140/97
18 November 1997
WINTER SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES: 1997-98
Winter Supplementary Estimates totalling 635 million Pounds were presented to the House of Commons today. They seek increased provision for existing services and Parliamentary authority, with necessary provision, for certain new services.
The Supplementary Estimates do not involve any change in total spending plans because the increases sought have either been offset by savings elsewhere in departmental programmes or charged to the Reserve. Most of these changes result from the routine take-up of underspends carried forward under the end- year flexibility schemes for capital, running costs and health spending as announced to the House of Commons by the Chief Secretary on 17 July. Since the Reserve is part of the control total, the planned total of public expenditure is unchanged.
The net increase in departmental programmes in the Winter Supplementaries includes increases of 425 million Pounds in cash limits and 89 million Pounds in running costs limits.
The Supplementary Estimates booklet also includes provisional outturn for Supply expenditure for the first 6 months of the 1997-98 financial year.