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Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation

That brings me to my next point. First, there are the efficiency savings, which have been debated a fair amount publicly in the last day or two. Secondly, we will have to move on to a public spending round. We will have to move on to addressing the programmes of individual Departments, and they will be addressed. The education Department is only one of them. I shall explain the problem to the Opposition in a moment, but as things stand—as I think has just been conceded—the education Department faces a real-terms cut in its current spending over the next few years. It is also down for £1 billion worth of efficiency savings, but no one can adequately explain where they will come from. No one in most Departments can explain where the pencilled figures for efficiency savings are supposed to come from.