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Department for Work and Pensions: DEL

Volume 699: debated on Tuesday 19 February 2008

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (James Purnell) has made the following Statement.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the Department for Work and Pensions departmental expenditure limit will increase by £60,847,000 from £7,643,047,406 to £7,703,894,406 and the administration budget will decrease by £88,000 from £5,816,364,000 to £5,816,276,000.

Within the departmental expenditure limit change, the impact on resource and capital is as set out in the following table:

Change £kNew Departmental Expenditure Limit £k

Voted

Non-voted

Total

Voted

Non-voted

Total

Resource

142,825

-117,913

24,912

6,592,712

1,165,437

7,758,149

of which:

Administration

104,812

-104,900

-88

5,815,366

910

5,816,276

Near-cash

97,825

-117,913

-20,088

6,336,342

1,214,095

7,550,437

Capital

35,439

496

35,935

99,219

891

100,110

Depreciation1

-

-

-

-153,023

-1,342

-154,365

Total

178,264

-117,417

60,847

6,538,908

1,164,986

7,703,894

1 Depreciation, which forms part of resource departmental expenditure limit, is excluded from the total departmental expenditure limit since the capital departmental expenditure limit includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting.

Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit

The change in the resource departmental expenditure limit arises from:

Request for Resources 2

(i) A Machinery Of Government transfer of the Disability Rights Commission (sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions) to the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (sponsored by Government Equalities Office).

(ii) The Disability Rights Commission is an executive non-departmental public body. The resource departmental expenditure limit transactions were a reduction in voted administration of £88,000 (near-cash) and a reduction in non-voted other current £20,000,000 (near-cash).

Request for Resources 5

(iii) A drawdown of £45,000,000 other current end of year flexibility to support non-cash expenditure.

Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit

The change in the capital departmental expenditure limit arises from:

Request for Resources 3

(iv) A budget transfer from the Northern Ireland Executive of £4,935,000 in respect of expenditure incurred by the Pension Transformation Programme.

(v) A drawdown of £31,000,000 end of year flexibility to support expenditure on the Pensions Change Programme.

Administration Costs Limit

The movement in the administration cost limit arises from the changes to the resource departmental expenditure limit as noted at items i and ii above.

Movements in Non-Voted Resource Expenditure

The changes in non-voted resource expenditure arise from the changes to the resource departmental expenditure limit as noted at items i and ii above. In addition the following adjustments:

Request for Resources 1

(vi) A reduction in non-voted resource expenditure of £104,900,000 offset by an increase in voted resource expenditure of £104,900,000 in respect of the allocation of the departmental unallocated provision to support the Child Support Agency Operational Improvement Plan.

Request for Resources 2

(vii) An increase in non-voted expenditure of £1,461,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £1,461,000 in respect of increased spend of Working Ventures (UK) Limited.

Request for Resources 3

(viii) An increase in non-voted expenditure of £244,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £244,000 in respect of increased spend of the Pensions Advisory Service.

(ix) An increase in non-voted expenditure of £189,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £189,000 in respect of decreased spend of the Pensions Ombudsman.

(x) A reduction in non-voted expenditure of £839,000 offset by an increase in voted expenditure of £839,000 in respect of decreased spend of the Pensions Regulator.

(xi) An increase in non-voted expenditure of £6,532,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £6,532,000 in respect of planned expenditure for the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority.

(xii) A reduction in non-voted expenditure of £600,000 offset by an increase in voted expenditure of £600,000 in respect of an adjustment to the classification of spend for Better Government for Older People.

Movements in Non-Voted Capital Expenditure

The changes in non-voted capital relate to the following adjustments:

Request for Resources 3

(xiii) An increase in non-voted expenditure of £5,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £5,000 in respect of increased spend of the Pensions Advisory Service.

(xiv) An increase in non-voted expenditure of £17,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £17,000 in respect of increased spend of the Pensions Ombudsman.

(xv) An increase in non-voted expenditure of £474,000 offset by a decrease in voted expenditure of £474,000 in respect of increased spend of the Pensions Regulator.