Compared with the big spending Budgets of preceding years, ChancellorGordon Brown's tenth offering kept a tight grip on the nation's pursestrings.
But, while the Home Office and Department for Work and Pensions facedcuts, Brown's commitment to children has ensured that children'spolicies will get extra cash.
In fact, the extra money for children's services and benefits was thefocus of the Budget. Child poverty, education, childcare and youthvolunteering all got attention and an in-depth review of spending onchildren's services was also announced.
As Brown put it in his Budget speech, this was a Budget "to securefairness for each child and invest in every child".
Schools
Brown's focus was firmly on education, raising annual spending from5.65bn to 8bn over the next five years. He told Parliamenthis long-term aim is for every child to get the same level ofeducational support as those in private schools. There was a generousincrease in capital spending on schools and promises of more cash forrunning costs.
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