Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Cash Limits – 31 October 1989

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Cash Limits on 31st October 1989.

Mr. Nicholas Bennett To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether there will be any changes to the Treasury’s cash and running costs limits in 1989–90.

Mr. Major Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class XIX, vote 11 will be increased by £1,004,000 from £55,779.000 to £56,783,000.

This increase reflects the take-up of entitlement to carry forward under-spending in 1988–89 under the end of year flexibility arrangements, as I announced on 20 July 1989 at columns 258–62. The full entitlement of £661,000 on capital expenditure is taken up together with £223,000 of the £302,000 entitlement on running costs. Additionally, it reflects an increase in expenditure of £35,000 by the History of Parliament Trust to meet the costs of additional research staff. These increases will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

There is also an increase in provision of £85,000 to meet the setting-up costs at Chessington computer centre prior to the take-on of new payroll work, which will be offset by corresponding decreases in running costs limits of other Departments, as well as an increase to meet the increased costs of services provided by the Government Actuary’s Department, which will be offset by a corresponding payment from the Government Actuary’s Department vote (class XIX, vote 4).

As a result, the running costs limit of Her Majesty’s Treasury will be increased by £308,000 from £74,944,000 to £75,252,000.