a result of a transfer to Annually Managed Expenditure.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:

  1. (i) an increase of £6,400,000 (administration costs) from the Employment Development Fund for JobCentre Plus.
  2. (ii) An increase of £13,797,000 as a result of virement.

All of these changes will either be offset by transfers or charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.