Public Expenditure

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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report an analysis, comparable with Table 2.4 of Financial Statistics, of the public expenditure classification changes contained in table 1A.1 of the Autumn Statement 1989, Cm 879.

The classification changes contained in table 1A.1 of the Autumn Statement include the following:

1. Statutory sick pay and statutory maternity pay are now included in the planning total;

2. Recipts of fines and fixed penalties are now treated as revenue and outside the planning total;

3. Expenditure on police, education and fire services in Northern Ireland is now treated as central Government's own expenditure. Previously this was treated as local authority expenditure;

4. Expenditure by the Training Agency on the technical and vocational educational initiative (TVEI) and work-related further education (WRFE) formerly treated as central Government's own expenditure, is now included in support for local authorities;

5. Expenditure of National Rivers Authority on land drainage financed by levies on local authorities is now included in central Government's own expenditure Equivalent expenditure was previously included in local authority expenditure as payments to water authorities;

6. Receipts from visa fees are now treated as revenue and outside the planning total;

7. Receipts of OFTEL and OFGAS are now treated as revenue and outside the planning total.

Their contributions to the aggregate classification change shown in table 1A.1 are as follows.

£ million
	1990–91	1991–92
Central Government's own expenditure
Statutory Sick Pay/Statutory Maternity Pay	1,259	1,311
Fines and Fixed Penalties	275	291

	1990–91	1991–92
Northern Ireland switch from local authority	791	831
TVEI and WRFE	-243	-248
NRA land drainage	155	160
Visas	32	33
OFTEL and OFGAS	7	7
Others	3	2
Total	2,279	2,387
Public Corporations
Local authority airport and bus companies	-86	-70
Total	-86	-70

A similar analysis covering the period from 1984–85 to 1991–92 will be included in the 1990 public expenditure White Paper.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report tables showing, for the latest years now available, identifiable public expenditure by function in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom expressed (a) in cash terms, (b) as an index, United Kingdom total identifiable public expenditure =100, (c) as an amount per capita and (d) as an amount per capita expressed as an index, United Kingdom amount per capita =100.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs) on 19 December 1989 at columns 179–91.

Volume 165: debated on Tuesday 16 January 1990