To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the administrative costs for the Government offices for the regions are expected to be in the current financial year. (188769)

The administrative costs of the Government offices for the regions in 2007-08 are expected to be £142,656,000. This includes all funding received from sponsor Departments, including a non-cash allocation and funds that have been provided for the current year for a voluntary early release scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what budgets the Government offices for the regions are responsible for in the current financial year. (188770)

The Government offices for the regions have specific responsibility for an administration running cost budget and a capital budget.

Programme budgets administered by the Government offices are the responsibility of the Secretaries of State for the relevant sponsor Departments. The Departments delegate authority to the regional directors to spend against their programmes, though all expenditure incurred is recorded in the accounts of the Department concerned.