Work of the Committee 2008-09 - Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Contents



10. Memorandum submitted by the Northern Ireland Office relating to the Northern Ireland Office Main Estimate 2009/10

NORTHERN IRELAND OFFICE (NIO) MEMORANDUM ON THE 2009/10 MAIN ESTIMATE

Introduction

The Northern Ireland Office Main Estimate (ME) for 2009/10 seeks the necessary resources and cash to support the functions of the NIO in the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, the support and development of the criminal justice system, the enforcement of law and the maintenance of a secure and humane prison system. These are continuing functions from previous years and no new functions have been added.

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide the select committee with an explanation of how the resources and cash sought in the Main Estimate will be applied to achieve departmental objectives and Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets. This includes information on comparisons with the resources provided in earlier years in Estimates and departmental budgets, and may refer to future financial plans.

Summary of the main spending control figures contained in the Estimates

Voted provision

The Main Estimate provides for a:

  • Total Net Resource Requirement (NRR) of £13,469,372,000

RfR1  £ 1,208,371,000

RfR2  £12,261,000,000

  • Net Cash Requirement (NCR) of £13,501,688,000

Budgetary data

The key budgetary figures are:
Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit £ 1,186,462,000

of which:
Near cash£ 966,115,000
Administration Budget£ 73,926,000
Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit £ 76,703,000
Annually Managed Expenditure£ 276,448,000

Explanation of significant changes in the provision compared with the previous year
Net resource requirement:   2009-10£13,469,372,000
2008-09£11,484,635,000

Provision is currently 17.3% higher than last year, which is mainly due to a higher RfR2 requirement of £1,983,000,000.
Net cash requirement: 2009-10 £13,501,688,000
2008-09 £11,502,899,000

The higher cash requirement reflects a higher RfR2 resource requirement (£1,983,000,000).

Explanation of administration changes between Main Estimate 2009-10 and Spring Supplementary Estimates 2008-09
AreaME SSEIncrease /
2009-10

£k

2008-09

£k

(decrease)

£k

Central Administration34,570 36,055(1,485)
Ministers2,9492,857 92
Political Directorate8,107 10,305(2,198)
Bloody Sunday Inquiry0 633(633)
Public Prosecution Service2,520 2,334186
Criminal Justice5,279 4,799480
Policing and Security5,386 4,897489
Northern Ireland Prison Service15,115 14,145970
Total73,92676,025 (2,099)

Central Administration: The 2009-10 decrease reflects the transfer of functions to the Political Directorate.

Political Directorate: Main Estimates only include baseline funding and do not include end year flexibility funding (EYF) which is drawn down in-year at Supplementary Estimates. The 2008-09 figure contains EYF funding for the Hamill, Nelson and Wright Inquiries, the Consultative Group on the Past and the Bill of Rights Forum.

Bloody Sunday Inquiry: Main Estimates only include baseline funding and do not include EYF funding which is drawn down in-year at Supplementary Estimates. The 2008/09 Bloody Sunday figure includes EYF.

Public Prosecution Service, Criminal Justice, Policing & Security and Northern Ireland Prison Service: The planned recruitment of staff to fill vacant posts in 2009-10 has resulted in increased staff costs.

Explanation of programme changes between Main Estimate 2009-10 and Spring Supplementary Estimates 2008-09
Area ME SSE Increase /
2009-10

£k

2008-09

£k

(decrease)

£k

Central Administration 12,697 12,174523
Political Directorate 5,546 37,425(31,879)
Bloody Sunday Inquiry 1003,622 (3,522)
Public Prosecution Service 28,738 33,626(4,888)
Forensic Science NI 1,589 1,54544
Criminal Justice 16,236 21,785(5,549)
Compensation Agency 13,037 54,246(41,209)
Policing and Security 12,452 8,7233,729
Policing Non -Severance 2,100 2,706(606)
Northern Ireland Prison Service 116,268 119,722(3,454)
Youth Justice Agency 17,465 21,644(4,179)
Police Cash Grant 780,756 849,014(68,258)
Police Pensions Cash Grant 94,194 99,370(5,176)
Police Ombudsman Cash Grant 7,706 8,922(1,216)
Probation Board NI Cash Grant 14,186 18,801(4,615)
NI Policing Board Cash Grant 8,341 8,28853
NI Human Rights Commission Cash Grant 1,547 1,631(84)
Criminal Justice Inspection Cash Grant 1,487 1,379108
Total 1,134,445 1,304,623 (170,178)

Central Administration: The 2009-10 increase includes funding to be transferred to the Political Directorate during 2009-10 to reflect a transfer of functions.

Political Directorate: Main Estimates only include baseline funding and do not include EYF funding which is drawn down in-year at Supplementary Estimates. The 2008-09 figure contains EYF funding for the Hamill, Nelson and Wright Inquiries, the Group on the Past and the Bill of Rights Forum. Also, the 2009-10 figure does not yet reflect a budgetary transfer from Central Administration to reflect a transfer of functions.

Bloody Sunday Inquiry: Main Estimates only include baseline funding and do not include EYF funding which is drawn down in-year at Supplementary Estimates. The 2008/09 Bloody Sunday figure includes EYF.

Public Prosecution Service and Criminal Justice: EYF funding at the next Supplementary Estimates will bring the 2009-10 budget in line with 2008-09 figure.

Compensation Agency: The 2009-10 resource reflects a revised methodology for calculating the cost of compensation provisions.

Policing & Security: The planned recruitment of staff to fill vacant posts in 2009-10 has resulted in an increase in staff costs. A transfer of funds to Policing Non-Severance is planned in 2009-10.

For:

  • Policing Non Severance
  • Northern Ireland Prison Service
  • Youth Justice Agency
  • Police Cash Grant
  • Police Pensions Cash Grant
  • Police Ombudsman NI Cash Grant; and
  • Probation Board NI Cash Grant

EYF funding at the next Supplementary Estimates will bring the 2009-10 budget in line with 2008-09 figure.

Explanation of capital changes between Main Estimate 2009-10 and Spring Supplementary Estimates 2008-09
AreaME SSEIncrease /
2009-10

£k

2008-09

£k

(decrease)

£k

Central Administration4,865 4,430435
Political Directorate80 773
Public Prosecution Service310 1,780(1,470)
Policing & Security54 540
Forensic Science NI472 2,284(1,812)
Criminal Justice1,750 3,712(1,962)
Compensation Agency60 1,200(1,140)
Northern Ireland Prison Service19,220 23,400(4,180)
Youth Justice Agency200 1,250(1,050)
Total27,01138,187 (11,176)

Central Administration: Increase for 2009-10 is due to additional IT requirement.

Public Prosecution Service: The 2008-09 figure reflects a change in the accounting treatment of fit-out costs for buildings.

Forensic Science NI: EYF funding due to be drawn down at the next Supplementary Estimate will increase the 2009-10 budget.

Criminal Justice: EYF funding at the next Supplementary Estimates will bring the 2009-10 budget in line with 2008-09 figure.

Compensation Agency: EYF funding at the next Supplementary Estimates will bring the 2009-10 budget in line with 2008-09 figure.

Northern Ireland Prison Service: A decrease in the 2009-10 figure is a result of large capital projects being completed in 2008-09.

Youth Justice Agency: EYF funding at the next Supplementary Estimates will bring the 2009-10 budget in line with 2008-09 figure.

Explanation of resource AME changes between Main Estimate 2009-10 and Spring Supplementary Estimates 2008-09
AreaME SSEIncrease /
2009-10

£k

2008-09

£k

(decrease)

£k

Police Pension AME276,448 264,014 12,434
Total276,448 264,014 12,434

Police Pension AME - The increase of £12,434k is a result of an increase in the discount rate used for police pensions.

DEL End-Year Flexibility

The 2008-09 EYF stock for NIO was reported in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper 2007-08 (PEOWP). The breakdown below shows the changes since then.
Admin ProgTotal of which Capital
Resource Near-cash Non-cash
£k £k £k £k£k £k
EYF stock at 1 April 2008 73,998 81,534 155,532 143,092 12,44045,860
Take-up in Spring Supplementary Estimates 2008/09 081,534 81,534 69,094 12,440 7,800
EYF stock at 1 April 2009 73,998 0 73,998 73,998 0 38,060

Administration Budget

A comparison with earlier years (outturn) and plans is set out below.
2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
£k £k £k £k £k
Outturn Outturn Estimated Outturn Plans Plans

Administration Budget

78,607

66,905

65,608

73,926

72,404

The increase between 2008-09 outturn and 2009-10 plans relates to centrally held contingency funding.

Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets

In considering the budget allocations for 2009-10, the Departmental Board has taken into account the impact on the key indicators of delivery for the Department to ensure that changes to budgets are fully in support of delivery priorities.

Resources received through the Main Estimate 2009-10 will be increased by EYF draw-down, as agreed with HM Treasury, through Supplementary Estimates to ensure that the CSR07 PSA Outcomes and Departmental Strategic Objectives as set out in Appendix A of the NIO Departmental Report 2009 are met.

25 June 2009



 
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