Foreword by the Prime Minister
In 1998, this Government conducted a comprehensive review of public services and allocated money to the priorities of the British people. The 2000 Spending Review builds on the progress we have made in modernising public services by setting challenging targets for the next three years and allocating resources to achieve these targets directed at our priorities - improving education, health, transport and fighting crime.
On a platform of economic stability we are building the public services which Britain wants and needs. We are investing money and setting clear goals to provide opportunity and security for all in a world of change. The plans set in this Review will:
- give all our children the best start in life;
- provide for a first class health service available to everyone;
- give everyone the chance of a job and the opportunity to succeed at work;
- provide for a transport system that is fast and reliable;
- protect our communities from crime and drugs;
- widen opportunities for everyone to enjoy sport, music and the arts of the highest quality;
- improve quality of life and help everyone play a part in creating and sharing in the growing wealth of the country;
- increase access at school, work and home to the newest information technology; and
- enable Britain to contribute more to reducing world poverty and armed conflict.
We will do this by allocating money to priorities and controlling social security spending, spending less on paying for the national debt, and reducing inefficiency and unnecessary bureaucracy.
This Review sets targets and allocates resources to deliver opportunity and security for all. We are working across government to tackle the problems people care about at their roots - raising standards in deprived areas, fighting crime and delivering justice, taking action against drugs, widening the opportunity to get a job. In this way we are building strong and responsible communities with a better standard of living available to everyone.
Related links