HC Deb 24 February 2004 vol 418 cc9-10WS
The Minister for Rural Affairs and Local Environmental Quality (Alun Michael)

Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs DEL will be decreased by £77,907,000 from £3,035,822,000 to £2,957,915,000 and the administration costs limits will be decreased by £193,238,000 from £540,470,000 to £347,232,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

£'000s
Change Voted New DEL Non-voted Total
Resource -32,035 2,378,872 397,641 2,776,513
Capital -45,872 286,873 75,745 362,618
Depreciation* - -83,495 -97,721 -181,216
Total -77,907 2,582,250 375,665 2,957,915
*Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from: a take up of £6,317,000 administration resources from ODPM for accommodation costs relating to Ashdown House; a decrease of £95,000,000 in our non-voted resource budget relating to funding originally provided in respect of the Environment Agency Closed Pension Fund, but which is no longer required in 2003–04; a reclassification of £45,919,000 capital flood defence grants (paid to the Environment Agency) to non-Voted resource DEL and matching grant in aid, to reflect the correct accounting treatment of these grants (see below offsetting decrease in capital); an increase to our non-Voted resource DEL of £1,948,000 to complete the transfer of English Nature's unfunded pension liabilities into the Principle Civil Service Pension Scheme; a transfer of £105,000 administration resources to the DTI for the Farm Business Advice Service (FBAS); a reclassification of £199,486,000 administration resources to programme resources in respect of the Department's front line services, as agreed with Treasury; a movement of £50,000,000 from non-Voted resources on to the Estimate (Vote) to reflect latest allocations/forecasts, as agreed with Treasury; an increase of £2,000,000 to our resource expenditure and operating income to reflect the receipt from British Waterways of interest and capital repayment on its National Loans (NLF) loans and its onward payment to NLF; an increase of £3,951,000 programme resources and appropriations-in-aid in respect of Pig Industry Restructuring; a take-up of £8,184,000 programme resources from DWP in respect of Warm Front Pension Credit Costs; the take-up of our Departmental Unallocated Provision (DUP) of £10,689,000 as programme resources; a take-up of £500,000 programme resources from DfES for School Milk; the take-up of £36,000 administration resources and £95,000 programme resources from the Invest to Save Budget, representing Defra's successful projects in the fifth round of awards; a take-up of £71,000 programme resources from SEERAD for Emissions Trading Registry. an increase of our Executive Agencies' administrative resources and appropriations-in-aid by £20,000,000 to take account of latest allocations/forecasts and to reflect the appropriations-in-aid target in the Estimate.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from: a reclassification of £45,919,000 Capital flood defence grants (paid to the Environment Agency) to non-Voted resource DEL and matching grant in aid, to reflect the correct accounting treatment of these grants (see above offsetting increase in resource); switch on the Estimate £60,000,000 from in-house capital to resources (Local Authority Grants) to reflect latest allocations/forecasts. Note: This switch is Budget neutral, i.e. Local Authority Grants are classified as resource for Estimate purposes but capital in the Budget; an increase in capital expenditure and non-operating appropriations-in-aid of £2,510,000, in respect of grain store receipts. This relates to an agreement with Treasury-which allows us to recycle grain store receipts in to the Rural Payments Agency's (RPA) Change programme by increasing expenditure in line with income received; take-up of £47,000 capital from the Invest to Save Budget, representing Defra's successful projects in the fifth round of awards.