Health written statement – made at on 21 November 2006.
Patricia Hewitt
Secretary of State, Department of Health
Subject to the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department of Health's element of the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be increased by £5,418,000 from £87,170,719,000 to £87,176,137,000 of which the Administration Cost Limit will be increased by £375,000 from £226,944,000 to £227,319,000. The Food Standards Agency DEL will be increased by £715,000 from £144,132,000 to £144,847,000. The overall DEL including the Food Standards Agency will be increased by £6,133,000 from £87,314,851,000 to £87,320,984,000. The impact on resource and capital are set out in the following table.
| £ million | |||||
| Change | New DEL | ||||
| Voted | Non-voted | Voted | Non-voted | Total | |
| Department of Health | |||||
| Resource DEL | 222,545 | -204,127 | 81,130,325 | 730,744 | 81,861,069 |
| Of which: | |||||
| Administration budget(1) | 0,375 | — | 227,319 | — | 227,319 |
| Near-cash in Resource DEL | 222,545 | 5,123 | 77,252,971 | 1,003,603 | 78,256,574 |
| Capital DEL | -13,000 | 2,073,115 | 3,241,953 | 5,315,068 | |
| Total Department of Health DEL | 222,545 | -217,127 | 83,203,440 | 3,972,697 | 87,176,137 |
| Depreciation(2) | — | — | -816,133 | -35,779 | -851,912 |
| Total Department of Health spending (after adjustment) | 222,545 | -217,127 | 82,387,307 | 3,936,918 | 86,324,225 |
| Food Standards Agency | |||||
| Resources | 0,415 | — | 143,900 | 0 | 143,900 |
| Of which: | |||||
| Administration budget(1) | 0,415 | — | 52,423 | 0 | 52,423 |
| Near-cash in Resource DEL | 0 | — | 140,677 | 60 | 140,737 |
| Capital | 0,300 | — | 0,947 | 0 | 0,947 |
| Total Food Standards Agency DEL | 0,715 | — | 144,847 | 0 | 144,847 |
| Depreciation(1) | 0 | — | -2,004 | 0 | -2,004 |
| Total Food Standards Agency spending (after adjustment) | 0,715 | — | 142,843 | 0 | 142,843 |
| (1) The total of "administration budget" and "Near cash in Resource DEL" figures may well be greater that the total resource DEL, due to definitions overlapping. (2) Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since the capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting. | |||||
| £ million | |||||
| Change | New DEL | ||||
| Voted | Non-voted | Voted | Non-voted | Total | |
| Food Standards Agency | |||||
| Resources | 0,415 | 143,900 | 0 | 143,900 | |
| Of which: | |||||
| Administration budget(1) | 0,415 | 52,423 | 0 | 52,423 | |
| Near-cash in Resource DEL | 0 | 140,677 | 60 | 140,737 | |
| Capital | 0,300 | 0,947 | 0 | 0,947 | |
| Total Food Standards Agency DEL | 0,715 | 144,847 | 0 | 144,847 | |
| Depreciation(1) | 0 | -2,004 | 0 | -2,004 | |
| Total Food Standards Agency spending (after adjustment) | 0,715 | 142,843 | 0 | 142,843 | |
| * The total of "administration budget" and "Near cash in Resource DEL" figures may well be greater that the total resource DEL, due to definitions overlapping. **Depreciation, which forms part of resource DEL, is excluded from the total DEL since the capital DEL includes capital spending and to include depreciation of those assets would lead to double counting. | |||||
The Department of Health DEL has increased by £5,418,000 made up of transfers from the Home Office £18,436,000 for prison healthcare services, the Department of Trade and Industry £1,600,000 for changes in pension scheme calculations and the Cabinet Office £457,000 (administration costs) for services of Parliamentary Counsel. These increases are offset by transfers to the Department for Education and Skills £15,000,000 mainly for capital building programmes and childcare services and to the Home Office £75,000 (administration costs) for a transfer of staff.
The Department of Health's administration cost limit has increased by £375,000 comprising a transfer to programme budgets of £7,000 for library services and net inter departmental transfers of £382,000 (detailed above).
The changes to the Food Standards Agency resource element of the Departmental Expenditure Limit arises from an interdepartmental transfer from DEFRA, to be used in paying for the staff costs of the Wine Standards Board from July 2006 when the responsibility was passed on to the FSA. As a result of this, the administration costs of the Food Standards Agency will increase by £415,000 from £52,008,000, to £52,423,000.
The changes to the Food Standards Agency capital element of the Departmental Expenditure Limit arises from a take up of EYF to increase capital expenditure reflecting the Food Standards Agency's headquarters Capital Investment Programme. As a result of this, the Food Standards Agency capital costs will increase by £300,000 from £647,000 to £947,000.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
