As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor has said, departmental budgets are set until April 2011. We are less than half way through the current spending review and current economic uncertainty makes it unrealistic to set departmental budgets now, all the way through to 2014. My right hon. Friend will have more to say about that in the pre-Budget report and the Budget.
I listened to what the Minister said, but I do not think it will or can wash with the House. The British economy is obviously in a terrible state and the only people who do not realise it are the Government. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has said that departmental spending will fall between 2011 and 2014. Will the Minister now admit that?
As I have said to the House, we will set out departmental budgets at the next spending review. There is a good deal of uncertainty, including about the kind of things that the IFS is forecasting at the moment, and it would be rash to set out detailed projections and commitments at this stage. That is why my right hon. Friend the Chancellor will come back to it later this year or in the Budget next year.
Is not the truth that this has nothing to do with economic rashness and everything to do with political rashness? Is not the real reason why we do not have a comprehensive spending review that the Government know that they would have absolutely no chance at a general election if they had to reveal the scale of the cuts required to repair the mess in which they have put this country?
No, that is certainly not the case. There is an unprecedented worldwide downturn, which we are dealing with—and dealing with very effectively—but that causes uncertainty. For that reason, it is not right to set out public spending forecasts all the way to 2014. I would be interested to know from Conservative Members whether, as the shadow International Development Secretary said yesterday—
Order. I am very grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his thoughts on that matter, but he need not take them any further.