93/00
18 July 2000
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE 1999-2000: PROVISIONAL OUTTURN
The Treasury today published the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (Cm 4812) showing provisional outturn for Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) and Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) in 1999-2000 including information on individual Votes, running cost limits and external finance limits for nationalised industries and other public corporations including trading funds. The White Paper also includes details of the carry forward of 1999-2000 DEL underspends into 2000-01 under the DEL end year flexibility (EYF) scheme.
2. The overall position for 1999-2000 shows provisional outturn for the DEL of £176.889 billion - an underspend of £4,489 million (2.5%) against final limits. Of this underspend, £3 billion was against original plans. £1 billion of this underspend was carried forward and added to the 2000-01 DEL Reserve at the time of Budget 2000. Of the remaining £2 billion underspend, £1.5 billion will be carried forward adding £0.75 billion to spending plans for 2000-01 and 2001-02.
3. Outturn for the other categories of expenditure covered by the White Paper are as follows:
| Original provision / limits |
Final provision / limits |
£ million Provisional outturn |
|
| AME | 170,221 | 166,327 | 163,804 |
| Voted expenditure | 226,468 | 233,163 | 224,950 |
| Nationalised industries' and other public corporations' inc. trading funds' EFLs | 1,193 | 1,932 | 1,882 |
| Running cost limits (gross | 13,654 | 14,011 | 13,626 |
| Running costs limits (net) | 1 | 10 | 3 |
| MOD operating costs | 15,918 | 16,697 | 16,564 |
4. There were no overspends out of a total of 43 DELs, 83 Votes and 18 net running costs limits. There was one breach out of 42 gross running costs limits and 7 breaches out of a total of 42 EFLs for nationalised industries and other public corporations. Details of the procedures to follow in the case of breaches are given in the White Paper, the introductory pages of which are attached.
5. The DEL EYF scheme allows departments to carry forward all of their DEL underspends plus any EYF entitlement from previous years less any adjustments for any DEL Reserve agreed during the course of the year. The scheme is designed to promote improved use of resources by better management of budgets, particularly the prevention of end-year surges in spending. Total entitlements for carry forward into 2000-01 amount to £4,248 million.
Note to Editors
6. Further details are available in the White Paper. General enquiries should be addressed to Treasury Press Office. Questions on individual limits, including EFLs for nationalised industries and other public corporations, should be addressed to the Departments concerned.