HC Deb 28 January 1999 vol 324 cc463-5
5. Jackie Ballard (Taunton)

What plans he has to repeat the comprehensive spending review. [66518]

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Alan Milburn)

The comprehensive spending review was a root-and-branch examination of departmental programmes to ensure that public spending was directed to the Government's priorities during the remainder of this Parliament and beyond. A further review will take place in 2000, when the plans set out in the comprehensive spending review will be rolled forward for the next three financial years.

Jackie Ballard

Will the Minister admit that the Government made a blunder when they stuck to the Tory spending plans for the first two years? Does he accept that the results of that blunder have been real pay cuts for teachers and nurses, worsening morale and recruitment difficulties? Will he promise not to repeat that blunder when he repeats the spending review?

Mr. Milburn

As usual, the Liberals want to have their cake and eat it. I thought that the hon. Lady was rising to thank the Government for the extra investment in her constituency: Somerset county council's standard spending assessment is to rise by 6.5 per cent. from April this year—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] There is more: Somerset health authority's spending is to rise by 3.8 per cent. in real terms from this April. When we entered government, we had to take tough decisions because of the reckless mess in which the Tories had left us, but the fruits of that are now being seen in the fact that we shall meet our tough fiscal rules while maintaining our commitment to extra investment in our schools and hospitals from April this year.

Mr. Gordon Prentice (Pendle)

The comprehensive spending review was a splendid initiative which released billions of pounds for our health and education services. My question relates to the national register of assets—those bits and pieces, lay-bys and so on, around the country that the Government allegedly no longer need to own. New Covent Garden market is valued at about £45 million, but its being sold off will do tremendous damage to the fruit, vegetable and flower market in central London. Will my hon. Friend reconsider the issue, perhaps with his colleagues in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food?

Mr. Milburn

I was not aware that my hon. Friend had a constituency interest in New Covent Garden market—perhaps he is a frequent visitor. I can tell him only that any sale has to meet strict value-for-money tests.

Mr. John Wilkinson (Ruislip-Northwood)

Why do we have to wait until 2000 for the new comprehensive spending review? Should not it be initiated right now, starting in the right hon. Gentleman's own Department? How come the son of the manse has suddenly abandoned his frugality and started chartering aeroplanes and helicoptering around Bangkok? What about his right hon. Friend from across the Pennines, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who appears to have acquired the soubriquet "Concorde Jack"?

Mr. Milburn

Of all the serious questions—health, education, employment or social security—that the hon. Gentleman could have raised at Treasury Question Time, he and the Conservative party have not a word to say because they think that our spending plans are reckless. It is about time that they came clean about which schools would close, which hospitals would close and which social security spending would be cut. We know that they would get rid of the minimum wage and the working families tax credit, with dire consequences for millions of people.

On the hon. Gentleman's question, he knows as well as I that there are strict rules governing the issue. We abide by those rules, which are the same as those that were applied when his party was in government.

Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)

Will my right hon. Friend bear it in mind that some Labour Members are not very happy about the fact that some people want to live the high life and fly in Concorde? I have been here long enough to see dramatic change on this issue, and 20 years ago, when the previous Labour Government were in office, the cry from Tory MPs was, "Why aren't Ministers flying in Concorde?"

Mr. Milburn

As my hon. Friend knows, consistency has never been a Tory strong point.

Madam Speaker

That hardly relates to the issue, as I might have suspected.