Question

To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what funding was (a) allocated to the Commission in 2010 and (b) will be so allocated in 2015.

The House of Commons Commission initially committed itself to a reduction in the Administration Resource Estimate in December 2009. The following year this was restated as an intention to reduce the Estimate to £210 million by 2014/15 from a baseline of £231 million for 2010/11.^(a) Taking forecast inflation into account, this represented a reduction of 17% in real terms. In December 2013 the Commission agreed an Administration Estimate for 2014/15 of £201.3 million – allowing for transfers between Estimates and other adjustments, this was £2 million below the target set in 2010.

The Finance and Services Committee will, on Tuesday 28 October, be publishing its first report of the session, entitled House of Commons Financial Plan 2015–16 to 2018–19, including draft Estimates for 2015–16 (HC 757), which provides further detail. I shall be approaching the Backbench Business Committee to request a debate on the report before the Committee gives its advice on the 2015/16 Estimate to the Commission in December. This would give all hon. Members a chance to discuss and contribute to the financial plan.

Note: (a) In December 2009 the Commission agreed an Estimate for 2010/11 of £258 million. However, having taken account of the transfer of staff to IPSA and various accounting adjustments, this was reduced to £231 million. Agreement of an initial, in-year savings package by the Commission in June 2010 meant that it actually laid an Estimate for 2010/11 of £219 million.