Overview

The Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Bill authorizes government spending for the financial years ending 31 March 2024, 2025, and 2026. It makes adjustments to previously authorized spending, accounting for overspending in 2023-24 and supplementary needs in 2024-25, and provides a "vote on account" for 2025-26 – a preliminary allocation of funds until a full budget is passed.

Description

This bill addresses three key areas of government finance:

Vote on Account for 2025-26:

Authorizes up to £494,571,152,000 in spending for the 2025-26 financial year, broken down into £402,046,708,000 for current expenses and £92,524,444,000 for capital investment. The Treasury is authorized to issue up to £409,837,337,000 from the Consolidated Fund to cover this expenditure.

Supplementary Provision for 2024-25:

Increases the authorized spending for 2024-25 by £84,001,132,000. This includes a rise in current spending by £109,103,379,000, offset by a reduction in capital spending by £25,102,247,000. Schedule 1 details specific adjustments to the Main Estimates Act 2024 to reflect these changes. The bill clarifies how positive and negative adjustments affect the budget, including the handling of estimated surpluses.

Excesses for 2023-24:

Authorizes an additional £221,818,000 to cover overspending in 2023-24 (£219,401,000 for current expenses and £2,417,000 for capital). Schedule 2 details adjustments to the Main Estimates Act 2023 to account for these excesses.

Government Spending

The bill authorizes a total of £494,571,152,000 for 2025-26. It also authorizes supplementary spending of £84,001,132,000 for 2024-25 and covers excesses of £221,818,000 for 2023-24. The exact breakdown of spending across different government departments is detailed in Schedules 1 and 2, which are not fully summarized here due to the extensive detail involved.

Groups Affected

This bill affects numerous groups, including:

• Government departments: The bill directly impacts all government departments by authorizing their spending and requiring adjustments to their budgets based on actual spending and supplementary needs.
• Taxpayers: The bill’s approval of government spending has implications for taxation and national debt.
• Beneficiaries of government programs: Changes in departmental budgets could affect the funding of various government programs and services.
• Businesses and individuals receiving government funding: The bill's adjustments to spending may affect funding for contracts, grants, and other forms of government support.

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