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27 Nov 2002 : Column 13WS

Written Ministerial Statements

Wednesday 27 November 2002

DEFENCE

Departmental Expenditure Limits

The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon): Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the Ministry of Defence Departmental Expenditure Limits will be increased by £387,844,000 from £24,596,969,000 to £24,984,813,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

£1000s

Resources				Capital
Change	New DEL	Of which: voted	Non voted	Change	New DEL	Of which: voted	Non voted
277,224	19,142,668	18,752,958	389,710	110,620	5,842,145	5,765,717	76,428

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from: The take up of the Resource end year flexibility of £68,668,000. An increase in RfR2 of £208,556,000 for military operations. The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from: The take up of the Capital DEL end year flexibility of £100,000,000. An increase in RfR2 of £10,620,000 for military operations.

The increases will be funded from the DEL Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Departmental Expenditure Limits

The Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Mr. Charles Clarke): This Written Statement explains the

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changes being proposed to the Department for Education and Skills' Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) (including the Office for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools (OFSTED) which has a separate Estimate), which subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary Estimate, will be increased by £157,494,000 form £23,342,872,000 to £23,500,366,000 and to the Administration Costs limits which will be changed as follows.

	Original	Change	Revised
	£000	£000	£000
DfES (RfR1)	208,726	-1,185	207,541
Sure Start (RfR2)	4,099	+1,351	5,450
Children's Fund (RfR3)	4,435	-430	4,005

Within the DEL change, the impact on the resources element and the capital element are as set out in the following table:

	Resources				Capital
	Change	New DEL	Of which: voted	Non-Voted	Change	New DEL	Of which: voted	Non-voted
	£000	£000	£000	£000	£000	£000	£000	£000
RfR 1	73,808	19,622,493	7,212,908	12,409,585	84,875	3,082,462	1,764,003	1,318,459
RfR 2	-759	284,633	284,633	0	0	164,008	164,008	0
RfR 3	-430	149,570	149,570	0	0	0	0	0
Total change	72,619	20,056,696	7,647,111	12,409,585	84,875	3,246,470	1,928,011	1,318,459

The £6,911,000 increase in the voted element of the resource DEL for RfR1 arises from the take up of £66,000,000 of End Year Flexibility provision; the transfer from the Department of Health of £8,120,000 for Healthy Schools Partnerships and Drugs Education; the net transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions of £7,658,000 for the Disability Rights Commission, Adult Basic Skills training arranged through Jobcentre Plus, Administration Costs and the transfer of responsibility for Ranmoor Hall, Sheffield; the net transfer from the Home Office of £2,775,000 for Community Champions, Community Finance and Learning Initiative, shared premises, prison education services, the Mentor Point Initiative, the Black Training and Enterprise Group and Foyer Federation; the increase in the Appropriation in Aid by £1,800,000 to recycle rent receipts from the National College for School Leadership; the net transfer to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of £1,250,000 for Community Champions, Government Offices, Youth Work Activity and regional co-ordinators of Adult Basic Skills training; the transfer to the National Assembly for Wales of £557,000 for Higher Education Hardship (Access) Funds; the net transfer from the Department of Trade and Industry of £434,000 for Inward Investments, Community Finance and Learning Initiative and Engineering and Marine Training Authority Marine Skills; the transfer from the Office for National Statistics of £97,000 for the Neighbourhood Statistics programme; the virement of £59,247,000 to non-voted

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DEL for the Learning and Skills Council; and the correction of an over allocation of funds through a return to the Invest Save Budget of £3,000.

The £1,185,000 reduction in the Administration Costs limit for RfR1 arises from the transfer of £871,000 to the Department for Work and Pensions for the transfer of responsibility for Ranmoor Hall, Sheffield and support for International Relations; the transfer of £411,000 to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Government Offices and for regional co-ordinators for Adult Basic Skills training; and the transfer of £97,000 from the Office for National Statistics for the Neighbourhood Statistics programme.

The reduction in the voted element of resource DEL for RfR2 arises from the transfer of £759,000 to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to contribute to the accommodation and the provision of central services in the Government Offices.

The £1,351,000 increase in the Administration Costs limit for RfR2 arises from the virement from current grants.

The reduction in the voted element of resource DEL for RfR3 arises from the transfer of £430,000 from administration costs to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to contribute to the accommodation and the provision of central services in the Government Offices.

The £73,375,000 increase in the voted element of the capital DEL for RfR1 arises from the draw down of £77,500,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund for direct grants to schools; the virement of £4,000,000 to non voted DEL to the Learning and Skills Council; the transfer of £100,000 to the Department for Work and Pension for the transfer of responsibility for Ranmoor Hall, Sheffield; and the correction of an over allocation of funds through a return to the Invest Save Budget of £25,000.

The £66,897,000 increase in the non-voted element of the resource DEL for RfR1 arises from the virement of £59,247,000 from voted DEL to the Learning and Skills Council; the transfer from the Department for Work and Pensions of £3,600,000 to the Adult Learning Inspectorate for inspections of New Deal training providers; the transfer from the Home Office to the Higher Education Funding Council for England of £3,250,000 for the Active Community Fund; and the transfer from the Department for Transport of £800,000 for a project to address the training and skills in the Road Haulage Industry .

The £11,500,000 increase in the non-voted element of the capital DEL for RfR1 arises from the draw down of £7,500,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund to the Learning and Skills Council for further education and the virement of £4,000,000 from voted DEL to the Learning and Skills Council.

The increases will be offset by transfers or charges to the DEL Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of Public expenditure'.

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OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Expenditure Limits

Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State (Mr. John Prescott): I have today announced that subject to Parliamentary approval necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Departmental Expenditure Limits for 2002–03 will change as follows.

(a) the ODPM Main Programmes DEL (previously the DTLR Main Programmes DEL) will be decreased by £8,110,064,000 from £13,542,710,000 to £5,432,646,000 and the ODPM administration costs limit (previously the DTLR administration costs limit) will be decreased by £356,671,000 from £698,802,000 to £342,131,000 and the DTLR HSE administration costs limit will be transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

£'000

	Resources		Capital
	Change	New DEL	Change	New DEL
Total DEL	-3,163,065	1,921,595	-4,946,999	3,511,051
Of which
Voted	-1,876,058	1,487,401	-2,540,456	1,436,553
Non Voted	-1,287,007	434,194	-2,406,543	2,074,498

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

(i) The changes for Request for Resources 1 are as follows:

Take up of End Year Flexibility of £8,516,000 comprising £2,000,000 for Safer Communities Supported Housing Fund, £1, 806,000 for the Rent Service and £4,710,000 for the Planning Inspectorate administration. An increase of £43,658,000 from non-voted provision for Homelessness Strategies (£9,000,000), Bed and Breakfast (16,100,000), Priority Needs Orders (£10,000,000), Housing research and publicity (£150,000), Regeneration publicity (£350,000) and Rough Sleepers (£8,058,000). Take up from the Capital Modernisation Fund of £15,000 for the New Ventures Fund. A technical adjustment of £1,000,000 to correct the treatment of an Ordnance Survey interest payment. A net decrease of £15,919,000 arising from the following inter-departmental transfers: a reduction of £13,683,000 due to the reclassification of pneumoconiosis compensation payments to a provision and which has subsequently transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions, £2,066,000 to the Home Office for grants to the voluntary sector, £2,000,000 to the Home Office for Crime Reduction, £100,000 to the Department for Education and Skills for Community Champions, £300,000 from the Home Office for New Ventures Fund, £130,000 from the Home Office for Special Grants Programme and £1,500,000 from the Home Office for neighbourhood wardens. Take up from Invest To Save Budget of £597,000 for Ordnance Survey (£165,000) and Fire Service Projects (£432,000).

(ii) The changes for Request for Resources 2 are as follows:

Machinery of Government change of £1,726,236,000 to the Department for Transport.

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(iii) The changes for Request for Resources 4 are as follows:

A net decrease of £295,618,000 arising from machinery of government transfers to Department for Transport (£108,842,000), to the Department for Work and Pensions (£193,174,000) , from the Home Office (£2,162,000), and from the Cabinet Office (£4,236,000). An increase of £107,925,000 arising from other interdepartmental transfers from the Cabinet office (£98,630,000), the Home Office (£6,104,000), the Department for Education and Skills (£2,539,000) and from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (£652,000). A transfer of £4,000 from Requests for Resource 3 to meet costs of providing administration services.

(iv) Provision within the non-Voted resource element of the DTLR Main Programmes Departmental Expenditure Limit will be decreased by £1,287,007,000 to reflect machinery of government transfer to Department for Transport (£1,243,279,000), a machinery of government transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions (£70,000) and a transferr to voted provision on Request for Resources 1 (£43,658,000).

(v) As a result of the changes to Requests for Resources 1, 2 and 4 the ODPM administration provision has been decreased by £364,510,000 from £707,882,000 to £343,372,000.

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

(vi) The changes for Request for Resources 1 are as follows:

Take up of End Year Flexibility of £25,926,000 comprising £11,809,000 for Safer Communities supported Housing Fund, £14,000,000 for Starter Homes Initiative and £117,000 for The Rent Service Invest to Save Budget. A technical adjustment of £1,121,000 for Ordnance Survey loan repayment. An increase following a transfer from Department for Transport of £30,000,000 arising from the repayment of a loan. Take up from the Capital Modernisation Fund of £74, 055,000 for The Rent Service (£1,500,000), New Dimension (£43,000,000), Choice Based lettings (£3,355,000 including take up of End Year Flexibility of £2,355,000), Housing Market Renewal Fund (£25,000,000) and Public Space Improvement (£1,200,000). Take up from Invest to Save Budget of £65,000 for Ordnance Survey (£15,000) and Fire Service Projects (£50,000). A transfer of £14,629,000 from non-voted resources for Private Sector Housing Renewal (£8,000,000), Housing Defect grants (£1,629,000) and Coalfields Regeneration Trust (£5,000,000).

(vii) The changes for Request for Resources 2 are as follows: Machinery of Government change of £2,653,199,000 to the Department for Transport.

(viii) The changes for Request for Resources 4 are as follows:

A decrease of £33,666,000 arising from machinery of government transfers to the Department for Transport (£23,101,000), and to the Department of Work and Pensions (£10,565,000). An increase of £613,000 arising from a further interdepartmental transfer from the Cabinet Office.

(ix) Provision within the non-Voted capital element of the DTLR Main Programmes Departmental Expenditure Limit will be decreased by £2,406,543,000 in respect of a Machinery of Government transfer to Department for Transport (£2,391,914,000) and a transfer to voted provision on Request for Resources 1 (£14,629,000).

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(b) the DTLR Local Government DEL will be increased by £35, 136,000 from £37,649,827,000 to £37, 684,963,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

	Resources		Capital
	Change	New DEL	Change	New DEL
Total DEL	+27,967	37,403,935	+7,169	281,028
Of which
Voted	+25,767	37,311,082	+7169	273,028
Non Voted	+2,200	92,853	0	8,000

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

(i) The changes for Request for Resources 3 are as follows:

Take up of End Year Flexibility of £23,792,000: VOA rating services (£1,200,000), Best Value Inspectorate (£2,958,000), Local Government research (£600,000), PFI Special Grants (£5,400,000), support for local authorities (Bellwin) (£1,500,000), Local Government On-Line Resource (1,732,000), and take up from the Invest to Save Budget (£10,402,000). £2,000,000 from the DEL Reserve for Special Grants for Foot and Mouth Disease NNDR concessions. A decrease of £21,000 arising from machinery of government changes transfer to the Lord Chancellor's Department and £4,000 transfer to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Request for Resources 4 in respect of costs of providing administration services.

(ii) Provision within the non-Voted resource element of the Local Government DEL will increase by £2,200,000 to reflect the take up of End Year Flexibility for the Standards Board for England.

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

(iii) The changes for Request for Resources 3 are as follows:

Take up of End Year Flexibility of £4,240,000 for Local Government On-Line. Take up from the Invest to Save Budget End Year Flexibility of £2,929,000.

The increases will be offset by inter-departmental transfers or charged to the DEL Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

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