I move:
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £32,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1973, for the salaries and expenses of the Civil Service Commission and of the Local Appointments Commission.
The financial provision for the Civil Service Commission is particularly difficult to estimate in advance. It is a service agency for the Government Departments generally and for local authorities, and as it is expected to be in a position to meet the demands of these organisations which cannot be reliably forecast in advance, it is not always able to restrict its expenditure to the amount usually provided.
The Supplementary Estimate now before the House can be explained as follows: subhead A.I.—Salaries Wages and Allowances—the original provision was for £199,000 and the supplementary sum now required is £17,000. The excess is due mainly to an increase in the number of staff arising out of the increased number of competitions and higher number of candidates generally. A secondary factor was the second phase of the 13th wage round. Subhead B.—Travelling and Incidental Expenses—the original provision was for £18,000; the supplementary sum required is £8,000. The excess is due to the fact that the Department of Finance computer was not in operation as early as expected and, accordingly, payment for computer rental had to be made. Under subhead E.—Appropriations-in-Aid— the original provision was for £221,000 and this meant there was a shortfall of £7,000; the amount which fell to be claimed from local authorities under this subhead was less than had been expected.