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Written Ministerial Statements

Thursday 9 February 2006

CABINET OFFICE

Government Whips Office

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Jim Murphy): My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister has made the following Machinery of Government change with immediate effect. The offices of the House of Commons and House of Lords Chief Whips will transfer from the Cabinet Office to the Privy Council Office. There will be no change in function or location of the Whips' Offices. The change comes about as part of a review being conducted by Sir Gus O'Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, into the role and functions of the Cabinet Office.

Spring Supplementary Estimate 2005–06

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Jim Murphy): Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Cabinet Office DEL will be decreased by £3,150,000 from £226,144,000 to £222,994,000. The administration costs limits will be decreased by £3,570,000 from £199,401,000 to £195,831,000.

Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table.
New DEL
£'000ChangeVotedNon-votedTotal
Resource-3,150222,9940222,994
Capital-1,68723,313023,313
Depreciation*0-37,3380-37,338
Total-4,837208,9690208,969


 
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The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from Machinery of Government (MoG) transfer of the Government Social Research Unit to HM Treasury and the Whips Offices (Lords and Commons) to the Privy Council Office. The resource implications are £2,097,000 and £914,000 respectively. Other outward transfers include the baseline for the Parliamentary Counsel Office to other Government Departments. Inward transfers include £389,0000 from the Department of Trade and Industry to fund the Equalities Review, £335,000 from various Government Departments to fund protective security measures relating to State and Government assets in central London and End Year Flexibility draw down of £7,900,000.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from the transfer of £20,000 capital as part of the MoG transfer to the Privy Council Office and £1,110,000 as part of the MoG transfer of Government Car and Despatch Agency to the Department for Transport. There is also a transfer of £557,000 to Her Majesty's Government Communications Centre for the provision of a new building and infrastructure at Hanslope Park.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Lord Carter's Review of Legal Aid Procurement

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Bridget Prentice): My right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, has made the following written ministerial statement today.