Written question asked by Mark Prisk (Conservative) on Monday, 14 November 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 16 November 2005. It was answered by Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour) on Monday, 21 November 2005 on behalf of the Treasury.

Near Cash Resources

Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the maximum amount of near cash resources is that (a) Government Departments as a whole and (b) each Government Department can use in 2005–06 drawn from public underspending in financial year 2004–05.

Answer: The amount Departments can draw-down and use from underspending in previous years, known as end year flexibility (EYF), is not calculated on the basis of underspending in 2004–05 only but on cumulative underspends since the EYF scheme began. Resource EYF stocks carried into 2005–06 by Departments and in total were published in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (PEOWP) 2004–05 (Cm. 6639), copies of which were laid before the House and placed in the Library, Departmental drawdown of end-year flexibility entitlement is scrutinised by HM Treasury for tautness and realism and resulting budgetary limits are agreed and published in supplementary estimates in November and February.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 439 c1576-7W;439 c1578-9W; 29396
Session: 2005-06
Related items: Public expenditure 2004-05 provisional outturn.
Wednesday, 20 July 2005
Command papers
House of Commons
Subjects: Public expenditure Public sector net cash requirement
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk