15 Nov 2007 : Column 49WS

15 Nov 2007 : Column 49WS

Written Ministerial Statements

Thursday 15 November 2007

Treasury

Double Taxation Convention (Slovenia)

The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Jane Kennedy): A new Double Taxation Convention with Slovenia was signed on 13 November 2007. After signature, the text
15 Nov 2007 : Column 50WS
of the Convention was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses and made available on HM Revenue and Customs' website. The text of the Convention will be scheduled to a draft Order in Council and laid before the House of Commons in due course.

Departmental Expenditure (ONS)

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Angela Eagle): Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Office for National Statistics’ total departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be increased by £941,000 from £174,237,000 to £175,178,000, and the administration budget will be increased by £1,491,000.

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

					£000
	Change		New DEL
	Voted	Non-Voted	Voted	Non-Voted	Total
Resource DEL	941	-	162,504	7,027	169,531
Of which:
Administration Budget*	1,491	-	162,504	7,027	169,531
Near-cash in RDEL	-2,844	9,231	133,454	16,699	150,153
Capital**	-	-	27,580	-	27,580
Less Depreciation	-	-	-21,933	-	-21,933
Total	941	-	168,151	7,027	175,178
*The total of ‘Administration Budget’ and ‘Near-cash in Resource DEL’ figures may well be greater than total resource DEL, due to the definitions overlapping. **Capital DEL includes items treated as resource in Estimates and accounts but which are treated as Capital DEL in budgets. † 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 DEL arises from:

Take up of End-Year Flexibility (EYF) of £777,000 from the Invest to Save Budget as set out in the Public Outturn White Paper (CM 7156); and

Transfer of £164,000 from the Cabinet Office in respect of Civil Service statistics.

The change in the administration budget arises from the take up of administration DEL EYF of £777,000 from the Invest to Save Budget, the transfer of £164,000 from the Cabinet Office and a reclassification, from programme to admin, of £550,000 EU expenditure.

Departmental Expenditure Limits (Treasury)

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Angela Eagle): Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, HM Treasury's total Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be increased by £6,028,000 from £223,420,000 to £229,448,000. Within the total DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is set out in the following table:

	Change		New DEL
	Voted	Non-voted	Voted	Non-voted	Total
Resource	14,519,000	-8,491,000	203,975,000	27,812,000	231,787,000
Of which:
Administration budget(1)	6,028,0001	—	166,429,000	7,422,000	173,851,000
Near cash in RDE(1)	12,568,000	-8,491,000	192,154,000	38,990,000	231,144,000
Capital(2)	—	—	7,200,000	—	7,200,000
Less:
Depreciation(3)	—	—	-9,539,000	—	-9,539,000
Total	14,519,000	-8,491,000	201,636,000	27,812,000	229,448,000
(1) The total of ‘Administration budget’ and ‘Near cash in Resource DEL’ figures may well be greater than total Resource DEL, due to definitions overlapping. (2) Capital DEL includes items treated as resource in Estimates and accounts but which are treated as Capital DEL in budgets. (3) 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.

15 Nov 2007 : Column 51WS

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

A Machinery of Government transfer of £4,028,000 (within the administration budget) from the Cabinet Office in respect of the transfer of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit to HM Treasury;

Draw down of £2,000,000 (within the administration budget) from the Financial Inclusion Fund to finance the Thoresen Review;

Take up of Departmental Unallocated Provision of £8,491,000 for OGC structural exits—a transfer from non-voted to voted spending within DEL.

15 Nov 2007 : Column 52WS

Departmental Expenditure (Revenue and Customs)

The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Jane Kennedy): Subject to parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the HM Revenue & Customs total DEL will be increased by £76,487,000 from £4,547,630,000 to £4,624,117,000. Within the total DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

£’000
	Change		New DEL
	Voted	Non-Voted	Voted	Non-Voted	Total
Resource DEL	91,487	-15,000	4,146,645	393,013	4,539,658
Of which:
Administration Budget(1)	92,487	-15,000	4,396,533	45,047	4,441,607
Near-cash in RDEL(1)	63,227	-15,000	3,770,975	427,161	4,198,136
Capital(2)	-	-	263,971	3,739	267,710
Less Depreciation(3)	-	-	-183,251	-	-183,251
Total DEL	91,487	-15,000	4,227,365	396,752	4,624,117
(1)The total of ‘Administration Budget' and ‘Near-cash in Resource DEL' figures may well be greater than total resource DEL, due to the definitions overlapping. (2)Capital DEL includes items treated as resource in Estimates and accounts but which are treated as Capital DEL in budgets. (3)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 DEL arises from:

£44,500,000 administration costs, from the Modernisation Fund to modernise and transform HMRC.

£30,000,000 administration near cash costs, from the DEL Reserve to expand call centre capacity.

£1,587,000 administration near cash costs transferred from the Cabinet Office in respect of Parliamentary Counsel Office Funding.

£1,400,000 take up of end year flexibility (EYF) in accordance with the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (CM 7156). This is from programme expenditure EYF, agreed to be spent as administration costs.

£1,000,000 programme near cash expenditure transferred to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

The change in the administration budget arises from the changes detailed in the resource element above excluding the £1,000,000 programme transfer to SOCA.

Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

Departmental Expenditure (DBRR)

The Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Mr. John Hutton): Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform's DEL will be reduced by £3,748,144,000 from £7,144,961,000 to £3,396,817,000 and the administration budget will be increased by £9,740,000 from £316,969,000 to £326,709,000.

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

£’000
	Change		New DEL
	Voted	Non-Voted	Voted	Non-Voted	Total
Resource	-1,243,051	-2,519,614	-645,427	2,874,567	2,229,140
Of which:
Administration Budget(1)	9,740		626,709		326,709
Near-cash in Resource DEL(2)	-1,233,909	-2,383,626	-798,609	2,930,512	2,131,903
Capital	-376,226	390,747	-698,824	1,866,501	1,167,677
Less Depreciation(3)	3,170	55,115	-38,275	-9,129	-47,404
Total DEL	-1,616,107	-2,073,752	1,382,526	4,731,939	3,349,413
(1)The total of ‘Administration Budget' and ‘Near-cash in Resource DEL' figures may well be greater than total resource DEL, due to the definitions overlapping. (2)Capital DEL includes items treated as resource in Estimates and accounts but which are treated as Capital DEL in budgets. (3)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.

---