Downing Street Says » Cabinet Secretary

» Thursday, July 16, 2009

Cabinet Secretary

Put that the Cabinet Secretary seemed to suggest in a recent interview that there would be some spending cuts in some departments of more than twenty per cent, the PMS said that the Prime Minister was asked today about a similar sort of figure that appeared in a newspaper over the weekend. The Prime Minister s response to that was that we would get efficiency at the centre; we would bring in the reforms that were necessary with the ultimate aim of protecting frontline services. The Cabinet Secretary s comments and the evidence the Prime Minister gave to the Liaison Committee this morning were entirely consistent.

Put that there could be savings of more than twenty per cent made in certain departments at the centre, the PMS said that he did not think that was quite what the Cabinet Secretary had been saying; he was given an example of a Canadian programme and he said it was an interesting example. The Cabinet Secretary did not think we should necessarily follow the whole example but thought it was an interesting model.

Put that the Prime Minister had said it was quite ridiculous, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had been referring specifically to the newspaper report in the Sunday Times.

Asked if the Prime Minister thought it was helpful for senior civil servants such as Sir Gus O Donnell and Sir Richard Dannatt to give media interviews, the PMS said yes; it was right that General Dannatt was able to talk about the issues that affected the Armed Forces at the moment and it was right that Sir Gus O Donnell could talk about the efficiencies we were seeking in the Civil Service and across Government.

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