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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Evidence Investment Strategy
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Dan Norris): I have arranged for copies of DEFRA's new Evidence Investment Strategy (EIS) which provides an agenda to prioritise and manage DEFRA's investment in evidence from 2010 to 2013 and beyond to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It highlights the need to focus efforts on the interlinked challenges of climate change, protecting ecosystems and developing a sustainable food supply. The strategy will ensure that DEFRA has access to the best evidence when developing and implementing policies. The strategy is available at: http://www.defra. gov.uk/evidence/science/how/strategy.htm
DEFRA's Chief Scientific Adviser led a detailed review of DEFRA's evidence activities and worked in collaboration with teams across DEFRA and the evidence landscape (including the executive agencies, non departmental public bodies and key external stakeholders) to develop the strategy. The EIS will build on the progress made by DEFRA's first evidence strategy, Our approach to Evidence and Innovation for 2005-08, encouraging better use of evidence for policy-making.
The strategy contains a number of recommendations including the importance of working with others, both internally and through partnerships with the research councils and other Government Departments, and developing skills, expertise and capabilities which will improve DEFRA's gathering and use of evidence.
Departmental Expenditure Limits
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Dan Norris): Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be increased by £41,608,000 (1.32 per cent.) from £3,149,133,000 to £3,190,741,000. The administration budget will be increased by £200,000 (0.07 per cent.) from £304,296,000 to £304,496,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is set out in the following table:
| £'000s | ||||||
| Change | New DEL | |||||
| Voted | Non-voted | Total | Voted | Non-voted | Total | |
| *Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL since capital DEL includes capital spending of those assets would lead to double counting. | ||||||
The change in the resource element of the DEL of £11,873,000 arises from: (i) a transfer of £30,000,000 programme from resource to capital for the Environment Agency; (ii) a £30,000,000 increase to programme following an agreement with HM Treasury to bring forward part of next year's ring-fenced disallowance provision to cover a Rural Payments Agency (RPA) disallowance issue that has materialised this year; (iii) a transfer of £827,000 programme to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland for transmissible spongiform encephalopathy responsibility; (iv) a transfer of £12,500,000 programme from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, returning funding DEFRA previously provided for the Carbon Capture and Storage Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) studies; and (v) a transfer of £200,000 administration from the Cabinet Office for the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.
There has also been a transfer within the resource element of the DEL of £355,481,000 from voted to non-voted. This relates to increases in income and expenditure for the EU funded schemes. This change is DEL neutral, but the expenditure is classed as voted, whereas the income is classed as non-voted consolidated fund extra receipts.
There has been a transfer of the remaining £26,000,000 Departmental Unallocated Provision from non-voted to voted to cover in part an RPA disallowance issue that
has materialised this year. The remainder of the transfers within resource DEL, between voted and non-voted, primarily relate to budget transfers from the core Department (voted) to the Department's Non Departmental Public Bodies (non-voted).
The change in the capital element of the DEL of £29,735,000 arises from: (i) a transfer of £30,000,000 from resource to capital for the Environment Agency; and (ii) a transfer of £265,000 to the Department of Energy and Climate Change for anaerobic digestion of manure and food waste demonstration projects.
There has also been a transfer within the capital element of the DEL of £8,040,000 from voted to non-voted relating to budget transfers from the core Department (voted) to the Department's Non Departmental Public Bodies (non-voted).
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Hong Kong
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (David Miliband): The latest report on the implementation of the Sino-British joint declaration on Hong Kong was published today. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. A copy of the report is also available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: www.fco.gov.uk. The report covers the period from 1 July to 31 December 2009. I commend the report to the House.
Departmental Expenditure Limits
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (David Miliband): Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary supplementary estimate, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office departmental expenditure limit (DEL) will be increased by £94,354,000 from £2,246,893,000 to £2,341,247,000. The administration budget will be increased by £29,444,000 from £426,845,000 to £456,289,000. Within the 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 | |
| * 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 the DEL arises from:
I. Take-up of £5,700,000 administration costs in respect of restructuring.
II. A claim on the Reserve of £6,000,000 administration costs in respect of modernisation of the FCO.
III. A transfer of £11,000 administration from the Cabinet Office in respect of charging for legal services by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel.
IV. A transfer of £1,002,000 administration to MOD in respect of the FCO's contribution to the information assurance technical programme.
V. A transfer of £16,000,000 capital to administration in respect of exchange rate pressures. This amount includes £3,000,000 transferred from Capital EYF.
VI. A transfer of £2,735,000 other current AME to administration DEL in respect of FCO staff costs for accrued annual leave.
I. A claim on the Reserve of £44,464,000 current grants in respect of the International Subscriptions cost-sharing agreement.
II. A claim on the Reserve of £25,060,000 other current in respect of Consular Premiums.
III. A transfer of £5,500,000 other current from DFID in respect of the Returns and Reintegration Fund.
IV. A transfer of £77,000 other current from DFID in respect of the Iraqi LE staff assistance scheme.
V. A transfer of £10,000 other current from DFID in respect of the Low Carbon High Growth Strategic Programme Fund.
VI. A transfer of £6,695,000 other current to MOD in respect of counter-narcotics work in Afghanistan.
VII. A transfer of £1,965,000 other current to MOD in respect of counter-narcotics work in Afghanistan.
VIII. A transfer of £500,000 other current to the Security and Intelligence Agencies for expansion and capability.
IX. A transfer of £2,000,000 from RfRl to RfR2 for FCO's contribution to the Helmand uplift for Stabilisation and Conflict Prevention.
I. Take up of £3,000,000 Capital EYF in respect of a transfer to administration costs.
II. A transfer of £ 16,000,000 capital to administration in respect of exchange rate pressures.
I. A benefit to HMT Reserve of £14,000,000 in respect of Stabilisation and Conflict Prevention.
II. A transfer of £14,700,000 from DFID in respect of discretionary peacekeeping funds.
III. A transfer of £11,259,000 from DFID in respect of Stabilisation and Conflict Prevention.
IV. A transfer of £2,000,000 from RfRl to RfR2 for FCO's contribution to the Helmand uplift for Stabilisation and Conflict Prevention.
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