APPENDIX 3
EXCHANGE OF CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING
THE SPRING SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATE 2000-01, FOR CLASS XV, VOTE
2
Letters from the Clerk of the Committee
to the Northern Ireland Office
I wrote to you on 19 February concerning the
Northern Ireland Spring Supplementary Estimates. Lyndon Hughes'
letter to me of 21 February and Brenda Shearer's note of 20 February
helpfully clarified the points I had raised.
However, I now have three further queries on
the Supplementary Estimate for Class XV, Vote 2. The first is
whether the increase in the DEL for the Northern Ireland Executive
is contingent on Parliamentary approval of the Supplementary Estimate;
the Secretary of State's Written Answer of 15 February is silent
on this point. The second is what the balance of this Supplementary
is intended to cover: the DEL increase is £172,993,000, whereas
the Supplementary Estimate seeks additional provision of £234,401,000.
Again, both the Estimate, and the Secretary of State's Answer,
appear silent on the point. Finally, what is the reason for the
re-organisation of this Estimate into a single sub-head? I should
be grateful to receive a response on these points by the close
of business tomorrow as the Committee is to consider the Supplementary
Estimate on Wednesday morning.
5 March 2001
Further to my note of this afternoon, could
you also arrange for me to receive, on the same timescale, a reconciliation
of the figures given for the overall changes in the NIO DEL for
2000-01 and the corresponding running cost limit given in the
Secretary of State's answer of 15 February with the corresponding
figures given at page 177 of the Spring Supplementary Estimates
booklet.
5 March 2001
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