Alistair Darling says money pumped into schools, infrastructure and housing will increase public spending to 拢682bn by 2010/2011

The government is to bring forward 拢3bn of public spending on infrastructure, schools and housing projects in a bid to use construction to lessen the impact of recession on the country.

In a pre-Budget report described by commentators as an emergency budget, chancellor Alistair Darling announced the measure to increase public spending to 拢682bn by 2010-/2011.

The measures include:

  • Bringing forward spending on secondary and primary schools and transport infrastructure
  • A package of measures aimed at helping small businesses including a 拢1bn temporary small business finance scheme
  • 拢150m will be spent insulating 60,000 homes
  • A 拢1.8bn package of support on housing.

Saying that the measures would help to avoid a 鈥渓onger, deeper recession鈥�, Darling moved to allay fears that the building programmes involved would not be able to effectively use the funding, given much publicised delays to schemes such as the 拢45bn 黑洞社区 Schools for the Future programme.

He said: 鈥淚 have looked at the programmes in these areas in detail and I know they can be delivered to this timetable.鈥�

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