2.2 Government spending plans for 2010‑11 envisaged a small increase in Total Managed Expenditure compared with 2009-10. However, this resulted mainly from a £12 billion increase in debt interest payments and other Annually Managed Expenditure largely outside departments' direct control. For our analysis of overall outturn, we are therefore focusing on spending within Departmental Expenditure Limits. Figure 5 overleaf shows the differences between Total Managed Expenditure and Departmental Expenditure Limits and the real‑terms change in Departmental Expenditure Limits from 2009-10 to 2010-11, in total and across departments.
2.3 The reductions announced in May 2010 implied a fall of 3.6 per cent in real terms from 2009‑10 outturn for the 17 main departments. A number of departments required supplementary estimates in 2010-11,4which largely related to policy changes and reflected increases in provisions for future costs, which have no immediate impact on spending. The main increases were in the Ministry of Defence, to write off surplus equipment following the Strategic Defence and Security Review, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills owing to revaluation of student loans. After these changes, the fall in Departmental Expenditure Limits was 2.3 per cent in real terms, although there were increases and decreases in individual departments reflecting policy decisions (Figure 5).
2.4 The large-scale reduction of in-year spending plans placed unprecedented pressure on departments' financial management systems. No department exceeded the net spending allocation approved by Parliament in 2010-11.
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4 Supplementary estimates are submitted by departments to seek adjustments to their main Parliamentary Votes. These can cover, for example, the impact of the annual Budget, other major policy decisions or simply unforeseen receipts and costs. Overall, the level of supplementary estimates requested by departments during 2010-11 was not unusual.