Jargon buster

A

ALB: Arms length body
AME: Annually Managed Expenditure

Expenditure that is relatively volatile and largely demand-led, which cannot reasonably be given firm, multi-year limits in the same way as DEL. AME includes social security benefits, local authority self-financed expenditure, debt interest and payments to EU institutions. Levels of AME spending are normally forecast rather than targeted.
AWDL: Average working days lost

DD: Deputy Director
DEAC: District Electoral Areas Commissioner
DEL: Departmental Expenditure Limit

Spending which is planned and controlled on a 3 year basis in Spending Reviews. The DEL is the annual spending limit imposed on a government department arising from its agreed, longer-term financial settlement. Normally categorised into capital DEL and resource DEL.