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7 April 1998
1998-99 MAIN SUPPLY ESTIMATES
Main Supply Estimates seek funds from Parliament for most Government spending. The Estimates for 1998-99 amount to 215.2 billion Pounds; they have been presented today to the House of Commons by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Dawn Primarolo MP.
The 215.2 billion Pounds of provision sought in the Estimates for 1998-99 is consistent with plans published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report (HC 620) and included in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 1998-99 (Cm 3901) and the series of departmental reports (Cm 3902 to Cm 3920) published in the last few days.
Supplementary Estimates may be presented later in the year. Any increase in public expenditure will be met by offsetting savings or from the Reserve within the public expenditure control total, so that the control total is not exceeded.
Voted expenditure subject to cash limits totals 144.8 billion Pounds in 1998-99. This is 67 per cent of total Supply, a slightly higher proportion than in the 1997-98 Main Estimates.
Running costs limits covering expenditure on departmental administration in 1998-99 are announced in Cm 3901.Most running costs expenditure is controlled gross, but there are net running costs limits for certain areas where expenditure and receipts vary in line with demand.
NOTE FOR EDITORS
Supply Estimates presented by the Treasury for 1998-99 are published as a House of Commons paper (HC 635).The 1998-99 Main Estimates for the House of Commons and the National Audit Office have been presented separately to Parliament today, as HC 636 and HC 637 respectively. All are available from Stationery Office bookshops.